Providence and the surrounding cities should start getting ready for an unforgettable winter holiday season!
Families with kids will find many event options to enjoy during the 2023 winter holiday season in and around Providence, including visits with Santa, millions of twinkling lights, and many more winter and Christmas-themed options!
Take a look at these great places to enjoy during Winter With Kids in and around Providence for further ideas!
Where: Trinity Rep
Hours: November 9 – December 31
A Christmas Carol is a timeless tale of redemption and joy, and Trinity Rep’s reimagined production of A Christmas Carol has been a beloved New England family tradition for over 45 years!
Make sure not to miss it this year!
Where: Garden City Center
Hours: November 17- December 24
Everyone’s favorite big man in red is back at Garden City Center!
Families can visit Santa in his cozy cabin right outside the Garden City Center Gazebo to meet and greet the most holly-jolly guy in the neighborhood and get their photo.
Where: The Breakers
Hours: November 17 – December 30 | Admission at 4 PM, 4:30 PM, 5 PM, 5:30 PM and 6 PM
Visitors will stroll along a half-mile-long path glittering with hundreds of thousands of holiday lights while music fills the winter air.
Walk through dazzling light tunnels and see illuminated displays and sparkling surprises along the way. Warm up and enjoy holiday treats and adult beverages for purchase at the back terrace and The Breakers Welcome Center.
Where: Newport Mansions
Hours: November 18- January 1
Families will witness the magic of the Newport Mansions during the holiday season!
See The Breakers, Marble House, and The Elms in all their festive finery—a beloved Newport tradition.
Where: Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum
Hours: November 22- December 31
Get ready to see Blithewold transform into a dazzling display that celebrates the magic of Christmas!
Visitors will find each mansion room filled with elaborate holiday decorations, and the gardens will become a glimmering winter wonderland!
Where: Roger Williams Park Zoo
Hours: November 24- December 31 | 5 PM – 9:30 PM
Make sure you and the family don’t miss this annual walk-through experience!
This dazzling light display through the Zoo features 40 acres of festive, larger-than-life luminous displays. This year’s event is even bigger and brighter, with more than 3 1/2 million illuminated lights!
Where: Roger Williams Park Zoo
Hours: 5 PM- 7 PM | November 30, December 7 and 14
This year, the little ones will ring in some holiday cheer with Santa Claus himself!
Santa will be spending time at Holiday Lights Spectacular on select nights, eager to meet with all his favorite children! Visits with Santa are available to each child (ages 12 and under), and families should plan to bring their cameras to snap photos.
Where: City of Providence
Hours: December 1, 2, 3.
Three Nights of Lights is a three-day festival with fun for the whole family, with free citywide events, all incorporating the theme of light!
These three days will be filled with tree lighting, holiday shopping events, an ice sculpture garden, WaterFire basin lighting, a holiday market, a visit by Santa, and so much more!
Where: The Courtyard
Hours: December 1st at 5 PM
The annual Christmas tree lighting in the courtyard is back!
Families will enjoy all of the fun and festivities, including live music, a special visit from Santa, festive holiday cookies, hot chocolate, and more.
Where: City of Providence
Hours: December 1, 5 PM
The City of Providence Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony will feature live entertainment with performances by the Lillian Feinstein Elementary Choir, among others, and a special visit for kids: Santa!
Where: Slater Memorial Park
Hours: December 2,3, 9, 10. 4 PM- 8 PM
This huge display is made up of 650 decorated Christmas trees, over 100 light displays, 20 Victorian-style houses, multiple 40′ LED mega trees, a read-along “Night Before Christmas” display, and much, much more!
Roads will be closed to allow families to safely walk through the display to view all of the decorations, listen to Christmas music, take great pictures, and make great family memories that will last forever.
Where: The Burnside Building
Hours: December 1, 5 PM December 2, 5: 30 PM
Bristol’s Grand Illumination is the signature event of Bristol’s Christmas season!
The festivities kick off with area students and artists performing along Hope Street, followed by a surprise entrance of Santa from the North Pole to flip the switch that lights the Town Christmas Tree and Giant Snowflake.
Where: City of Providence
Hours: December 1, 5 PM
The Holiday Parade and Town Hall Tree lighting will start at the Swift Gym parking lot, run down Dedford Street, and take a left on Main Street to Town Hall. Parade participants will gather at 4:45, and the parade will start at 5:10. The holiday parade will be led by the Extraordinary Rendition Band. The parade is expected to end by 5:30 at East Greenwich Town Hall.
Where: Historic Blackstone Valley Train Station
Hours: December 17 and 18
The magic returns this holiday season for a three-hour experience at the Blackstone Valley Polar Express!
Families can enjoy a unique Christmas experience with a 90-minute train ride to view the North Pole that’s filled with singing, games, a reading of the classic children’s story “The Polar Express”, and a visit from Santa!
