Oklahoma's 9 Most Festive Downtowns For The Holidays
Oklahoma’s downtowns during the holidays celebrate more than winter lights. They bring together the state’s layered history, grassroots community festivals, and landmarks tied to the oil booms, railroads, and Native American nations that shaped the Sooner State. Visitors during the festive season will find towns where Victorian-era storefronts come alive with costumed actors and horse-drawn carriage rides, where a Frank Lloyd Wright landmark hosts gingerbread displays, and where tribal capitols stage public tree lightings and ornament workshops grounded in Cherokee culture. It is a welcoming time to visit Oklahoma’s small towns during the holiday season.
Guthrie
Guthrie turns its downtown into a living period drama each winter, when the Guthrie Victorian Walk fills the brick streets with costumed actors, live-window scenes, and horse-drawn carriage rides that loop past illuminated storefronts.
Visitors may begin at the Guthrie Depot or the Scottish Rite Temple. Community choirs lead caroling sessions on scheduled nights, and local bakeries hand out warm cider outside their shop doors.
Visitors can stay at the Guthrie Depot for a Victorian Holiday Tea, where attendees dress in their finest outfits and enjoy a calm and elegant experience. Families gather for carriage rides that leave from the main square. Craft workshops run by the Oklahoma Historical Society teach children how to make Victorian-style ornaments that will be displayed in shop windows through the season.
A Very Merry Guthrie Christmas at Cottonwood Flats has an outdoor light show with more than 100,000 lights that onlookers can drive by while staying warm in their cars.
Ponca City
Ponca City centers its holiday season on the Festival of Angels, a monthlong, community-run lights celebration that connects several display sites around the town. Visitors can pick up a printed map at the Pioneer Woman Museum, then follow the signs to Cann Memorial Gardens and the lakeside panels while keeping an eye out for a gingerbread factory, Noah’s ark, and nativity scenes.
In early December, the Annual Ponca City Downtown Lighted Christmas Parade moves down Grand Avenue with floats, community groups, and seasonal displays. For families in town, Kids Skate Free Day is held at Veterans Plaza by Ponca City Main Street, allowing anyone under 12 to skate for free, including the rental of skates.
Bartlesville
Bartlesville centers its holiday activity around its historic core and the cultural draw of Price Tower. The museum’s seasonal program, Christmas at Price Tower, includes a gingerbread house exhibit created by local elementary school classes, photos with Santa before the Bartlesville Downtown Christmas Parade, and a free evening reception after the parade.
At the end of November, the town launches Christmas in the Ville, a multi-event celebration of the holiday season in Bartlesville. On opening night, the town hosts a tree lighting, food trucks, a downtown merchant crawl, train rides for young children, and other activities.v From that night until the end of the season, families and visitors can find an outdoor public skating rink, horse carriage rides, and photos with Santa.
Muskogee
Muskogee’s winter centerpiece is the Garden of Lights at Honor Heights Park, a drive-through and walkable light display that lines the park pathways and water edges with animated figures. Those who want to linger can stop at the park’s North Pavilion, where a concession stand serves hot cocoa, popcorn, and sweet treats.
Christmas at the Depot Green is another center of holiday activity in Muskogee. Events begin at the end of November and run until the end of December. Visitors can attend the Lights on Ceremony that opens the season, shop at the Holiday Market, write letters to Santa, meet live reindeer, take train rides, or spend time with the Grinch.
Claremore
Claremore links its holiday season to the spirit of Charles Dickens and the legacy of Will Rogers, creating downtown festivities that draw residents and visitors from around the region. The Will Rogers Memorial Museum anchors the season with holiday traditions like photos with Santa Claus and free showings of the Christmas classic “Elf”.
Dickens on the Boulevard has been running for 30 years and transforms Will Rogers Boulevard into 1840s Victorian England, with costumed attendees encouraged to dress in period-specific attire. The event hosts Victorian costume contests, a cricket match, and instruction in Victorian era-inspired dances.
The town continues its historically themed celebrations with the Ghosts of Christmas Past Tour, a tour of four historic buildings that highlights their history and includes a festive Wassail drink. Another part of Claremore’s celebrations is the Tiny Tim's Little Mr. and Miss Dickens Pageant, which invites young children to take part and portray the spirit of the Dickens character.
Ardmore
Ardmore stages a two-part holiday program that pairs a large, community-run light show with a downtown night of floats, bands, and shop-hosted gatherings. The Festival of Lights at Regional Park is a 1.5-mile drive-through route, open from late November to late December.
The downtown Parade of Lights begins after the tree lighting at Central Park, proceeds east down Main Street, and ends at Depot Park with Mr. and Mrs. Claus arriving in a horse-drawn carriage. The Ardmore Main Street Authority and local merchants decorate their windows with lights that remain on into the night.
Throughout December, Depot Park holds Depot Nights and Christmas Lights Experience, a gathering of seasonal activities that includes free carriage rides, late-night shopping, carolers, live reindeer, and other events.
McAlester
McAlester begins the holiday season with the McAlester Festival of Trees and Lights at Arvest Park. Residents and visitors can stroll through decorated trees, view the light displays, and enjoy holiday-themed live entertainment.
The town stages the Railway District Christmas Parade in December, moving through its historic commercial streets with holiday floats, festive marching bands, and an appearance by Santa Claus. McAlester’s community supports families in need with the Annual J. Michael Toy Giveaway at The South East Expo, an event that provides toys, socks, undergarments, hats, gloves, and other clothing for children.
Enid
Enid opens its holiday season with the long-running Enid Lights Up the Plains celebration on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The night includes the lighting of “The One” Christmas Tree, horse-drawn wagon rides around the courthouse square, and the annual Christmas Lights Parade that moves through the main street. Santa Claus appears at the event. Vendor-lined streets feature local artisans, live entertainment, and stores that stay open late to accommodate the crowds.
Holiday activities continue with the opening of Holidays on Ice, the town’s outdoor skating rink set downtown and surrounded by festive lights. Those who want a seasonal outing in a natural setting can cut down their own Christmas tree at Red Bird Farm, a major agritourism site in Enid. Visitors can also stop by holiday markets at Rowdy Stickhorse Market Hub, Chisholm Trail Expo, or the Stride Bank Center for last-minute gifts.
Tahlequah
Tahlequah celebrates its Cherokee culture by opening its holiday season with the Cherokee Nation’s Christmas on the Square. This event is staged at the Cherokee National History Museum and begins in early December. Families take part in ornament-making stations, drop off letters for Santa Claus, and pose for photos with Santa and his reindeer.
The museum also runs an exhibit that complements the season titled The First Cherokee Christmas, which begins in December and continues into the new year.
The Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce coordinates the annual Tahlequah Christmas Parade, which begins at the Northeastern State University University Center and moves down Muskogee Avenue. The town also holds a holiday Christmas Bazaar that supports the Humane Society of Cherokee County, with live music and 40 vendors selling arts, crafts, and seasonal gifts.
Celebrate Oklahoma’s Holidays Together
The holidays in Oklahoma stand out for the way towns blend local history, tribal traditions, and community spirit into celebrations that feel welcoming and rooted in place. A Victorian-themed walk in Guthrie, a lakeside light display in Ponca City, or a citywide festival organized with the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah each show a different side of the season. Every destination contributes its own approach to holiday gatherings across the state.
