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Discover Holiday Events & Family Fun
Life can feel like a Hallmark movie here in the Endless Mountains of NEPA. Local shops line our streets, historic homes are decked out in lights, and the frosty forests glisten with snow. In the countryside, you can truly escape the holiday hustle and experience the magic of Christmas.
The Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau is celebrating our 5th Annual Endless Mountains Christmas, a collection of holiday events and activities throughout the region. This year, our brochure features 55 festive events, and more than half of them are free to attend. Plan your holiday season in the mountains with these five tips.
Explore Our Towns at a Festival
Enjoy a true small-town Christmas during one of our local festivals. The fun begins with Christmas in Montrose on December 6-8. This celebration grows bigger and better every year with tasty treats, kids’ activities, local vendors, photo ops, live entertainment, and more. Don’t miss special events like the United Fire Company’s Parade of Lights on Friday night and the Jingle Bell 5K on Saturday morning.
On December 13-14, Tunkhannock’s Christmas in Our Hometown welcomes visitors to this historic town along the Susquehanna River. On Friday night, Tioga Street is closed to traffic so guests can enjoy shops, restaurants, and the Santa Parade. The fun continues on Saturday with family fun, wagon rides, and a vendor village.
Christmas in Dushore is always holiday tradition, featuring festivities all day long on December 14. The day starts with breakfast with Santa at Pam’s Restaurant, followed by artisan vendors, an ugly sweater contest, s’more stations, live reindeer, music, and more. The evening ends with a tree lighting ceremony and light parade through town.
Admire the Christmas Lights
Christmas lights add a bit of sparkle to the long winter nights. One of the biggest displays in NEPA is the Festival of Lights at Stone Hedge Golf Course in Tunkhannock. This drive-through display is about two and a half miles long and takes months just to set up. You’ll spot favorite characters, awe-inspiring tunnels, and forests wrapped in lights. The Festival of Lights opens on November 27 and continues nightly through December 31 (excluding Christmas Eve).
After you visit the Festival of Lights, continue your holiday light tour in downtown Tunkhannock, where the first-ever Tunkhannock Christmas Decorating Contest is underway. From December 1 through December 18, take a drive (or bundle up for a winter walk) and vote for your favorite homes and businesses. Voters will be entered in a drawing for local gift certificates.
On November 30 through December 7, the Christmas Light Spectacular and Market will spark some holiday spirit at the Sullivan County Fairgrounds in Forksville. This free display includes themed scenes that you can walk or drive through. A vendor marketplace will be set up on Saturdays.
Choose Your Own Christmas Tree
Wander through the rows of trees and pick out the perfect one at our local choose-and-cut tree farms. This Christmas tradition still lives strong at Bennie’s Nursery Tree Farm in Tunkhannock and Rock Hill Tree Farm in Dushore.
Farmers markets have plenty of pre-cut options as well. You’ll find fresh trees at Ebb’s Candy Jar in Tunkhannock, Hilltop Farms Marketplace in Tunkhannock, or Trostle’s Dairy & Poultry Farm in Shunk.
Shop Local
We don’t have shopping malls in the Endless Mountains. Instead, you’ll find lots of family-owned stores that make it easy to shop small this holiday season. Stock up on local goods and artisan gifts for everyone on your list. In Dushore, the town even hosts a Small Business Saturday celebration to explore local businesses.
You’re bound to find the perfect gifts at the Factoryville Christmas Market, a European-style vendor village with a NEPA twist. On December 6-8, shop over 80 vendors at Christy Mathewson Park. You can also take a horse-drawn carriage ride around town, enjoy live music, and take the kids to the Children’s Wonderland and Elf School.
Watch a Show
Winter was made for cozy nights at the theater. Catch a live show, like the Endless Mountains Theatre Company’s Ferndale Christmas Carol at The Reimel Center on December 6-8. On December 7-8, local talent will take the stage during the Tunkhannock Public Library’s Christmas Show.
Live concerts will bring the sounds of the season to life. Join Keystone College Performance Music for their free Winter Holiday Concert on December 8. On December 13, Montrose Bible Conference presents Carols by Candlelight, a dinner concert featuring Niah and Allisha Merrill. And on December 14-15, say cheers to the holidays with a Christmas Cabaret at Grovedale Winery in Wyalusing.
It doesn’t feel like Christmas until you watch your favorite holiday movies. The Dietrich Theater in Tunkhannock presents their annual 12 Movies of Christmas on December 6 through December 19. This film festival features beloved holiday classics—all with free admission.
Celebrate Christmas in the Endless Mountains
Check out these events—and many more—happening now through New Year’s in the Endless Mountains. For more information, request a copy of the Endless Mountains Christmas brochure online or by calling 570-836-5431. You can also pick one up at the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau at 5405 SR 6 in Tunkhannock.
Featured image (top) courtesy of Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau.
