Holiday lights and Christmas events in Birmingham 2026

Last checked Oct. 25, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address; the dates below are for the 2026 holiday season. Each listing links to the organizer’s own page. The City Hall tree lighting and the question of a Christmas parade are on our separate Christmas parade and tree lighting page.

Updated Oct. 25: Glow Wild ticket prices are now posted.

Birmingham’s biggest light display is the Birmingham Zoo’s Glow Wild lantern festival, which opens the Saturday before Thanksgiving and runs into the new year. Santa comes to Vulcan Park on Dec. 5, the Alabama Theatre runs its Christmas movie series Dec. 11-22, and the Alabama Ballet’s Nutcracker fills the BJCC Concert Hall the same weeks.

Who to call

• Birmingham Zoo, 2630 Cahaba Road: birminghamzoo.com
• Alabama Theatre, 1817 Third Ave. N.: alabamatheatre.com
• City events: 311, or 205-254-2489

The season at a glance

Glow Wild at the Birmingham Zoo

Glow Wild: An Animal Lantern Celebration opens Saturday, Nov. 21, and runs on select nights through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027, from 5 to 9 p.m., with last tickets sold at 8 p.m. The zoo promises more than a million lights and hundreds of handcrafted lanterns along a mile-long outdoor path, a Holiday Village with Santa visits, carolers and photo spots, rides on the Red Diamond Express train, hot cocoa and s’mores, according to its Glow Wild page. Every open night and the Santa dates are on our Glow Wild page.

• Special nights: member preview Friday, Nov. 20, 5 to 8 p.m.; a KultureCity sensory-friendly night Wednesday, Dec. 2, 6 to 8 p.m.; an adults-only (18 and older) night Thursday, Dec. 3.
• Tickets: advance prices, tax included, are $25 for adults and $16 for children 2 to 12 ($19 and $12 for members); walk-up prices are $27 and $17. The zoo strongly recommends buying ahead because nightly capacity is limited, and tickets for a night closed by rain can be used on another night.
• Weather: Glow Wild does not open on rainy nights; the zoo posts closures online.

Santa visits

• Glow Wild Holiday Village at the zoo, on select nights; the zoo posts the Santa schedule on its website.
• Vulcan’s Holidays on the Mountain, Saturday, Dec. 5, 4 to 8 p.m., at Vulcan Park and Museum, 1701 Valley View Drive: photos with Santa, a DJ, local vendors, activities and the park’s mascots, V and Vesta. Tickets support the park’s education programs. The park closes at 1 p.m. that day and reopens for the event at 4 p.m. No pets or emotional support animals are allowed; trained service dogs are, according to Vulcan Park and Museum.

Christmas on stage and screen

The Alabama Theatre’s Holiday Film Series, presented by Regions Bank, runs Dec. 11-22 at 1817 Third Ave. N. The schedule on the theater’s event listings:

The Dec. 12 evening Christmas Vacation and the Dec. 20 evening Home Alone were listed as sold out on Oct. 17.

Alabama Ballet performs George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker at the BJCC Concert Hall Dec. 12-22: 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 12, 13, 19, 20, 21 and 22, and 6 p.m. on Dec. 12, 19 and 20, according to the ballet’s performance page. The company says it is one of seven in the world licensed to stage the Balanchine production. Parking and ticket details are on our Nutcracker page.

Christmas at Arlington

The Arlington Historical Association decorates Arlington Historic House in Victorian style for Christmas at Arlington, Sunday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with docent talks, Christmas music by local artists and light refreshments; the city lists it as free. More on it, and on the City Hall tree lighting, is on our Christmas parade and tree lighting page.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah begins at sundown Friday, Dec. 4, 2026. In past years the Levite Jewish Community Center and Chabad of Alabama have held a Grand Menorah Lighting at The Summit, with free latkes and doughnuts, according to the LJCC’s account of an earlier lighting. A 2026 public menorah lighting had not been announced on Oct. 17; we will add it here when it is.

Closures to know

• City offices close Thursday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 25.
• Birmingham Public Library locations close Dec. 24-26, and all locations are closed to the public for inventory Thursday, Dec. 10, according to its holiday closures list.
• Sloss Furnaces is closed Dec. 24 and 25.
• Birmingham City Schools are out for winter holidays from Monday, Dec. 21; students return Wednesday, Jan. 6.
• Trash pickup shifts for Christmas; see our trash and recycling guide.

What this means for you

• Book Glow Wild, the Nutcracker and the holiday films early: several film nights sold out by mid-October.
• Check the weather before a Glow Wild night; the zoo closes it in the rain.
• For gifts, see Black Friday and holiday shopping; for Dec. 31, see New Year’s Eve in Birmingham.

Frequently asked questions

When is Glow Wild at the Birmingham Zoo in 2026?

Glow Wild opens Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, and runs on select nights through Jan. 3, 2027, from 5 to 9 p.m., with last tickets at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $25 for adults and $16 for children 2 to 12. It closes on rainy nights.

Where can kids see Santa in Birmingham?

Santa visits are part of Glow Wild’s Holiday Village at the zoo on select nights, and Vulcan’s Holidays on the Mountain on Saturday, Dec. 5, 4 to 8 p.m., includes photos with Santa.

When are the Alabama Theatre Christmas movies in 2026?

The Holiday Film Series runs Dec. 11-22, starting with White Christmas on Dec. 11 and closing with a White Christmas sing-along and Christmas Vacation on Dec. 22. Some showings are already sold out.

When is The Nutcracker in Birmingham?

Alabama Ballet performs George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker at the BJCC Concert Hall Dec. 12-22, 2026, with 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. shows.

When does Hanukkah start in 2026?

Hanukkah begins at sundown Friday, Dec. 4, 2026. A 2026 public menorah lighting in Birmingham had not been announced on Oct. 17.