In an age where Christmas gifts can be ordered with a click, families can congregate virtually in a Zoom video chat, and the yule log is more often than not a YouTube video playing on a flat-screen TV, it’s more important than ever to get out of the house and participate in community events. When folks say the holidays are about togetherness, they’re not talking about a group text.
Below you’ll find a list of dozens of local holiday events and festive ways to support local businesses while sharing in the spirit of the season with your fellow Ulster County revelers, whatever your style of celebration may be.
Kingston
The holidays begin in earnest with the sprawling Snowflake Festival in Uptown Kingston, which kicks off at 6pm on Friday, Dec. 6. The Historic Stockade District will be transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with holiday performances, fire twirlers, jugglers, live ice carving, live music and horse-drawn carriage rides. Enjoy the splendor of the annual tree lighting, meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, and take part in both indoor and outdoor activities for the whole family.
What better way to stay warm and cozy this holiday season than going for a jog in a Santa suit? Truth be told, some of the holiday running costumes may be a bit more revealing at the Jingle Bell Dash Holiday Fun Run presented by HV LGBTQ+ and Big Gay Hudson Valley. Prizes for best holiday costume are available, including chances to win tickets to see John Water’s performance and meet-and-greet in Kingston on Monday (more on that below). The run starts with a check in at the Community Center followed by espresso martinis at Hotel Kinsley at 8am. At 9:15am, the green-and-red festive phalanx departs the Uptown Pride Crosswalk for Apuzzo Hall, where they’ll be met with warm drinks and a “holiday nosh”.
Interpretive ballet has become synonymous with Christmas in Kingston thanks to Ulster Dance Company’s annual performance of A Christmas Carol at UPAC. After 25 years paying tribute to the most famous holiday novella of all-time, one wonders what Charles Dickens himself would have thought of leotard-clad dancers bringing his morality tale of supernatural time-traveling to life on stage. Catch Carol performances on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7pm and Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2pm.
Christkindlmarkt is a German holiday market at Kingston Mannerchor and Damenchor, our local German heritage nonprofit. On Saturday, Dec. 7 from 10am-4pm, enjoy local craft and food vendors and a cafe serving up German specialties and other light fare. Es weihnachtet sehr!
Just outside of Kingston you’ll find Frozendale, Rosendale’s all-day, townwide holiday celebration. The event runs from 10am-5pm, featuring special events sequentially hosted in local businesses all across town, and culminating in a tree lighting with hot cocoa.
Crafty kids ages 7-15 can check out “Craftsmas” at Cornell Creative Arts Center on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 11am-1pm. Visitors will stop at multiple activity stations including a gingerbread house building area.
For a laid-back craft brunch with Santa, head to Hutton Brickyards on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 11am. Food and decadent hot cocoa will be served in the historic Edgewood Mansion dining room, and visitors can make paper or dried fruit garlands to enhance their holiday decor.
Join the Ulster County SPCA‘s Holiday Pop-Up Cat Café at noon on Sunday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 21st, where you can purchase snuggle sessions with shelter cats, enjoy donuts and hot chocolate from Hole In The Wall Donuts, and bring “Santa Paws” gifts like wet food or toys for the cats.
Also on Sunday, Dec. 8, the Mid-Hudson Women’s Chorus will present an uplifting choral program titled “Reflections of the Season: Peace, Love & Frolic” at 2pm at the St. James United Methodist Church.
If you love A Christmas Carol but want to be fully immersed in it, Theatre on the Road is performing scenes from the book and holiday caroling around the dinner table at VFW Post 1386 on Monday, Dec. 9 and at The Venue Uptown at the Best Western on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7pm. Other performances in and around Ulster County are planned, visit theatreontheroad.com for a list.
Catskill Ballet Theatre Company will present their annual performance of The Nutcracker at UPAC on Friday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Dec. 15. Some locals go every year as part of their holiday traditions, a testament to the wow factor of seeing this wondrous production live on stage, produced by true professionals.
All three Kingston business districts have teamed up for a “Kingston Shop Hop” on Saturday, Dec. 14th from 11am-7pm. If your idea of holiday merriment includes several alcoholic beverages, hop on a decorated 24-passenger shuttle and get chauffeured to some of Kingston’s finest small businesses without worry you’ll appear in the police blotter tomorrow. Even teetolars will appreciate skipping a walk in the cold, thanks to the City of Kingston’s dedication to make public transportation more accessible.
At ArtPort Kingston on Saturday, Dec. 14 and Sunday, Dec. 15 from 12-5pm, you’ll find local artisans, food and drink, performances and kids’ workshops for a fun and creative twist on the holiday market concept.
Ars Choralis celebrates its 60th anniversary in the 2024-2025 season, beginning with “Time Was” on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Holy Cross/Santa Cruz Church, 7pm. It’s a story concert that captures the holiday spirit through multicultural music and traditions, reflecting real-world events from the 1940s to the present day told via music and spoken
word. Another performance will be held at Woodstock’s Overlook Methodist Church on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 4pm.
Nearly sold out at the time of this writing, A John Waters Christmas at Old Dutch Church on Monday, Dec. 16th will feature an 8pm visit from the titular cult celebrity gifting his “slippery sled of sewage” and “comedy bag of tricks” for a counter-cultural holiday celebration.
Proving anything can be tiki-fied, favorite local watering hole Stockade Tavern will host a “Holiday Tiki Bash” on Saturday, Dec. 21 featuring live music from The Sci-Flies and DJ Tony X-Mas, whose nom de plume takes special significance this time of year.
New Paltz
Can’t wait until the weekend to start getting in the holiday spirit? Check out a screening of Saint Nick of Bethlehem at Denizen Theater on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7pm. It’s a heartwarming, critically-acclaimed tale of community and kindness, as a small town bands together to rediscover the true spirit of Christmas through unexpected miracles.
Head to the Unison Arts Center on Friday to celebrate the 33rd year of New Paltz’s Craft, Arts and Design Fair, starting at 10am. It’s the Center’s longest-running annual event, offering a dizzying array of handmade fine arts and crafts made in the Hudson Valley. Vendors are curated with care to ensure high quality and diversity, and some proceeds go to funding the Center itself.
Friday (5pm-8pm) and Saturday (9am-3pm), the Reformed Church of New Paltz welcomes the public to its Holiday on Huguenot Street and Christmas Market, a cherished annual tradition. Peruse a festive mix of wreaths, topiaries, handmade ornaments, poinsettias, and delightful gifts, along with tasty treats at the Huguenot Café. Festivities kick off with Friday evening shopping, caroling, and a lively concert by Big Blue Big Band. Saturday brings Santa visits, cookie decorating, a Build-A-Pet activity, baked goods, and the famous Cookie Walk.
Hunting for unique gifts? Twin Star Orchards has put together a solid showcase of rotating local artisans each Saturday and Sunday from now through Christmas.
If holiday serenades are your thing, SUNY New Paltz’s Studley Theater wil host final choral concert readings and carols on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 7:30pm. Expect a dazzling display of vocal prowess, and don’t worry, the audience will not be graded.
The 5th Annual Holiday Hoopla Winter Carnival returns to New Paltz on Saturday, Dec. 14, for a full day of festive fun and community spirit (rain/snow date on Sunday, Dec. 15). The day kicks off with a winter carnival at Historic Huguenot Street from 1pm-3pm, featuring free activities, a children’s costume contest, live music by Probable Cause, and delicious food trucks. From 3pm-5pm, head to the Elting Memorial Library for “Music, Merriment & More,” featuring the New Paltz High School Choir, a youth talent showcase, and interactive programs by children’s author Ellen Kalish and storyteller Lorraine Hartin-Gelardi.
At 5pm, the Hoopla continues with the glowing “Peace & Light Parade” as it marches from the New Paltz Middle School parking lot down Main Street to Plattekill Avenue, with a chance to win one of three $300 cash prizes for parade participants (registration closes Dec. 8). Finally, wrap up the day at “Water Street Wonderland” from 6-9pm at Water Street Market, featuring a community sing-along, toy drive, and plenty of seasonal surprises. Visit holidayhoopla.org for more details.
If you can’t find a reindeer to ride this holiday season, a pony is the next best thing. Ridge Runner Ranch is hosting its 3rd annual “Saddles with Santa” on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10am-noon. Get a photo with Santa, a pony ride, and enjoy food and hot chocolate for just $20.
For the high rollers among us, Mohonk Mountain House’s Christmas celebration is legendarily luxe. From Monday, Dec. 23 through Christmas Day, guests enjoy an immersive Victorian-style holiday experience including ice skating, holiday craft kits, and a dazzling “Winter Lights” display, in addition to the resort’s numerous other amenities.
Woodstock
Shops will stay open late and offer special treats during the townwide Woodstock Holiday Open House on Friday, Dec. 6 from 4-8pm. Eat, drink and be merry at one (or more) of many bars and restaurants, enjoy live music and catch a tree lighting ceremony.
Locally-made crafts, holiday cards, books, artwork, textiles and tasty foods will be on offer at the Historical Society of Woodstock on Friday, Dec. 6 through Saturday, Dec. 8 starting at noon. If you haven’t yet dipped into the rich and multifaceted past of our county’s most culturally storied town, treat yourself.
Cultured Christmas types may consider visiting the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum this Friday, Dec. 6 for a holiday open house, featuring a special Xiao Ping art project from 4-6pm, followed by live music by Bennett Harris Acoustic Blues, with Jeff Keithline from 6-7pm.
Madeline is more than a story, it’s a media franchise grown over decades, originating from a beloved children’s book about an appendectomy. It was only a matter of time before she got her own musical. Madeline’s Christmas runs at the Woodstock Playhouse Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7pm and Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2pm, and features a live-action, choreographed production, though the story centers on a magical rug merchant rather than facing surgery (and life) with demure bravery.
If your Christmas Spirit is of the holiest kind, Overlook United Methodist Church invites the community to its celebration of “Christ’s eternal reign of joy, love and peace” on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 3pm. The event features caroling by the Onteora Parish Chorus and refreshments.
Of course, the main holiday event in Woodstock – perhaps the hottest holiday event in the county – is Santa’s arrival on the Village Green come Christmas Eve. The tradition is approaching a century in age, and though it has grown from a quaint celebration to a spectacle mobbed by thousands, the volunteers who ensure Santa’s arrival is memorable (and hopefully a little weird) have been impressively consistent in their wow factor and generous stockings over the years. Much like New Year’s Eve in Times Square, Santa’s arrival in Woodstock is part exhilaration, part endurance, and entirely one-of-a-kind. Embrace the insanity. Festivities start at 5pm and Santa lands at 5:30pm.
Saugerties
The Reformed Church of Saugerties will host its Christmas Fair on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 9am-3pm and Sunday, Dec. 8 from noon-3pm. Themed gift baskets, vendors and a bake sale will all be on offer to make Christmas spirits bright.
Bust out your most ostentatious winter wear for the “Ugly Sweater Skate” on Saturday, Dec. 7, 3-4:30pm at Kiwanis Ice Arena. Hosted by the Skating Club of Saugerties, you’ll have the opportunity to meet Santa while snapping pics in the photo booth and snacking on tasty bake sale goods.
On Sunday, Dec. 8, visit Newberry Artisan Market for their “Holiday in the Village” event from 11am-6pm. Enjoy Caribbean soul food by Royalty Enterprises and Hudson Valley spirits by Cooper’s Daughter. The Mac’s Band will play some live tunes from 1-4pm.
Who says you can’t leave cannolis out for Santa? Check out A Taste of Italy: Sip & Shop at Fortune Valley Manor on Sunday, Dec. 12 from 5pm-9pm. Attractions include over 20 mini-shops, Italian specialties in tapas form (including a Sicilian meatball slider with fresh mozzarella and roasted garlic aioli for just $5), a cash bar, raffles to support the Saugerties food pantry, tarot, reiki, an outdoor light show and more.
Warm up on Saturday, Dec. 14 with a soup and holiday fair at First Congregational Church. Selections will include New England clam chowder.
A Christmas craft fair dubbed the “Miracle on Market Street” enters its second year on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 10am-5pm. At the Recreation Center, Over 25 vendors will hope you place their products under your tree, and a raffle will be held to benefit the Center for Spectrum Services. Last-minute shoppers have a savior in the “Saugerties Christmas Jingle”, also at the Recreation Center. Over twenty local vendors will be on hand from 10am-4pm on Saturday, Dec. 21, including family Christmas portraits by appointment.
Join the family! 
