There are a variety of free and paid events for people of all ages in the area this holiday season.
Decorations
Lights Under Louisville is open through Jan. 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m, seven days a week. It features more than 900 Christmas displays underground on a 30-minute ride. For tickets and more information, click here.
The Waterfront Botanical Gardens is hosting Gardens Aglimmer, where you can take a stroll through gardens of festive lights and illuminated displays, and visit Santa and Mrs. Claus. It runs most dates through Dec. 30.
In Shawnee Park, OneWest’s free drive-through experience called Winter Wonderland is back for a second year. It ends Sunday and is open from 6-10 p.m.
Shopping
You can visit Fete De Noel in Paristown through Jan. 2. It features an outdoor ice skating rink, photos with Santa, the Brent Street Holiday Market and a trackless train ride.
If you need last-minute holiday greenery including wreaths, Waterfront Park’s Christmas Tree Lane is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, For more information, click here.
Bites and cocktails
The Miracle On Market is a pop-up cocktail bar at Galaxie Bar with a Christmas theme. It’s open through Dec. 31, starting at 4 p.m. for all ages. After 9 p.m., it’s adults only.
Tinsel Tavern at Pizza Bar is open every day from 4 p.m.-midnight. It’s hosting a private party for people celebrating New Year’s Eve with a platinum ticket package at Fourth Street Live! More details here.
Angel's Envy Distillery is having a free Holiday Open House on Dec. 21 from 4-7 p.m. They’re offering holiday cocktails, light bites and complimentary bottle engravings.
How about dinner in a dome? Holiday igLOUs at 8Up on Chestnut Street are open through Feb. 14. More information on reservations here. Swing by the Louisville Public Media office around the corner on South Fourth Street while you’re there, and check out the festive window display.
Shows and performances
In the mood for theater and musical performances? Here are a few shows to check out before the year ends.
The Louisville Ballet’s “The Brown-Forman Nutcracker” through Dec. 24 at Whitney Hall.
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” will have its final show of the year on Dec. 23 at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.
“All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914,” presented by the Kentucky Opera, is an a capella opera in English about stories of soldiers along the Western Front during World War I. It’s playing on Dec. 19, 22 and 23.
The Louisville Palace is hosting the Louisville Orchestra’s “Nat King Cole Christmas” on Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The show will feature sound and visual elements.
Furry friends
Qannik's Beary Happy Holiday at the Louisville Zoo features holiday-themed decorations and a scavenger hunt through the end of the month. The event is free with zoo admission or membership.
See live reindeer and other animals up close at the free Animals of the North Pole event on Dec. 30 at the Jeffersonville Township Public Library, from 11 a.m. to noon.
