Atlantic City, NJ Christmas Events 2024

Atlantic City is renowned for entertainment, and the Christmas season brings out some of the very best this New Jersey shore city has to offer. The Atlantic City Ballet (ACB) will present The Nutcracker, the famous holiday ballet on several dates. In addition, ACB will be putting on A Shore Holiday, a Christmas musical and dance review. Both shows are bound to be best bets for your holiday entertainment.

Most of the large casinos in Atlantic City host Christmas or holiday-themed shows. This year, enjoy a Rat Pack Holiday Show on December 5th at the Tropicana, or kick off the holiday season with Cirque Dreams Holidaze at Ocean Casino Resort on December 1. Then, enjoy Christmas in Concert at the Borgata on December 7. Other casinos will be announcing Christmas entertainment soon, so stay tuned to this page for more things to do for Christmas in Atlantic City.

Nothing lights up the Christmas Spirit in kids of all ages like a Christmas Parade. Atlantic City's Winter Wonderland Holiday Parade takes place on the first Saturday of December. The parade route starts at Indiana Ave and proceeds up Atlantic Ave to Center City Park.

The Deck the Hall Festival of Trees takes place at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall throughout the month of December. Local business, organizations and even individuals decorate trees in Boardwalk Hall to support CASA for Children of Atlantic, Cape May and Camden Counties. The trees are magnificent, and of course the historic hall itself is an architectural masterpiece worth seeing. For The Merry Best experience, plan your visit around one of the almost daily holiday organ recitals at the hall, featuring classic Christmas carols played on the incredible, gigantic pipe organ that is one of the centerpieces of Boardwalk Hall.

With so much to do in Atlantic City during November and December, you need not leave the city to enjoy Christmas events. For a special treat, though, escape the hustle and bustle of AC and travel back in time to Historic Smithville Village for a cornucopia of Christmas happenings. Less than 30 minutes from Atlantic City, the shops at Smithville offer exceptional Christmas shopping, but there's much more to this historic village than gifts. The marquee event is the Dickens Fest production of the Charles Dickens story "A Christmas Carol," a music adaptation of this classic Christmas tale by the Riddlesbrood Touring Theatre Company, with showings on Thanksgiving weekend.

The holiday fun doesn't stop there, though! Smithville hosts events throughout the Christmas season, including a free light show nightly, the magnificent Magic Talking Christmas Tree (also free!), the Light Show on the Lake at Lake Meone, and the Smithville Christmas train. What a slate of things to do, and with almost everything free of charge, it's our pick for The Merry Best free Christmas event near Atlantic City.

An adult event that will make you feel like a kid again! Ring in the Christmas season at Absecon Lighthouse with the Luminary Light Festival. Light a personal luminary, marvel at the sight of the historic Absecon Lighthouse decorated for the holidays, and enjoy a wine and cheese tasting.