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December is the busiest month on the valley's calendar. Christkindlmarkt opens the month, the Nutcracker runs almost all of it, and Abravanel Hall and the Eccles stack holiday concerts every weekend. Every dated event below links to its source. Lights and traditions that have not posted 2026 dates yet are listed separately, with last year's dates for reference.
Updated Wednesday, October 2820 events with confirmed 2026 dates, in date order.
The downtown farmers market moves indoors for the cold months, with local farms and food makers selling on Saturday mornings. It opens November 14 at 209 E 500 South and runs weekly through April 17.
Hale Centre Theatre opens the musical Anastasia, about a young woman in 1920s Paris who may be the lost Russian grand duchess. The run continues into mid-January.
The Salt Lake Bees' ballpark in Daybreak becomes a walk-through light show with a 60-foot tree synced to music, light tunnels and a nine-hole mini golf course. Entry is by timed evening ticket, Wednesdays have a four-ticket family deal for $48, and it is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Gardner Village decorates its shops and paths for the holidays and adds seasonal activities like Breakfast with Santa. Entry and parking are free, with fees for some activities, and the village is closed on Thanksgiving.
Hale's yearly stage version of the Dickens story about Scrooge and three ghosts opens the day after Thanksgiving. Performances run through December 26.
The valley's big German-style Christmas market, with vendor booths, traditional food and a lantern parade.
Details and tickets →Composer Kurt Bestor's long-running Christmas concert.
Details and tickets →Ballet West dances Willam Christensen's Nutcracker, the first full-length American production, staged in 1944.
Details and tickets →The Utah Symphony plays Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony.
Details and tickets →A Christmas concert marking its 20th year.
Details and tickets →Lantern-lit pioneer village streets, carolers, open historic homes and a live Nativity. Ticketed.
Details and tickets →The touring Broadway production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Details and tickets →A holiday concert by One Voice Children's Choir.
Details and tickets →A holiday pops concert at Abravanel Hall.
Details and tickets →A family holiday concert at Abravanel Hall.
Details and tickets →A holiday circus and music show at the Eccles.
Details and tickets →The Muppet Christmas Carol on the big screen with the score played live.
Details and tickets →Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas tour, the weekend after Christmas.
Details and tickets →Derek Hough's holiday dance tour.
Details and tickets →The Depot's yearly New Year's Eve masquerade party.
Details and tickets →Some of these have not posted 2026 dates yet. Where that is the case we say so and give last year's dates for reference.
Lights, decorated shops and elf displays all month.
Source → Christmas and Holiday Markets in the Salt Lake Valley →Free lights in the park every evening and early morning.
Source → Where to See Christmas Lights in the Salt Lake Valley →Free, flat, and next to City Creek Center.
Source → Where to See Christmas Lights in the Salt Lake Valley →Ticketed, dated entry. Buy ahead.
Source → Where to See Christmas Lights in the Salt Lake Valley →Glen Arbor Street, between 1500 East and 1600 East, has lit up every December since 1947.
Source → Where to See Christmas Lights in the Salt Lake Valley →The concerts have been free, with tickets required in advance.
Source →Hundreds of decorated trees, with proceeds going to Primary Children's Hospital.
Source → Christmas and Holiday Markets in the Salt Lake Valley →Projected openings run from November 20 to December 11. Snow decides.
Source → Ski Resorts Near Salt Lake City →New dates get announced all month. We put the ones worth knowing in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Free.