Holidays 2026 · checked September 23, 2026
Christmas in Northwest Arkansas
The season's parades, holiday pop-up bars, Nutcrackers and stage shows, Santa, skating and New Year's Eve across NWA, with 2026 dates from each organizer's own page and an honest note wherever this year's aren't out yet.
Orange pins and badges are open this weekend, from each place's posted schedule.
Christmas parades
- Opens Nov 28Family-friendly
Parade
Rodeo of the Ozarks Christmas Parade
East Emma Ave, downtown Springdale
- When:
- Saturday, Nov 28, 2026 (the Saturday after Thanksgiving). Start time not posted yet; 2025's was 6 PM.
- Admission:
- Free
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
- Opens Dec 3Family-friendly
Parade
Lights of the Ozarks Parade
Starts on East Ave near the Graduate Hotel, clockwise around the square
- When:
- Thursday, Dec 3, 2026, 6:30 PM
- Admission:
- Free
- What's there:
- Vendors on the north side of the square, 5–9 PM
- Opens Dec 4Family-friendly
Parade + tree lighting
Rogers Christmas Parade
Downtown Rogers
- When:
- Friday, Dec 4, 2026, 6:30 PM (Destination Rogers' 2026 holiday listing)
- Admission:
- Free
- What's there:
- Opens with the tree lighting; Christmas Village market and Santa photos at Frisco Plaza from 5 PM. Sips on the Bricks follows Saturday, Dec 5, 4–8:30 PM.
- Opens Dec 4Family-friendly
Lighted parade
Eureka Springs Christmas Parade of Lights
Historic downtown Eureka Springs
- When:
- Friday, Dec 4, 2026, 6–7 PM
- Admission:
- Free (free two-hour metered parking all December)
- Opens Dec 12Family-friendly
Parade
Bentonville Christmas Parade
Downtown Bentonville (Main St and around the square)
- When:
- Saturday, Dec 12, 2026, 6 PM sharp
- Admission:
- Free
- What's there:
- 100+ floats in 2025
Holiday bars & pop-ups
NWA's Christmas bars usually announce in November. The ones below are the regulars; we note what's confirmed for 2026 and what ran last year.
- Opens Nov 27
Holiday rooftop bar
Holiday Hangout at the 1886 Crescent Hotel
Top of the Crest (4th floor), 75 Prospect Ave, Eureka Springs
- When:
- Opens Friday, Nov 27, 2026
- Hours:
- Daily 4–8 PM
- What's there:
- Holiday-themed drinks and food
Holiday pop-up bar (pinball bar)
Christmas at Pinpoint
23 N Block Ave (basement), Fayetteville
- When:
- 2026 not announced yet. In 2025 it ran Nov 15 – Dec 31, Tue–Sun from 4 PM.
- What's there:
- Decorated pinball machines, holiday cocktails and menu. 21+.
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
Holiday pop-up bar
Holiday House at The Guisinger
1 E Mountain St (on the square), Fayetteville
- When:
- 2026 not announced yet. It ran through Dec 31 in both 2024 and 2025.
- What's there:
- Nostalgic decor and a dozen holiday cocktails with small plates. 21+.
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
Holiday pop-up bar
Holiday bar at Undercroft
201 NW A St (below The Preacher's Son), Bentonville
- When:
- 2026 not announced yet. Undercroft hosted the Miracle pop-up in 2025 (late November through Dec 31); it isn't on Miracle's 2026 list so far.
- What's there:
- Themed holiday cocktails; reservations encouraged. 21+.
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
Nutcrackers, concerts & stage
- Opens Dec 10Family-friendly
Holiday comedy, TheatreSquared
Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)
TheatreSquared, 477 W Spring St, Fayetteville
- When:
- Dec 10–24, 2026
- Hours:
- 10 AM and 2 PM family shows · 8 PM "Evening Remix" (18+)
- Opens Dec 12
Symphony of Northwest Arkansas
A Very SoNA Christmas
Baum Walker Hall, Walton Arts Center, 495 W Dickson St, Fayetteville
- When:
- Saturday, Dec 12, 2026, 2 PM and 7:30 PM
- What's there:
- Plus "The Snowman" family concert Sunday, Dec 13, 2 PM
- Opens Dec 18Family-friendly
Ballet
The Nutcracker (Ozark Ballet Theater)
Pat Walker Theater, Springdale High School, 1103 W Emma Ave
- When:
- Fri Dec 18, 7 PM · Sat Dec 19, 2 PM · Sun Dec 20, 2 PM, 2026
- Family-friendly
Ballet
The Nutcracker (NWA Conservatory of Classical Ballet)
Arend Arts Center, 1901 SE J St, Bentonville
- When:
- Dec 18–19, 2026 per the main listing (the page also mentions Dec 19–20). Tickets expected to go on sale around Oct 19.
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
- Opens Dec 11Family-friendly
Holiday variety show
Home for the Holidays: Holiday Showcase
The Auditorium, 36 S Main St, Eureka Springs
- When:
- Friday, Dec 11, 2026, 7:30–9 PM
- Admission:
- Free with two canned goods
Santa, skating & trains
- Opens Dec 5Family-friendly
Visit Santa (free)
Santa in the Park
Basin Spring Park, 4 Spring St, Eureka Springs
- When:
- Saturdays Dec 5, 12 and 19, 2026, noon–5 PM
- Admission:
- Free
- Family-friendly
Holiday train ride, Arkansas & Missouri Railroad
Holiday Express Pajama Train
Departs 306 E Emma Ave, Springdale
- When:
- Booking is open for 2026, with rides from Nov 28; see the railroad's calendar for dates
- Admission:
- Prices on the booking page
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
- Family-friendly
Holiday public skating
Skatemas Break at the Jones Center
922 E Emma Ave, Springdale
- When:
- 2026 dates not posted yet. 2025's ran Dec 22 – Jan 4 (closed Dec 24, 25, 31 and Jan 1), with daily public skate, holiday movies and a cocoa bar.
- Admission:
- 2025: $8 skate + swim, no reservation
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
New Year's Eve
- Opens Dec 31
NYE party
Downtown Bentonville New Year's Eve
Downtown Bentonville
- When:
- Thursday, Dec 31, 2026, 8 PM – 12:30 AM (details to come)
NYE street party
Bash with a Splash (Eureka Springs)
Basin Spring Park and Spring St, Eureka Springs
- When:
- 2026 details not posted yet. 2025's ran 7 PM – midnight with a parade, live music and a midnight water drop from the Basin Park Hotel.
- Admission:
- 2025: free
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
On the calendar
Verified events for the season, updated every night.
- Sun, Oct 182PM
Halloween Family Movies: The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG)
Family & Kids:Fayetteville Public Library· Fayetteville
Free - Wed, Oct 289:30AM
Little Sprouts Costume Parade
Community:Botanical Garden of the Ozarks· Fayetteville
Ticketed - Fri, Oct 304PM
Halloween Costume Parade
Community:Rogers Public Library· Rogers
Free - Sat, Nov 710:45AM
Veteran's Day Parade & Community Fair
Family & Kids:E Dickson St· Fayetteville
- Sat, Nov 149AM
Holiday Market 2026
Community:Bella Vista Recreation Center (BVRC)· Bella Vista
- Sat, Nov 217:30PM
A Celtic Christmas by A Taste of Ireland
Arts & Culture:Walton Arts Center· Fayetteville
- Sat, Nov 217AM
Holiday Fayetteville Farmers Market
Family & Kids:Fayetteville Farmer's Market & Historic Square· Fayetteville
- Sun, Nov 222PM
Christmas with C.S. Lewis
Arts & Culture:Walton Arts Center· Fayetteville
- Mon, Nov 309AM
Holiday Market
Arts & Culture:Community Creative Center· Fayetteville
Call ahead
These come up in older roundups, but nothing official confirms a 2026 season yet.
- Danger Dave's Christmas pop-up (Bentonville). Ran from Nov 28 last year per Visit Bentonville; nothing on the bar's own site yet.
- SantaCon NWA (Bentonville & Rogers bar crawl). Last year it was Saturday, Dec 6, across downtown Bentonville and Rogers bars; organized on Instagram, with no official 2026 page yet.
- Walton Arts Center's Winter Nights. The snow-globe bar ran in 2023 and 2024; we found no 2025 edition and nothing for 2026.
- Parades in Siloam Springs, Gravette, Pea Ridge, Lowell, Centerton and Prairie Grove. Each usually lands the first or second weekend of December; 2026 dates aren't posted yet.
Quick answers
- When is the Bentonville Christmas parade in 2026?
- Saturday, Dec 12, 2026, at 6 PM downtown.
- When is the Fayetteville Christmas parade?
- The Lights of the Ozarks Parade is Thursday, Dec 3, 2026, at 6:30 PM around the square.
- Where can I see The Nutcracker in NWA?
- Ozark Ballet Theater performs Dec 18–20, 2026, at the Pat Walker Theater in Springdale, and the NWA Conservatory of Classical Ballet performs at the Arend Arts Center in Bentonville (Dec 18–19 per its listing).
- Are there Christmas pop-up bars in Northwest Arkansas?
- The 1886 Crescent Hotel's Holiday Hangout opens Nov 27, 2026. Pinpoint and The Guisinger in Fayetteville and Undercroft in Bentonville ran holiday bars in 2025 and haven't announced 2026 yet; they usually do in November.
Dates, hours and prices are as each business posted them on September 23, 2026, and they change. Spot something out of date, or run one we missed? Tell us.
Nobody paid to be on this list. Inclusion is editorial.