2023 Holiday Happenings in Utah

Places to shop and things to do. The annual Festival of Trees starts November 29. There will be a live nativity scene in Alpine. Experience a horse drawn sleigh ride through a herd of elk. Utah towns put on the lights.

Connie Lewis

November 22, 2023

November 16 through December 30

Utah’s Own Holiday Shoppes. Located at Millcreek Common, 1330 Chambers Ave. Open daily from 11am to 9pm featuring products from local producers and farms throughout Utah. The market is also adjacent to the Skate Loop outside, and new restaurant spaces.

November 23 through January 1

Spanish Fork Festival of Lights. This is a drive-thru event in the city of Spanish Fork. Admission is $10 for a single-family vehicle, $25 for a commercial van, and $50 for a bus. This is their 31st year. More information on access and the route can be found here.

November 24 through December

Celebrate Christmas in Helper. November 24 kicks off Christmas in Helper with a Lights-on Ceremony. Other events include a luminary memorial, chili dinner, breakfast with Santa, electric light parade and holiday fireworks. Visit anytime after November 24 to see the light on Main Street. Visit their website for dates and times.

November 25 through January 1

Ogden Christmas Village. The Christmas Village in Ogden is free for all visitors. Lights turn on daily at 5pm and stay on until 10pm Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Children can visit Santa, ride trains, see the displays and enjoy a firework show.

November 28

Giving Tuesday fundraiser with Dogtopia of Midvale. This organization helps veterans get a fully-trained service dog. Support can be shown to them and other organizations on International Giving Tuesday.

November 29 to December 2

Festival of Trees. This traditional holiday event will be held at the Mountain America Expo Center, 9575 State Street, Sandy. Volunteers create and donate holiday decorations including fully decorated trees, wreaths, hand-crafted gingerbread houses, and more, to be sold by silent auction. All funds raised support Primary Children’s Hospital to provide care to families in need.

November 30, December 1, 2, 4 & 5

Alpine Living Nativity. Held at the heart of Alpine, UT, parking can be found at the church lot 15 890 N Heritage Hills, Alpine. Times are 5pm to 8pm each night. This is an outdoor event with walking. Tickets can be purchased here. Proceeds go to charity organizations.

Photo from Division of Wildlife Resources

December 1 through February 11

Sleigh rides through a herd of elk. This activity is held at Hardware Ranch, 15 miles east of Hyrum, by Haviland’s Old West Adventures and sponsored by the Division of Wildlife Resources. Each ride is around 40 minutes between the hours of 10am and 4:30pm. The elk herd is between 600 to 650, and riders should get a close look. Reservations can be made by calling Haviland’s Old West Adventures at 435-744-3229.

December 2

Electric Light Parade in Moab. The parade starts at 6pm and the route travels down Moab Main Street as Santa comes to town.

Feature Image from Utah’s Own Holiday Shoppes by Golda Hukic-Markosian.

Community Events, Go Local, Utah Stories

Connie Lewis

Connie has been with Utah Stories since 2013, and has enjoyed learning everything involved in producing a monthly magazine. In addition to writing, Connie performs administrative tasks, coordinates writers, photographers and editors, and oversees a million little details. Her least favorite word is ‘deadline.’ A journalism class at the University of Utah sparked Connie’s love of writing. Finding it hard to narrow her interests to just one major, journalism allowed her to explore a wide variety of topics and disciplines. When she is not writing, Connie loves spending time with her family and traveling with her dogs. “It has been a pleasure learning new things about the state I was born in and meeting the people who make Utah great,” she says. Connie plans to continue her love of learning and improving as the magazine moves onward and upward.