Welcome back to FTWtoday’s Plan Ahead, a list of some of the biggest events that are taking place around Cowtown this month.
Take out your calendar, grab your day planner, and text all your friends — these are the top events we recommend heading to in December. Psst: Don’t forget to bookmark this page and come back; we update our guide monthly.
(Don’t see anything you like? Check out our full events calendar.)
Seasonal
Christmas in the Garden | Monday, Dec. 1-Sunday, Jan. 4 | Entry every 15 minutes from 5:30–9 p.m. | Fort Worth Botanic Garden | $20+ | The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is revamping its annual holiday light display Lightscape. The garden will feature a one-mile illuminated walking trail, multiple light displays, plus Santa Claus will be there every night through Christmas Eve to meet, greet, and take photos.
Community Christmas Tree Lighting | Tuesday, Dec. 2 | 6 p.m. | Sundance Square Plaza | Free | Fort Worth’s 86-ft-tall Norway Spruce is the tallest live Christmas tree in Texas, and is 11 feet taller than this year’s Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in NYC.
24th Annual Christmas in the Stockyards | Saturday, Dec. 6 | 11 a.m.-8 p.m. | Fort Worth Stockyards | Cost of purchase | Activities are endless. Skate around the rodeo rink, take photos with Cowboy Santa, play reindeer games, watch the Ultimate Bull Fighters World Finals, and see the spectacular Christmas Parade. Find the full
For the fam
Plunge down one of five ice slides, including one child-sized slide.
Photo by Gaylord Texan
ICE! Featuring “Elf” | Monday, Dec. 1-Sunday, Jan. 4 | 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. | Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine | $38-$47| Ten iconic scenes from the movie, 6,700 hand-carved blocks of ice, no time limit, all ages, and just nine degrees Fahrenheit.
Movie Night: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” | Friday, Dec. 12 | 6:30 p.m. | Burnett Park | Free | Bring your own blankets; complimentary water is provided. Free parking is available in the First on 7th garage on the upper floors — excluding the ground floor. Or hop on Route 2 of Trinity Metro.
Home for the Holidays: Christmastime in Southlake | Select dates | Times vary | Southlake Town Square | Cost of purchase | Visit Santa’s Village, enjoy carriage rides, attend the holiday concert, experience the Holiday of Lights, and more. Explore the town’s website for more information, directions, and the full calendar.
Concerts
iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2025 | Tuesday, Dec. 2 | 7:30 p.m.| Dickies Arena | $40+ | Get ready to dance and sing along with Alex Warren, Jessie Murph, mgk, Nelly, Reneé Rapp, Shinedown, and more. This year, one dollar of every ticket sold will be donated to DFW’s Kidd’s Kids — which has sent 1,000+ kids and their families to Disney World since 1991.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra | Saturday, Dec. 20 | American Airlines Center | The rock symphony group famous for their epic holiday-themed live shows will perform “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve.”
After hours
Blitzen’s Bar at Wine Thief | Monday, Dec. 1-Friday, Jan. 2 | Hours of operation | Omni Fort Worth | Cost of purchase | Sip on exclusive holiday cocktails created by mixologist Julie Reiner — star of Netflix’s Drink Masters. Bonus — warm up with the Dubai Hot Chocolate Ritual every Friday in the hotel’s lobby.
Fort Worth Official Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl | Saturday, Dec. 6 | 4-10 p.m. | Various bars in Fort Worth | $10+ | Come dressed to impress in a Santa outfit, ugly sweater, or reindeer costume. You will be given a wristband and access to the digital crawl map.
36th Annual Fort Worth Margarita Ball | Saturday, Dec. 6 | 7 p.m.-12 a.m. | Omni Fort Worth | $150+ | Price of ticket includes general admission, a casino chip, complimentary margaritas, hors d’oeuvres, photo booths, and a live performance by the Manhattan Band. Proceeds benefit 13 local children’s charities.
Theater
“A Christmas Story: The Musical” | Friday, Dec.5-Sunday, Dec. 7 | Times vary | Bass Performance Hall | $50+ | You know the story. Now see the hilarious 1983 classic on the stage. An infamous leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a maniacal department store Santa, and a triple-dog dare are just a few of the distractions that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas wish.
Texas Ballet Theater (TBT) presents “The Nutcracker” | Friday, Dec. 12–Sunday, Dec. 28 | Times vary | Bass Performance Hall | $70+ | With matinee tickets, get a closer look at the production. From 1-2 p.m., find the Ballet Interactive area to touch a tutu, hold a pointe shoe, and even meet a real ballerina. Plus, enter the ugly Christmas sweater contest at the Thursday, Dec. 18 showing for a chance to receive tickets to TBT’s “Swan Lake.”
Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas | Tuesday, Dec. 2-Sunday, Dec. 21 | Times vary | Casa Mañana Theatre | $95 | Some dates are already sold out. The 90-minute show features favorites from Elton John, The Eagles, Pat Benatar, and Mariah Carey.
Sports
Dallas Mavericks | Multiple dates | Times vary | American Airlines Center | $80+ | Three theme nights are coming in December: Cooper Flagg Pin Night on Saturday, Dec. 6,, Anime Night on Thursday, Dec. 18, and Dallas vs. Denver Holiday game on Tuesday, Dec. 23. Check dates online.
Dallas Cowboys | Sunday, Dec. 14 + Sunday, Dec. 21 | Times vary | AT&T Stadium | “America’s Team” has home-field advantage against the Minnesota Vikings or the LA Chargers.
Dallas Stars | Multiple dates | Times Vary | American Airlines Center | $40+ | Attend one of seven home games in Dallas. Find tickets through the official website.
Do you have an event you’d like to share with us? Follow these easy steps to add your events to our calendar for a chance at being featured in the newsletter:
- Go to our Events page.
- Click “Add Event” in the top right-hand corner.
- Make sure to include a link and fill out important information such as the date, time, location, and price of your event.
- Click “Submit,” and you’ve just added an event to our website calendar.