25 Christmas & Holiday Activities in Frederick, Md (2024)

Last updated on December 21st, 2024

Tis the season for Christmas and holiday activities in Frederick, Md!

And, boy do we have so many options to choose from for every family member to enjoy!

Holiday Activities in Frederick, Md

As we all know, Downtown Frederick is a great place to start enjoying the incredible Christmas and holiday activities in Frederick Md.

Indeed, during this time of year, there are SO many opportunities ALL throughout Frederick County to get your festivities on!

Therefore, I had to organize ALL of these fun Christmas and holiday activities in one place for you to use as a resource.

Christmas and holiday activities in Frederick Md include:

• Parades
• Christmas tree lightings
• Shopping
• Christmas Lights
• Santa visits
• Crafts
• Caroling
• Live Music
• Horse-drawn carriage rides
• Trolley rides
• Holiday lights
• Food
• Performances
• Prizes
• Christmas Tree Auctions
• Wreaths
• Art
• Gingerbread Houses
• Plants
• Handcrafted goods
• Hot Cocoa
• S’mores
• Tours
• Scavenger Hunts
• Children’s Activities
• Candle lighting ceremony

Whew! That’s a lot of things to do and a lot of Frederick County towns to visit over the next 6 weeks.

Of course you don’t have to participate in ALL of them but hey, you’ve got options for sure!

Needless to say, taking some time out of your daily grind to spend quality time enjoying the holidays with your loved ones is what it’s all about!

Christmas and Holiday Activities Information

Please note that these Christmas and holiday activities are NOT in date order, so be sure to check the entire list before marking your calendar.

Also, I’ve included the locations, dates, times, contact information, and links for each event.

So, read on for my list of the best Christmas activities in Frederick County.

Needless to say, it’s going to be a festive season, thanks to Frederick!

1. Maryland Christmas Show

What a great way to kick off your holiday shopping! The show offers seven buildings. You’ll enjoy the works of top artists and craftsmen offering fine art, pottery, furniture, jewelry, clothing, wreaths and garlands, toys and Christmas cards & ornaments – just about anything related to your Christmas shopping enjoyment. Not all of the same exhibitors participate in both weekends.

2. Thurmont Christmas Market Craft & Vendor Show

Craft & Vendor Event. Food available for purchase. Benefits Thurmont Community Ambulance Co.

3. Launch Day – Sailing Through the Winter Solstice

Watch as the STTWS fleet starts their voyage for the season. The fleet will sail in place and be illuminated nightly for the entire winter season for all to enjoy. The lighted boat parade event is free and open to the public. Food trucks and music to set the mood for a jolly good day. 

4. Frosty Friday

Enjoy a winter wonderland of all day shopping in Downtown Frederick! Parking is free, shops open early and stay open late, and Downtown Frederick is filled with holiday cheer and decoration.

5. Candlelight Tours at Seton Shrine

In the spirit of Advent, discover and take part in the evening activities the students are wrapped up in, from preparing for their Nativity Play to sharing stories on how saints inspire saints, like St. Lucy and St. Nicholas!

Stroll down illuminated walkways to encounter and see the historic homes of Mother Seton, each tastefully decorated for the season.

Come to Candlelight Tours to find joy and comfort within the Academy which adds a measure of brightness to the long and dark wintertime.

6. Small Business Saturday

Shop Small the whole weekend! The Friday before Small Business Saturday is Frosty Friday in Downtown Frederick — featuring all-day shopping, free parking, live music and gifts from the Snowflake Tree – just for shopping local!

7. Annual Tree Lighting at Westview Promenade

• Holiday music
• Dance performers
• Craft Stations
• Santa

8. Valley Craft Network Tour

• Art
• Fine Crafts
• Visit website to download brochure & map of all of the locations

9. Tuba Christmas

The popular tuba comrades of Frederick return with a variety of brassy Christmas hits, delighting audience members of all ages in an annual Weinberg Center tradition. In lieu of admission, a canned food drive will be held to benefit the Community Action Agency of Frederick City.

10. Live Nativity

More than a dozen costumed characters perform under the night sky.

11. Holiday Art Competition Exhibit

• Exhibit of original holiday artwork created by local Frederick artists.

12. Scents & Sweets Competition & Auction

• Floral arrangements & gingerbread structures (this ain’t your Momma’s gingerbread house!) will be available in the annual Scents & Sweets Auction.
• Bid throughout the night and the weekend to take home a holiday piece.
• No candy canes were harmed in the making of this event!

13. FCC Handbell Choir

Join us for a new annual tradition, the FCC Handbell Ensemble Holiday Concert! Now an essential holiday event in Frederick, the ringers in this performance are as impressive to watch as they are to hear. Creating visual art while performing, the ensemble combines sight and sound for a true one-of-a-kind experience.

14. Traditional Village Christmas

Outdoor, European style Holiday market. Decorate a fresh wreath with bows, balls, bells, pinecones, holly, icicles and ornaments or let our volunteers do it for you! Select unique handmade gifts for the holidays. Watch a blacksmith at work! Enjoy hot apple cider and heirloom-recipe baked goods. Children can make a craft and enjoy a visit with Belsnickel. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Christmas in Catoctin Furnace included a visit from Belsnickel to the homes of German immigrants.  During this visit, which took place two weeks before Christmas, Belsnickel rewarded good children with treats but carried a switch to punish naughty ones. 

15. Christmas in Thurmont Carriage Rides

 Get in the spirit of Christmas & enjoy a traditional holiday event on Thurmont Main Street with a horse & carriage ride. Call 301-271-7313 & press 0 to make your reservation. $10 per person no matter the age.

 Visit our local shops & restaurants for unique gifts that cannot be found anywhere else. Wine, beer, hot chocolate & M.R. Cheesecakes & more info to come!

16. Christmas in New Market

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!
 We will start with everyone’s favorite holiday parade at 1PM!
 After the parade, join us for festive activities, music, drinks, and food at New Market Park 48 E Main St!
 Head to Green Valley Therapy at 4 W Main St for selfies with Santa from 2:30-4:30pm!
 The annual tree lighting ceremony will begin at 5PM at the park with Christmas caroling and hometown performances!
Don’t miss out on this family-friendly annual tradition for the entire town. Make sure to follow the New Market Events page to stay up to date on the fun details on the day! 

17. Christmas on the Farm

Back by popular demand! Jumbo’s Christmas Fair and Santa’s arrival. Bring the entire family and join us for craft vendors, sweets, festive activities, and more!

20. Christmas in the Valley

Please join us on Main Street at Christmas in the Valley and help kick off the holiday season! Santa Claus will be visiting with the children, caroling, and helping to light the Town Christmas tree. Bring a new unwrapped toy that will be distributed by Middletown Valley People Helping People to families in need and receive a Santa Sack to be stuffed with goodies from our local businesses. Mrs. Claus will also be in town with storytelling for the children. Enjoy a musical program at Zion Lutheran Church featuring our local youth. Those mischievous elves will be hiding in our business’s windows after Thanksgiving – be sure to participate in the elf hunt! Santa Claus will also have a mailbox in front of Town Hall for those letters to Santa! Come and enjoy this festive event! 

21. December Saturdays in Historic Downtown Frederick

Each weekend you’ll find something special happening! Streets are filled with musicians and carolers performing your favorite holiday classics, fire pits are set up all around town so you can warm up and roast a marshmallow as you stroll between shops, and your eyes will be dazzled by a spectacular display of holiday lights and decorations. In December, Downtown Frederick is filled with holiday fun! The tree lights sparkle overhead, storefronts are decked out in greenery and bows, and Santa makes appearances here and there!
December First Saturday (12/7) Holiday Recipe Trail
December Second Saturday (12/14) Holiday Scavenger Hunt with Surelocked In Escape Games
December Third Saturday (12/21) Free Gift Wrapping (12-5pm) and Photos with Santa (1-4pm)

22. The Frederick Chorale: Tidings of Joy

The Frederick Chorale is excited to help you and your family celebrate the holiday season with music! For this concert we will be joined by a brass ensemble from the Frederick Symphony Orchestra and will perform works such as Daniel Pinkham’s “Christmas Cantata” and popular seasonal pieces like “Auld Lang Syne” arranged by Desmond Earley. In partnership with the Frederick Symphony Orchestra, we hope that this program will warm your season and bring the community together.

23. Kris Kringle Procession

Join us for the annual Kris Kringle Procession sponsored by Wawa and presented in partnership with Key 103! The parade begins at the corner of South Carroll and East Patrick streets in Frederick and ends in Baker Park with the lighting of the City Tree.

The procession mirrors the small town charm that makes Frederick so special during the holidays. Local organizations, youth clubs, and musical groups accompany costumed characters (some modern, some traditional) through Frederick’s downtown streets.

24. Museums by Candlelight

Once a year, Frederick County’s numerous historic sites and museums provide visitors with a living reminder of this area’s remarkable past. During Museums by Candlelight, special programming and hands-on fun will delight visitors of all ages, and special children’s activities are featured at most locations. 

This is a FREE self-guided event.  Visit many locations, or just a few, in any order.  Enjoy period demonstrations, living history vignettes, hands-on crafts, refreshments, tours, music, holiday decorations and historic settings by candlelight as night falls. 

25. Festival of Lights

Join us for one of the holiday season’s most inspiring events!

Each year the Festival of Lights brings the true spirit of the season to young and old alike. Holiday greetings, carols, inspirational messages are part of this community-centric tradition. Attendees are invited to participate a candle-lighting ceremony and sing-along.

As you can see, there are SO many Christmas and holiday activities in Frederick Md to keep you busy all season long!

Seriously, how lucky are we to have so many fun opportunities to get out in our community and enjoy this most wonderful time of the year?

I hope that you take time to really embrace these memory-making moments and soak in the holiday spirit!

Merry Christmas everyone!

For more awesome Christmas related posts, click on over to:

Holiday Gift Guide – Shop Local in Frederick, MD

Top 10 DIY Christmas Ornaments: Easy & Inexpensive!

Christmas Morning Breakfast Ideas

Holiday Cocktail: Cranberry Orange Gin Fizz Recipe with Thyme