What to Know
- Franklin Square and the Christmas Village are both giving Philadelphians an early opportunity to get in the holiday spirit.
- The Franklin Square Holiday Festival Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show is already lighting up nights.
- The Christmas Village is expanding from Love Park to the north side of City Hall and will include a Ferris Wheel.
Two of the icons of the holidays in Philadelphia are ready to light up the City of Brotherly Love with plenty to see and do.
We will get to some of the big changes coming to the beloved Christmas Market in Center City, but first let’s talk about a free light show in a city square.
The Franklin Square Holiday Festival opens Thursday night with the Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show presented by PECO. The light show, which runs every 30 minutes starting at 4:30 p.m. and running to 8 p.m. on weeknights and 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights through Dec. 31, features more than 80,000 shimmering lights set to a holiday soundtrack care of The Philly POPS!
There is also mini golf, the Parx Liberty Carousel and the Lightning Bolt Holiday Express holiday train for a fee.
This year’s Christmas Village still has the wood-lined stalls selling holiday goodies in Love Park that you remember and love, but with an expanded footprint full of shiny fun.
The German-style Christmas market isn’t the only attraction. The 2019 Christmas Village is taking over the entire North Broad Street side of the City Hall apron as part of the newly dubbed Wawa Holiday Plaza.
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A 65-foot-tall light-up Ferris wheel and the Christmas Village Holiday Train add some more family-friendly fun. Rides on the Ferris wheel are $4 each, while a ride on the train is $3.
The new items are in addition to the official municipal Christmas tree, the carousel inside the City Hall courtyard and the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market on the Dilworth Park side of City Hall. There will also be plenty of food available for purchase.
A preview of the Christmas Village, which is free to walk around, takes place on Saturday, Nov. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 24. The market is then officially open daily from Thanksgiving (Nov. 28) to Christmas Eve.
