December 2023 Festivals and Events
Wildwood Crest Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony
Friday December 1, 2023 6:00 pm
Sunset Lake at Atlanta and New Jersey Avenues, Wildwood Crest
Tree lighting ceremony to kick off the Christmas season in the borough. Live music, light refreshments, visit from Santa Claus and more!
Ocean City’s Christmas Parade
Friday December 1, 2023 6:00 pm
Asbury Avenue from 6th Street to 11th Street, Ocean City
Welcome in the holiday season with a festive parade!
Greater Wildwood Jaycees Downtown Wildwood Christmas in the Plaza
Friday December 1, 2023 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm & Saturday December 2, 2023 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Byrne Plaza, Downtown Wildwood
Enjoy free carnival rides, musical entertainment, and vendors to usher in the holiday season.
Train Show at the Music Pier
Saturday December 2 – Sunday December 3, 2023 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Music Pier, Ocean City
Admission is free for this event.
Horse & Carriage Rides
Saturday December 2 and Sunday December 3, 2023 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm
6th & Asbury Avenue, Ocean City
Celebrate the holiday season with a good old-fashioned horse and carriage ride on beautifully decorated Asbury Avenue.
Photos with Santa
Saturday December 2 and Sunday December 3, 2023 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm
Music Pier, Ocean City
Join Santa for great holiday photo opps.
Breakfast with Santa at the Inn of Cape May
Saturday December 2 and Sunday December 3, 2023
Various times throughout the morning
Share a delicious breakfast with family and friends and welcome special guest Santa Claus, himself, as he visits Cape May’s Ocean 7 Restaurant, the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St. in the weeks leading up to Christmas! He will meet and greet his fans and there will be time for children to visit with Santa, take photos, and share their wish lists with him. Event is limited. Advance purchase required.
Wassail Day at Historic Cold Spring Village
Saturday December 2, 2023 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Historic Cold Spring Village
The Village paths come alive with the sights and sounds of the holiday season at this event! Select buildings will be open where guests can enjoy live music, hot beverages, and holiday treats served by historical interpreters in period clothing. Visitors can meet Father Christmas in the Country Store. Timed tickets are available.
The West Cape May Christmas Parade
Saturday December 2, 2023 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
West Cape May Volunteer Firehouse, West Cape May
The WCM Community Christmas Parade sets the stage for the areas holiday season. Now in its 57th year, the parade steps off at 5:00pm sharp from the WCM Volunteer Firehouse and marches South on Broadway, winds East on Perry, and onto Carpenter Lane in the City of Cape May. A small army of volunteers assemble an unforgettable hometown memory each year!
Cape May’s 50th Annual Christmas Candlelight House Tours
Saturday December 2, 2023 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Various houses throughout Cape May (see schedule for locations)
This self-guided walking tour celebrates the best of Cape May at Christmas, as you travel Cape May’s gaslit streets, hear musicians and carolers, and visit more than a dozen homes, inns, B&Bs, churches and hotels where you’ll step inside to see both Victorian and more modern interiors beautifully decorated for the holidays. Don’t miss Cape May’s longest running and most popular Christmas tour. This event occurs three Saturdays in December, with the other dates being the 9th and the 16th.
Wildwood’s Winter Wonderland at Holly Beach Park
Friday December 8 – Saturday December 9, 2023
Holly Beach Park, 123 East Andrews Avenue, Wildwood
The Wildwood Recreation and Fire Department Elves and friends are back at it again this year spreading good old fashion Holiday Cheer at our Annual Winter Wonderland at Holly Beach Park. This event also occurs on the weekend of December 15-16, 2023.
Breakfast with Santa at the Inn of Cape May
Saturday December 9, 2023
Various times throughout the morning
Share a delicious breakfast with family and friends and welcome special guest Santa Claus, himself, as he visits Cape May’s Ocean 7 Restaurant, the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St. in the weeks leading up to Christmas! He will meet and greet his fans and there will be time for children to visit with Santa, take photos, and share their wish lists with him. Event is limited. Advance purchase required.
Cape May’s 50th Annual Christmas Candlelight House Tours
Saturday December 9, 2023 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Various houses throughout Cape May (see schedule for locations)
This self-guided walking tour celebrates the best of Cape May at Christmas, as you travel Cape May’s gaslit streets, hear musicians and carolers, and visit more than a dozen homes, inns, B&Bs, churches and hotels where you’ll step inside to see both Victorian and more modern interiors beautifully decorated for the holidays. Don’t miss Cape May’s longest running and most popular Christmas tour. This event occurs three Saturdays in December, with the other dates being the 2nd and the 16th.
Family Holiday Celebration & Tree Lighting Ceremony
Saturday December 9, 2023 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Wildwoods Convention Center
Enjoy a family-friendly event with free admission to holiday-themed crafters and movies, photos with Santa, choir performances, children’s craft making table, a magician, face painting, dance performances, Story Time with Mrs. Claus and much more! At 4:30 pm there will be a tree lighting ceremony.
Horse & Carriage Rides
Saturday December 9 and Sunday December 10, 2023 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm
6th & Asbury Avenue, Ocean City
Celebrate the holiday season with a good old fashioned horse and carriage ride on beautifully decorated Asbury Avenue.
Photos with Santa
Saturday December 9 and Sunday December 10, 2023 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm
Music Pier, Ocean City
Join Santa for great holiday photo opps.
Breakfast with Santa at the Inn of Cape May
Saturday December 9, 2023
Various times throughout the morning
Share a delicious breakfast with family and friends and welcome special guest Santa Claus, himself, as he visits Cape May’s Ocean 7 Restaurant, the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St. in the weeks leading up to Christmas! He will meet and greet his fans and there will be time for children to visit with Santa, take photos, and share their wish lists with him. Event is limited. Advance purchase required.
Horse & Carriage Rides
Saturday December 16 and Sunday December 17, 2023 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm
6th & Asbury Avenue, Ocean City
Celebrate the holiday season with a good old fashioned horse and carriage ride on beautifully decorated Asbury Avenue.
Photos with Santa
Saturday December 16 and Sunday December 17, 2023 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm
Music Pier, Ocean City
Join Santa for great holiday photo opps.
Cape May’s 50th Annual Christmas Candlelight House Tours
Saturday December 16, 2023 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Various houses throughout Cape May (see schedule for locations)
This self-guided walking tour celebrates the best of Cape May at Christmas, as you travel Cape May’s gaslit streets, hear musicians and carolers, and visit more than a dozen homes, inns, B&Bs, churches and hotels where you’ll step inside to see both Victorian and more modern interiors beautifully decorated for the holidays. Don’t miss Cape May’s longest running and most popular Christmas tour.
Wildwood’s Winter Wonderland at Holly Beach Park
Friday December 15 – Saturday December 16, 2023
Holly Beach Park, 123 East Andrews Avenue, Wildwood
The Wildwood Recreation and Fire Department Elves and friends are back at it again this year spreading good old fashion Holiday Cheer at our Annual Winter Wonderland at Holly Beach Park. This event also occurs on the weekend of December 15-16, 2023.
Wildwood Crest Holiday Lights Walk
Monday December 18, 2023
Meet at Rambler Road and New Jersey Avenue, Wildwood
The Borough of Wildwood Crest Mayor’s Wellness Campaign and the Wildwood Crest Recreation Department are sponsoring a community Holiday Lights Walk. Walkers will meet at the corner of Rambler Road and New Jersey Avenue and will take an approximately 30-minute walk along Sunset Lake and the surrounding neighborhood to view the various holiday and Christmas light displays. The Holiday Lights Walk is free but registration is encouraged. Walkers should wear warm clothes and bring a flashlight. All participants will receive a small holiday gift. Rain/inclement weather date for the event is Tuesday, December 21.
Horse & Carriage Rides
Saturday December 23, 2023 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm
6th & Asbury Avenue, Ocean City
Celebrate the holiday season with a good old fashioned horse and carriage ride on beautifully decorated Asbury Avenue.
Photos with Santa
Saturday December 23, 2023 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm
Music Pier, Ocean City
Join Santa for great holiday photo opps.
Chocolate by the Bay
Saturday, December 30, 2023 1:00 pm
Deauville Inn, Strathmere
Enjoy a buffet of delicious chocolate desserts, each one more decadent than the last, during Chocolate By the Bay at the historic Deauville Inn, Strathmere.
New Year’s Eve Fireworks
Sunday, December 31, 2023 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
JFK Beach, Isle City
Ring in the new year with fireworks on the beach.
First Night New Year’s Eve (and New Year’s Day!) Celebration
Sunday December 31, 2023 (times vary throughout the day until midnight fireworks!)
Island-wide, Ocean City
A complete schedule of entertainment is available at www.FirstNightOCNJ.com.
After enjoying New Year’s Eve festivities, start the new year with Ocean City’s “First Day Shopping Extravaganza”. Welcome the New Year by shopping for tremendous bargains in Downtown Ocean City, Asbury Avenue from 6th Street to 14th Street. Join the First Day 5k Boardwalk Run beginning at 11:30 am at the Music Pier, and then (if you dare!) take a first dip in the ocean for 2024 at the Music Pier Beach at 2:00 pm.
