10 Great December Events in Pennsylvania

10 Great December Events in Pennsylvania

With the holiday season in full swing, here are 10 of the best December events in Pennsylvania!

Dance Performance at the Pennsylvania Christmas Show.
Christmas-themed dance performances at the Pennsylvania Christmas and Gift Show.

1. The Pennsylvania Christmas and Gift Show – Nov. 30 – Dec. 4

The Pennsylvania Christmas and Gift Show is one of the largest Christmas shows in the United States – check out the event’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE here.

The Pennsylvania Christmas and Gift Show is one of the largest Christmas shows in the United States.
The Pennsylvania Christmas and Gift Show is one of the best December events in Pennsylvania.

2. Dickens of a Christmas Celebration in Wellsboro – December 2-4

Wellsboro’s Main Street and the surrounding side streets will be closed to traffic and will become an early Victorian marketplace – check out the event’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE for details.

Wellsboro Dickens of a Christmas Celebration.
Wellsboro Dickens of a Christmas Celebration (photo credit: Visit Potter-Tioga/Facebook).

3. Valley Forge Beer and Cider Festival in Oaks- December 3

Ugly sweater contests, a meet and greet with Santa, food trucks, and lots of beer/wine/cider – check out the event’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE for tickets and details.

Valley Forge Beer and Cider Festival.
Valley Forge Beer and Cider Festival is one of the most popular December events in Pennsylvania (photo credit: Valley Forge Beer and Cider Festival/Facebook).

4. Mifflinburg Christkindl Market – December 8-10

The Mifflinburg Christkindl Market is one of the most authentic German Christmas markets in Pennsylvania – check out the event’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE for details.

Christkindle Market in Mifflinburg.
Christkindl Market in Mifflinburg is a traditional December event in Pennsylvania (photo credit: Christkindl Market of Mifflinburg/Facebook).

5. Bellefonte Victorian Christmas – December 9-11

Victorian Bellefonte in Centre County hosts a variety of Christmas-themed events including concerts, carriage rides, and Victorian tea parties – check out the event’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE for details.

Bellefonte Victorian Christmas carriage rides.
Bellefonte Victorian Christmas carriage rides (photo credit: Bellefonte Victorian Christmas/Facebook).

6. Steel City Con in Monroeville – December 9-11

Steel City Con is one of the largest comic cons in the country – check out the event’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE of details.

Steel City Con in Pittsburgh.
Steel City Con in Pittsburgh (photo credit: Steel City Con/Facebook).

7. Firebird Festival in Phoenixville – December 10

The highlight of this annual festival in Chester County is the burning of a giant wooden phoenix, the namesake of the town – check out the ebent’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE for details.

The Phoenixville Firebird Festival.
The Phoenixville Firebird Festival (photo credit: The Phoenixville Firebird Festival/Facebook).

8. Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum Holiday Show – Weekends through December

This massive model train display recreates the railroad journey from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cumberland, Maryland during the 1950s – check out the event’s OFFICAL WEBSITE for details.

Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum Holiday Train Display.
Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum Holiday Train Display (photo credit: Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum).

9. Holiday Lights on the Lake in AltoonaNightly through December

The drive-through display features over 1 million lights illuminating more than 50 acres of Lakemont Park – check out THIS LINK for details.

Holiday Lights on the Lake in Altoona open in mid-November.
Holiday Lights on the Lake in Altoona.

10. Washington Crossing the Delaware Reenactment – December 25

Each year on Christmas, Washington Crossing Historic Park hosts a reenactment of this legendary Revolutionary War event – check out the event’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE for details.

Washington Crossing the Delaware on Christmas Day in 1776.
The Washington Crossing the Delaware reenactment on Christmas Day is one of the most beloved December events in Pennsylvania (public domain image).

The Best Christmas Lights in PA Road Trip visits 9 of PA’s best Christmas light displays, from all across the Keystone State!

Directions to the best Christmas light displays in Pennsylvania.

The Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, PA is yet another fantastic place to visit in December.

Entrance to the JImmy Stewart Museum on the third floor of the Indiana Public Library.
Entrance to the Jimmy Stewart Museum on Philadelphia Street in Indiana, PA.

The 9 Most-Christmassy Places in PA Road Trip visits nine PA destinations where the Christmas spirit runs strong, year after year.

A road trip to the nine most Christmassy places in Pennsylvania.

15 of the Best Drive-Thru Christmas Light Displays in PA shows you the best places to be festive AND warm at the same time!

The Best Drive Thru Christmas Light Displays in Pennsylvania.
15 of the Best Drive-Thru Christmas Light Displays in PA.

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Rusty Glessner is a professional photographer, lifelong Pennsylvanian, and creator of the PA Bucket List travel blog.