Halloween Night Ride at Lost in the Woods
Lost in the Woods at Alum Creek, Galena
Home / Holidays
Halloween to New Year's
Trunk or treats, tree lightings, parades, Santa, lights and Christmas Eve services around Delaware County. When an organizer hasn't posted this year's date, we show last year's and say so.
Halloween
An Evening in a Haunted Bookstore with Mindy McGinnis
Beanbag Books, Delaware
Trick or Treat in Orange Township
Neighborhoods across Orange Township, Lewis Center
Free, and fine for kids.
Time changed: start moved from 6:00p to 5:00a
Trick or Treat Storytime at Beanbag Books
Beanbag Books, Delaware
Creepy Critter Crafts at Highbanks
Highbanks Metro Park Nature Center, Lewis Center
For Kids: Nature is Magic at Alum Creek
Alum Creek State Park, Delaware
Christmas: lights, parades and Santa
Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo
5:00p to 9:00p Sun to Thu, 5:00p to 10:00p Fri and Sat, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, 4850 W Powell Rd, Powell, Included with Zoo admission. Arrive before 5 p.m. to see animals before they go in for the night. Santa is not available for photos after Dec 23.
Butch Bando's Fantasy of Lights
5:30p to 9:00p Sun to Thu, 5:30p to 10:00p Fri and Sat, Alum Creek State Park Campground, 3311 S Old State Rd, Delaware, $20 per car Mon to Thu, $30 Fri to Sun and on holidays. Drive-through. Pay per vehicle at the gate or online. Holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve and Day) run 5:30p to 9:00p.
First Friday Tree Lighting in downtown Delaware
6:00p to 9:00p, tree lighting at 7:00p, Corner of William and Sandusky Streets, Delaware. Music on the main stage, vendors, free ice skating behind the Welcome Center (5:00p to 9:00p), free carriage rides from the Strand Theatre (6:00p to 9:00p) and a Santa visit.
Visit Santa at the Delaware Welcome Center
Walk-ins and booked times, Fridays and Saturdays, Delaware Welcome Center, 20 E William St, Delaware, Free, includes one print and a digital photo. Walk-ins: Dec 4, 8 to 9p; Dec 5, 11a to noon; Dec 11, 5 to 6p; Dec 12, 11a to noon; Dec 18, 5 to 6p; Dec 19, 11a to noon. Other times are by appointment.
Dash for Dasher scavenger hunt
11:00a to 1:00p, Starts at COhatch, 18 E William St, Delaware, Free, donations welcome. Follow Santa's clues around downtown to find his lost reindeer.
Great Gingerbread Build-Off
3:30p, judging at 7:15p, COhatch, 18 E William St, Delaware, Free to enter. Register ahead. Teams get three hours and a basic kit; bring your own base, 20 by 20 inches or smaller.
Holidays in Powell
4:00p to 7:00p, tree lighting at 6:00p, Village Green Park, by Powell City Hall, 47 Hall St, Powell, Free. Iceless skating rink, bonfire with free s'mores, photos with Santa (register ahead), performances and the tree lighting. Park in the City Hall lot or downtown.
Christmas on the Square in Sunbury
4:00p to 8:00p, Sunbury Town Hall, 51 E Cherry St, Sunbury.
Light the Night Christmas Parade
6:00p, Mingo Park down Sandusky Street to Wilmer Street, Delaware. Steps off from Mingo Park and travels down Sandusky Street.
Galena Christmas Tree Lighting
6:00p, Galena Square, Galena. A village Christmas program with stories, songs and Santa.
Sounds of the Season with the Central Ohio Symphony
2:00p, Gray Chapel, 61 S Sandusky St, Delaware. Carols and holiday music for the whole family.
Horse-drawn carriage rides downtown
6:00p to 8:00p, Leaves from the Strand Theatre, 28 E Winter St, Delaware, Free. Second and last night of free carriage rides; the first is during the Dec 4 tree lighting.
Holiday trolley tours of downtown Delaware
1:00p, 2:30p and 4:00p, Delaware, $25 per person. Run by the Delaware County Historical Society, with stops at historic downtown buildings and churches.
Cookies with Santa and Mrs. Claus
10:00a to 11:00a, Village Green Municipal Building, East Room, Powell, $17 Powell residents, $22 nonresidents. Ages 3 to 8. Register ahead with Powell Parks and Recreation. Cookies, crafts, songs, stories and a photo.
Not announced yet
Christmas Lights Ohio drive-thru at the fairgrounds
Delaware County Fairgrounds, 236 Pennsylvania Ave, Delaware. Drive-through, about 1.5 miles of lights.
2026 date not posted yet. Last year: Nov 26, 2025 to Jan 3, 2026.
Lucy Depp Park Light Show
Lucy Depp Park, 9360 Frabell Dr, Powell, Free, donations go to charity. Free drive-through show on a half-mile loop. Enter off Harriott Rd on Frabell Dr and follow the signs. Tune to 87.9 FM.
2026 date not posted yet. Last year: Nov 28, 2025 to Jan 4, 2026.
Christmas Eve services
All Shepherds Lutheran Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
Asbury United Methodist Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
Delaware City Vineyard
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
Delaware Grace Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
First Baptist Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
First Presbyterian Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
Liberty Barn Church (Liberty Presbyterian)
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
Powell United Methodist Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
Second Baptist Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
St. Barnabas the Apostle Orthodox Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church (St. Peter St. Joan of Arc Parish)
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
St. Mary Catholic Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
Sunbury United Methodist Church
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
Zion United Church of Christ
Christmas Eve times not posted yet. We check every week from Nov 1.
The lights map
Opens the day after Thanksgiving
A map of the best-lit houses and streets, added by the people who live there. We show the street address you give us and nothing about who lives there. You can take it down any time.