The Wackiest Holiday Festivals and Events in the U.S.
Change up your holiday traditions with lobster traps, tumbleweeds, and death-defying Christmas feats.
For many, Christmas is a holiday season built around longstanding traditions. Christmas light tours, ornament shopping, a Christmas market, eggnog, a train ride, gathering around the tree to open gifts, or maybe even a holiday trip with mom. And while these traditions are all well and good, there are plenty of others who pride themselves on getting off the beaten (holly-lined) trail.
Subverting the hyper-commercial holiday hubbub, these traditions are chartering a course into the wilds of the weird and wacky side of holiday canon.
From rock climbing Santas to a tree made of kegs, here are the weirdest Christmas traditions, festivals, and events in the United States.
Camden, New Jersey
November 21 - December 24
Sometimes you go to New Jersey to see filming locations of The Sopranos. And other times, it’s in pursuit of the Christmas Underwater show at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey. Christmas Underwater features a diver wearing a Santa suit, also known as Scuba Santa, greeting families and posing for pics perfect for your Christmas card. He’ll also be swimming with sharks, sea turtles, and rays on his daily dives, according to the aquarium’s website. And if a scuba-diving Santa still isn’t exciting enough for you, take a look in the aquarium's 550,000 gallon Shark Realm for a peek at the World’s Tallest Underwater Christmas Tree.
Franklin, TN
10 a.m December 13 - 5 p.m. December 14
There are a lot of facets of a classic, nostalgic Christmas. Inspired by the Christmas traditions of generations past, there are longstanding classic and nostalgic films like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and classic Christmas decor like holly and tinsel. This holiday festival in Tennessee is harkening back to what was classic and nostalgic…200 years ago. Produced by the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, Dickens of a Christmas attracted 150,000 visitors in 2024. The historic downtown of Franklin, Tennessee, takes a trip back in time to the time of Charles Dickens for this Christmas celebration. You’ll find Dickens characters from Tiny Tim to Ebenezer Scrooge to a Victorian Father and Mother Christmas. After rubbing elbows with the bahhumbug crowd, get your spirits up (literally) with a visit to the festival’s whisky lounge or beer garden.
Stonington, Connecticut
November 22 - January 5
New England has a lot going on in the winter. There are snow-dusted forests, frigid rocky coastline, and the classic charm of going to see ya matha for the holidays. Mix that up with its culinary champion, lobster rolls, and you get the Lobster Trap Tree. And while we love to hate on Connecticut, you’ll find this tree is a great reason to take the journey out to Stonington in The Nutmeg State. The tree will be up from November 22 to January 4, so there’s plenty of time to go see this temporary landmark dedicated to the local fishing industry. It stretches to some 35 feet tall and is made up of not only lobster traps but also buoys, lights, and thousands of zip ties. According to the Lobster Trap Tree’s website, the ideal time to visit the nautical and celebratory contraption is around 4 p.m. to be able to appreciate the fine detail while still being able to see the sun set over the tree during your visit.
Dana Point, California
December 13
California’s slate of different, mostly warmer climates lends itself well to a non-traditional Christmas experience. You can find a Cactus Christmas tree in the desert and try out the newest mega-ski-resort in the mountains, and on Saturday December 13, you can see Santa take to the waves. Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point, California, is home to the now 15-year-old tradition of locals grabbing their finest Santa-themed outfits and competing with their best surfing and stand up paddle boarding moves. Supporting this wacky Christmas tradition also supports a good cause. Money raised by this event benefits Surfers Healing, a surfing camp geared toward children with autism.
Can’t get enough of Surfing Santa? Head out to Cocoa Beach Florida on the morning of Christmas Eve. At 7:30am on December 24th catch the jolly crew of the expected 400+ surfers in their best Santa garb on the dawn patrol down in Florida. The event’s organizers encourage anyone in attendance by land or by sea to post images and videos with the tag #surfingsantas, and all proceeds go to local charities such as The Florida Surf Museum and Grind for Life.
Rochester, New York
Ongoing from December 5
A beautiful, snow-capped drive through the fields of upstate New York is a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit. You might even find yourself at some hidden gems like the Washington County Grasslands Important Bird Area in Fort Edward or the Corning Museum of Glass. For a Christmas-specific, and beer-themed, hidden gem look no further than Rochester’s Genesee Brewery Keg Tree, now in its 10th year. Join spectators on December 5 for the ceremony to light up the tree made of 650 empty beer kegs and 25,000 lights. The event itself will start at 5 p.m., with the tree itself being lit around 6:30, according to organizers.
Chimney Rock, North Carolina
December 6
Santa is a multi-sport athlete — how else would he be able to deliver so many presents in one night? Before climbing down the chimneys of families across the nation, Santa makes a stop at Chimney Rock State Park in Chimney Rock, North Carolina to practice his descents. After a year off following Hurricane Helene's closure of the park, Santa is back on his ascent. “Santa has a big job climbing down all the chimneys in the world on Christmas Eve. But where better to practice than one of the world’s largest natural chimneys?” reads the event’s description.
On Saturday, December 6 and Saturday, December 13 you can check out that training regiment and watch Old St. Nick rappel down all 315 feet of Chimney Rock. And if you’ve seen enough of Santa’s death-defying stunts there are plenty of sightseeing spots around the state from Asheville to Nantahala National Forest. Or, stay right in the park and take up one of the other event activities such as posing for photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, hiking with an elf, or making holiday crafts.
Portland, Oregon
November 29th - December 27th
This holiday season, you can meet a local legend in Portland: Cinnamon Bear. 2025 marks the 20th annual Cinnamon Bear Breakfast cruise put on by Portland Spirit. Running from November 29th to December 27th, these two-hour long cruises along the Willamette River include a traditional American breakfast, steaming cups of hot cocoa, and of course a souvenir photo with Cinnamon Bear himself.
Beginning in 1937 as a holiday radio program, The Cinnamon Bear, a 26 chapter series, usually ran from Thanksgiving through Christmas. In the story, Cinnamon Bear, née Paddy O’Cinnamon, takes Jimmy and Judy Barton to the mythical Maybeland in search of the Silver Star for the top of their Christmas tree. Cinnamon Bear became more than a radio story when the Portland-based department store Lipman’s named Cinnamon Bear as its Christmas mascot. Portland-area children would even write their Christmas wishes to Cinnamon Bear. From the early 1940s until even after Lipman’s sold and became Frederick & Nelson, Portlanders could expect a yearly visit with Cinnamon Bear. This was until 1991 when the last Frederick & Nelson closed its last Oregon location. But before Cinnamon bear could fade into the ether of mascots long forgotten, Dennis Corwin, general manager with Portland Spirit cruises, suggested a revival. 20 years later, Mr. O’Cinnamon is still bringing joy to the lives of Oregon children … on the water!
Chandler, Arizona
Ongoing from December 6
Sunny, distinctly un-wintery Chandler, Arizona, offers up another off-the-beaten-path holiday tradition: the tumble weed Christmas tree. December 6 marks the official opening of the 35-foot-tall Tumbleweed Tree, and it’s marked with a tree lighting ceremony followed by a parade. Expect a Christmas-y festival with all the fixins: pumpkin pie, peppermint mochas, gingerbread houses, and more.
According to local lore, this tradition began in 1956 or ‘57, when a fire destroyed all the Christmas decorations in Chandler. Without another avenue for holiday decoration, the town turned to tumbleweeds and a tradition was born. Past the lore, news articles point towards an origin story with a little less drama, according to the city’s website. A foolhardy public service update to the light poles in Downtown Chandler led to them being too weak to hold up the strings of colored lights that were usually used for the town’s decoration. Bill Wilson, the manager of the J.C. Penney in Chandler and winner of the previous year’s individual holiday decorating contest, was asked to make a new decoration plan. Earle Barnum, the town decorator, worked with Wilson and came up with the idea for the tumbleweed tree. It was a few years before it earned its title as the Great Tumbleweed Tree, but hey, not just anyone can make it in the competitive world of novelty Christmas trees.