The Woodlands Winter Holiday Events
From mid-November to mid-January, most of The Woodlands’ holiday events happen in and around Town Center: the Lighting of the Doves, a mile and a half of lights along The Waterway, an indoor ice rink and the Market Street tree. Most of them are free. Dates change from year to year, so check each organizer’s page before you go.
Lighting of the Doves
The Lighting of the Doves began in 1982 in the Village of Grogan’s Mill and still opens the holiday season. The Woodlands Township Parks and Recreation Department has produced it since 2016. It’s held at Town Green Park, 2099 Lake Robbins Drive, on a Saturday afternoon and evening just before Thanksgiving.
Two stages carry traditional and international performances, with ice carvers, strolling entertainers, vendor booths, balloon art and free crafts from The Woodlands Children’s Museum. In past years the festival has also had carolers singing “Stille Nacht” by a Tannenbaum, Scottish bagpipers and a live reindeer photo area. The snow play areas and snow slides need a wristband sold on site ($5 in recent years, cash or card; cash buyers get no change). In the evening Santa arrives by sleigh down The Woodlands Waterway, the doves are lit and fireworks close the night.
The lighted doves stay up through the season at Town Green Park, on the Lake Robbins bridge and at major intersections. The schedule and parking map are on the Township’s Lighting of the Doves page.
Holiday on The Waterway
From late November into early January, the Township lights The Woodlands Waterway with more than a million lights, over a mile and a half from Waterway Square to Grogan’s Mill Road. The trail is free and lit every night. Light tunnels line the north side, where the Town Center trolley also runs, so stay on the sidewalk there. In recent seasons a free trolley ride has run through the tunnels. Details and a map: Holiday on The Waterway (Visit The Woodlands).
Swan Boats on the Upper Waterway
Swan pedal boats seat up to four and run on the Upper Waterway between Town Green Park and The Woodlands Mall. Riva Row Boat House, 2101 Riva Row, rents them daily and runs Starlight Swan Rides on select Friday nights, a way to see the holiday lights from the water (preregistration required). Swans at The Mall rents from the mall end, downstairs between P.F. Chang’s, North Italia and The Cheesecake Factory, on limited seasonal hours.
Market Street in Lights
Market Street starts its season by lighting the 70-foot Christmas tree in Central Park, 9595 Six Pines Drive, on a Thursday evening in mid-November. The lighting kicks off a three-minute show of more than 25,000 lights set to holiday music, repeated each evening through the season. In December, Market Street and Chabad of The Woodlands hold a Chanukah celebration with a menorah lighting. Across Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands Mall’s 40-foot tree in The Courtyard has its own light show every half hour from sunset until the mall closes, through Dec. 31. Event details: Market Street.
Junior League Holiday Market
The Junior League of The Woodlands holds its Holiday Market, the league’s largest fundraiser, at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center, 1601 Lake Robbins Drive, over the weekend before Thanksgiving. Vendors sell boutique goods, personalized gifts and ornaments, and admission is charged. Proceeds fund the league’s programs on food insecurity, teen empowerment and support for women, children and families in Montgomery County and North Harris County.
More Winter in The Woodlands
The Ice Rink at Town Center
The indoor, climate-controlled rink at 2005 Lake Robbins Drive, next to The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, opens daily from mid-November to mid-January. In recent seasons it has stayed open on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Sessions and special events are booked at thewoodlandsicerink.com, and free parking is in the Gold Lot and the Town Center Parking Garage at the same address. More on our Ice Rink page.
Parking
For the Lighting of the Doves, the Township opens free parking in its color-coded lots along Timberloch Place and Grogan’s Mill Road, including the Green Lot, with ADA parking at 2101 Lake Robbins Drive for vehicles with a valid placard or plate. For the ice rink, the Gold Lot and the Town Center Parking Garage at 2005 Lake Robbins Drive are free. Lots change between events, so check the event’s own page before you go.
Movie Theaters Near Town Center
Five movie theaters are a short drive from Town Center. Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas in Creekside Park West serves food and drinks, including a full bar, at your seat.
AMC Metropark 10 & IMAX
Metropark Square Shenandoah
Cinemark 17 and XD
1600 Lake Robbins Dr. Town Center
Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas
26543 Kuykendahl Rd. Creekside Park West
Xscape Theatres at 1488
16051 Old Conroe Rd. Conroe
Reel Luxury Cinemas
9595 Six Pines Dr. Market Street
The Woodlands Texas Activities Guide
Family Activities
For the same reasons many choose to make their home here, families find charm and appeal in spending a day, a weekend or a week in The Woodlands.
Waterway Activities
The centerpiece of Waterway Square is the 120' Waterwall and circular fountain featuring regularly scheduled light and music shows. The public venue also features restaurants, hotels, and is the nightlife area of The Woodlands Texas.
Festivals in The Woodlands
Several festivals and other outdoor events held throughout the year in Town Center. Festival events are frequently held on the Great Lawn in Town Green Park including, the Annual Crawfish festival.
Sports Activities
From the jogging loop in Grogan's Mill, you can travel along the pathways to Disc Golf courses, pickle ball courts, Bocci Ball, and various playfields.
Swimming Pools
Live Music in The Woodlands
Throughout the year, you’ll hear about concerts, performance art shows, festivals and free live music, all happening in The Woodlands.