Happy Holidays Everyone! If you’re anything like me, you can’t get enough of the holiday festivities. Anything Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, etc., give it all to me! Whether you are listening to Christmas music, attending a Friendsgiving, planning Hanukkah festivities, or coming up with New Year’s Eve plans, it’s full-holiday-mode between November 1 and January 1. The Triangle is full of fun holiday activities to do with friends or family this time of year. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Rink

Winter is not the best time of year to watch an outdoor concert. So, what does the Red Hat Amphitheater, one of the best music venues in Raleigh, do to use its space this time of year? They run an ice-skating rink! Skate in the atmosphere of a picture-perfect winter wonderland. Then enjoy the snack bar with hot chocolate, sweet treats, and adult beverages. Or, play games or sit by their cozy fire pits to warm yourself up after your nose has gotten a little too rosy from being in the cold. Anything downtown Raleigh is easily accessible from Camden Carolinian and the upcoming Camden Village District.

Magic of Lights

Looking to add a little holiday magic to your life? Coastal Credit Union Music Park has you covered. Another music venue afflicted by winter, they found a way to turn their offseason into something magical with a drive-through holiday light display. Pack the car with close friends and family, bring some seasonally appropriate snacks, and enjoy some of the best lights in the state.

photo courtesy of Camden

NC Chinese Lantern Festival

This is the last music venue with backup plans for winter on this list…promise. If you want to add some culture to the season, spice it up with this festival! Located at Koka Booth Amphitheatre, this event, while not a holiday-oriented event necessarily, will surely dazzle you with thousands of LED lights! There are always new displays, so you never know what you may see, but dragons and pandas are safe bets. This event is easy to get to from anywhere in the Triangle, especially if you’re coming from Camden Reunion Park or Camden Lake Pine.

First Night/Acorn Drop

Most people watch New Yorkers drop the ball at Times Square to ring in the New Year. But in Raleigh, we do things a little bit differently. This being the City of Oaks, we drop an acorn. A large, gorgeous copper acorn.

Festivities begin several hours before midnight, so make sure to get there early to enjoy your time and be close enough to watch the acorn drop!

There are TONS of holiday events this time of year in the Triangle; Christmas parades, tree and menorah lightings, holiday concerts, and plays, etc., and I’m just highlighting some of the most popular ones. Please make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for more going on in the Triangle, and in your Camden community!

Feeling an abundance of holiday spirit and want to share it? Have a bunch of newfound friends and old friends alike that you want to spend time with this season? Throwing a party in your Camden apartment? Here are some tips to get you started throwing the perfect holiday party your friends will be asking you to put on again next year!