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Christmas with kids in Atlantic City
For 152 years, the Atlantic City Boardwalk had no live Christmas tree. That changed in 2022, when a 50-foot balsam spruce with 8,000 lights went up beside the sea, and the Boardwalk has been a Christmas place ever since.
2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
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Breakfast with Santa at Dave & Buster's Atlantic City
When: Sat, Dec 5, 10 am to 12 pm
Where: Dave & Buster's Atlantic City, Atlantic City
Cost: $27.94 food only, $33.01 food plus play, per person
The story of Christmas in Atlantic City
How Atlantic City celebrates
Atlantic City's Christmas is a mix of old and new on the Boardwalk. In 2022, a 50-foot live tree lit the Boardwalk for the first time in its 152-year history, at Showboat, and a weekend Holiday Extravaganza grew around it. The city also holds Deck the Hall, a Festival of Trees at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall where sponsors decorate trees for free viewing, and a free daily pipe organ recital in the world's largest pipe organ. Since 2022 the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has promoted a citywide Tinseltown Holiday Experience, and in 2024 it reached its third year.
Christmas last year in Atlantic City
In 2025 the Showboat Resort's Christmas Village returned to the Boardwalk for 14 dates, from November 29 to December 28. The annual Christmas tree lighting at dusk on November 29 started the season. Families found seasonal food and drinks, shopping with local businesses, live entertainment, rides, games and a visit from Santa. It was free, held on Fridays from 3 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 1 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 8 p.m. The Showboat tree stands 50 feet tall and glows with 8,000 lights.
Fun facts about Christmas in Atlantic City
When the first Boardwalk tree was lit on November 29, 2022, Santa arrived in a lifeguard boat. That tree came from North Carolina and the 2023 lighting made it the second straight year with a live tree. Travel + Leisure ranked Atlantic City 23rd of its 25 Best Christmas Towns in the USA in 2022, and the city made the list for three years in a row by 2024. In 2022 the Deck the Hall Festival of Trees was in its sixth year, and tours of the pipe organ cost $10.
Traditions today
- Boardwalk Christmas tree lighting: A 50-foot tree with 8,000 lights lit at dusk on the Boardwalk at Showboat, a tradition since 2022.
- Showboat Christmas Village: A free weekend village next to the Boardwalk with food, shopping, rides, games and a visit from Santa.
- Deck the Hall Festival of Trees: Sponsor-decorated trees at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, free to view each day in December and early January.
- Winter Wonderland Parade: A Boardwalk parade held on a December Saturday morning during the Tinseltown Holiday Experience.
- Absecon Lighthouse Luminary Light Festival: Caroling and luminary making at New Jersey's tallest lighthouse in early December.
- Holiday pipe organ recitals: Free noon recitals on the world's largest pipe organ at Boardwalk Hall in December.
A fact for kids
In Atlantic City, Santa arrived at the very first Boardwalk tree lighting in a lifeguard boat!
Questions about Christmas in Atlantic City
When did Atlantic City get its first live Christmas tree on the Boardwalk?
The Boardwalk's first live Christmas tree was lit on November 29, 2022, at Showboat Atlantic City. It was the first time in the Boardwalk's 152-year history that a live tree lit it. The 50-foot balsam spruce was decorated with 8,000 lights and opened the Holiday Extravaganza on the Boardwalk.
Where does the Atlantic City Christmas tree come from?
The first Boardwalk tree in 2022 came from North Carolina, according to a New Jersey radio report. It was a 50-foot balsam, set up by the owners of the Showboat. A live tree returned in 2023, a 50-foot balsam fir with 8,000 lights, and the tree lighting was held again in 2025.
Who lit the first Boardwalk Christmas tree?
Developer Bart Blatstein lit the first Boardwalk tree on November 29, 2022. The opening event featured live holiday music, games, rides and giveaways, and Santa arrived in a lifeguard boat. It was free and family-friendly, and a weekend Holiday Extravaganza grew around the tree.
What happened at the Atlantic City tree lighting last year?
The annual tree lighting took place at dusk on November 29, 2025, kicking off Showboat's Christmas Village next to the Boardwalk. The village ran for 14 weekend dates through December 28, with food, shopping, live entertainment, rides, games and Santa. Admission was free.
What is the Showboat Christmas Village?
It is a free outdoor holiday village next to Showboat Resort at 801 Boardwalk. In 2025 it ran on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from November 29 to December 28. Families found seasonal food and drinks, local shops, live entertainment, rides, games and a visit from Santa.
What is the Tinseltown Holiday Experience?
Tinseltown is a citywide holiday celebration presented by the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. It started in 2022, reached its third year in 2024 and includes tree lightings, a parade, a luminary festival, a Festival of Trees, a holiday market and themed lounges. See our Atlantic City Christmas events guide on this page.
What is Deck the Hall in Atlantic City?
Deck the Hall is a Festival of Trees at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, where sponsors decorate trees for free public viewing. It was in its sixth year in 2022 and ran all of December. In 2024 it ran from December 12 to January 3 with free daily viewing starting at 9 a.m.
What is special about the Boardwalk Hall organ at Christmas?
Boardwalk Hall holds the world's largest pipe organ, and free noon recitals were held daily from December 5 to 23 in 2022. Two-hour tours of the organ cost $10 on Wednesdays in December. It is a good way to share a grand, old-fashioned holiday sound with kids.
Does Atlantic City have a Christmas parade?
Yes. The Winter Wonderland Parade runs on the Boardwalk as part of Tinseltown. In 2024 it stepped off on Saturday, December 7 at 11 a.m., with December 8 as the rain date. For this season's confirmed route and time, see our Atlantic City Christmas events guide on this page.
What is the Absecon Lighthouse Luminary Light Festival?
It is an early December evening at Absecon Lighthouse with caroling, wine tastings for adults and a chance to make a personal luminary. In 2024 it ran December 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. Kids enjoy decorating their own luminary. Our Atlantic City Christmas events guide on this page lists this season's details.
Can kids meet Santa at Steel Pier?
In 2024, Steel Pier hosted Santa at The Wheel on December 7 from 2 to 4 p.m., with free photos. Santa also visits the Showboat Christmas Village and has appeared at tree lightings. Our Atlantic City Christmas events guide on this page lists this season's confirmed dates.
What is the Noyes Holiday Market and Gingerbread Village?
It is a holiday market and gingerbread display at the Noyes Arts Garage. In 2024 it ran December 14 and 15 from noon to 5 p.m. It is one of the more artsy stops in the Tinseltown holiday lineup, and a nice place to talk about gingerbread with kids.
Does Atlantic City have a Christmas town ranking?
Yes. Travel + Leisure ranked Atlantic City 23rd of its 25 Best Christmas Towns in the USA in 2022 and named it again in 2024, for the third year in a row. The list is a handy fact to share with kids who wonder whether a seaside city can be a real Christmas town.
How do I explain the Boardwalk Christmas tree to my child?
Tell your child that for a very long time the Boardwalk had no Christmas tree, and then in 2022 a tall tree arrived by the ocean. It has 8,000 lights and glows at dusk. Santa even arrived by lifeguard boat the first time. Kids like counting the lights.
Why is the Atlantic City tree such a big deal?
The Boardwalk is more than 150 years old, and the report on the first lighting says it was the first time a live tree lit it in that whole history. The tree now anchors a series of weekend events and a village at Showboat, so it has become a new Atlantic City tradition.
Where can kids see big Christmas trees in Atlantic City?
The tallest is the 50-foot Boardwalk tree at Showboat. Inside, trees glow at the Quarter at Tropicana, which had a 35-foot tree in 2024, and Deck the Hall displays many decorated trees at Boardwalk Hall. Our Atlantic City Christmas events guide on this page lists this season's confirmed dates.
Are there neighborhood tree lightings in Atlantic City?
Yes. During Tinseltown 2024 there were tree lightings in the Chelsea neighborhood at O'Donnell Park and in Ducktown Park, plus lightings at casinos and the Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall. In 2022 a Community Holiday Festival at O'Donnell Park offered Santa visits and free treats.
What do kids do at the Showboat Christmas Village?
Kids can ride carnival-style rides, play family-friendly games, meet Santa and watch live entertainment. The first lighting in 2022 included live holiday music, giveaways and a Santa arrival by lifeguard boat. Kids also like the lights and the sea air.
Is there a Christmas market in Atlantic City?
Atlantic City has the Showboat Christmas Village and the Noyes Holiday Market & Gingerbread Village. The Showboat village is free and open on weekends, with local shopping and food, and the Noyes market is a two-day art and gift market. Our Atlantic City Christmas events guide on this page has this year's details.
What makes Christmas in Atlantic City different?
It happens by the ocean, on and around the Boardwalk. The newest tradition is a live tree that first lit the Boardwalk in 2022, but the city also has a Festival of Trees and the world's largest pipe organ. Santa has even arrived by lifeguard boat. It is a very seaside Christmas.
Sources
- Showboat Resort's Christmas Village, Eventeny
- First ever Christmas tree lights Atlantic City Boardwalk, Patch
- Watch: 50-foot Christmas tree lights Atlantic City Boardwalk, Patch
- Atlantic City launches its most festive season yet with the CRDA's 3rd Annual Tinseltown Holiday Experience, NJ CRDA
- Atlantic City named one of the 25 best Christmas towns in America, NJ CRDA
- This can be a great annual tradition at Showboat Atlantic City, WPG Talk Radio
- First time 50 ft Christmas tree is set up on the AC Boardwalk, New Jersey 101.5
- Christmas Tree Lighting, Showboat Atlantic City