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Christmas with kids in Hot Springs
In Hot Springs, Christmas has been marked with a downtown parade since 1939. Today the city glows with nearly a million lights downtown, a giant gingerbread house and a woodland garden covered in lights.
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Holiday Lights
When: Nightly, Nov 21 to Dec 31, 5 to 9:30 pm (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day)
Where: Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs
Cost: Timed tickets; online tickets save up to $10 over the gate
The story of Christmas in Hot Springs
How Hot Springs celebrates
The Hot Springs Christmas Parade has rolled down Central Avenue since 1939, when the first one had floats and a pet parade with birds, horses and a boy walking a turtle. Parades paused during World War II and returned in 1947, and the Oaklawn Rotary Club now organizes it. In the 1930s a Christmas Eve program of carols in white vestments and candlelight moved into the national park on Arlington Lawn. Garvan Woodland Gardens added its holiday lights in 2001, and the city also lights downtown on parade evening.
Christmas last year in Hot Springs
The most recent Hot Springs holiday guide we found, which does not name a year, lists a downtown light display from November 24 to January 1 with nearly one million lights, and Garvan Woodland Gardens open nightly from 4 to 9 p.m. with seven million lights. The Christmas Parade was set for Monday, December 8, at 6:30 p.m. with the theme Toy Trains and Candy Canes, and a rain date the next day. The Arlington lobby hosted a tree lighting, caroling and its gingerbread house, and carriage rides ran on Fridays and Saturdays.
Fun facts about Christmas in Hot Springs
In 1941 more than 10,000 people lined Central Avenue for the parade, and after the war crowds were sometimes estimated at 25,000. By 2019 the hour-long parade had 60 to 80 entries, benefited Project Hope Food Bank and ended with Santa. The Christmas Eve program once used a stage built to look like a pipe organ, with a real organ hidden in the greenery. Mid-America Science Museum dresses its 18 Dino-Trek dinosaurs in lights, and visitors vote for a favorite.
Trains and Christmas near Hot Springs
One recent Hot Springs parade took the theme Toy Trains and Candy Canes. For real trains, the Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff is built in the former Cotton Belt shops and lets kids climb aboard many engines and cars, including steam locomotive 819. The Arkansas & Missouri Railroad runs a Holiday Express Pajama Train from Springdale, and the Cotton Belt Depot Museum in Texarkana is another stop, so confirm details first.
- Arkansas Railroad Museum: A big collection in the former Cotton Belt shops, where kids can climb aboard many engines and cars.
- Cotton Belt Depot Museum: A Cotton Belt depot museum in Texarkana; hours are not posted online, so confirm before driving.
- Arkansas & Missouri Railroad: Vintage passenger excursions from Springdale, including a Holiday Express Pajama Train.
Traditions today
- Hot Springs Christmas Parade: A downtown parade held since 1939 on a Monday evening in early December, ending with Santa.
- Downtown Hot Springs lights: Nearly one million lights glow downtown from late November into the new year.
- Garvan Woodland Gardens Holiday Lights: A nightly light display that started in 2001, with a 50-foot animated Holiday Tree in 2019.
- The Arlington gingerbread house: A big gingerbread house in the hotel lobby, with a tree lighting, caroling and letters to Santa.
- Dino Lights: Dinosaurs at the Mid-America Science Museum are dressed in lights, and visitors vote for a favorite.
- Carriage rides: Horse-drawn carriage rides leave from The Arlington on Fridays and Saturdays, weather permitting.
A fact for kids
The first Hot Springs Christmas parade in 1939 included a pet parade, with birds, horses and even a boy walking a turtle.
Questions about Christmas in Hot Springs
When did the Hot Springs Christmas parade start?
The Hot Springs Christmas Parade began in 1939. The first one had colorful floats and a pet parade with birds, horses, a lighted cage holding a dog, cat and rabbit, and a boy walking a turtle. It paused during World War II and came back in 1947.
Who organizes the Hot Springs Christmas parade?
The Oaklawn Rotary Club organizes it today. Earlier on, the Pilot Club led by Helen Blagg sponsored it for many years, and then the Jaycees took over before the Oaklawn Rotary Club. The parade benefited Project Hope Food Bank in 2019.
How long is the Hot Springs Christmas parade?
It is about an hour long. In 2019 it had 60 to 80 entries and ended with Santa Claus, according to a Hot Springs tourism article. Each parade has a yearly theme, and awards are given in several categories, according to the same article.
What time is the Hot Springs Christmas parade?
Recent parades have started at 6:30 p.m. on a Monday evening in early December, with a rain date on the next day. Dates change each year, so please see our Hot Springs Christmas events guide on this page for the current schedule before you plan your evening.
What was the theme of the parade in the recent holiday guide?
The most recent holiday guide we found lists the theme as Toy Trains and Candy Canes, with Arkansas Diamonds Arena Football players as Grand Marshals. The guide did not state a year, so check our Hot Springs Christmas events guide on this page for this year's theme.
How many people came to early Hot Springs parades?
In 1941 more than 10,000 spectators lined Central Avenue, and more than 150 soldiers from the Army and Navy Hospital marched. After the parade returned in 1947, crowds were sometimes estimated at 25,000. Those numbers come from a local newspaper history of the parade.
Was there a Hot Springs Christmas parade in 2020?
No. Because of COVID-19 there was no parade in 2020. The city marked the season with lights, animated trees on Arlington Lawn and the daytime Winter Garden Festival at Garvan Woodland Gardens instead, according to the Sentinel-Record. Check our Hot Springs Christmas events guide on this page for this year's parade.
Who turns on the downtown Christmas lights in Hot Springs?
Local history says the Kiwanis Club sponsored the annual turning on of the downtown Christmas lights on parade evening. A tourism article from 2019 also describes lights being switched on at the Tom Daniel Holiday Chili Cook-off on the Monday before Thanksgiving. Practices may have changed.
How many Christmas lights are in downtown Hot Springs?
The city's Parks and Trails department installs more than 1 million lights each year at four downtown locations, according to a 2019 article. A more recent holiday guide says the downtown display runs from November 24 to January 1 with nearly one million lights.
What is Garvan Woodland Gardens Holiday Lights?
It is a nightly lights display at Garvan Woodland Gardens that started in 2001. In 2019 it had nearly 5 million lights over 18 acres and a 50-foot animated Holiday Tree, and drew about 85,000 visitors. A recent guide lists seven million lights, open 4 to 9 p.m.
Is Garvan Woodland Gardens open on Christmas Day?
No. The lights display is closed on Christmas Day, and it was also closed on Thanksgiving in 2019. It otherwise runs nightly from 4 to 9 p.m. through December 31. Check our Hot Springs Christmas events guide on this page for this year's dates.
What is the Christmas Eve program Hot Springs used to have?
It was a Christmas Eve celebration often called the Hot Springs Christmas Gift to the Nation. The Choral Club started it in 1931, and by 1934 it had moved into the park. Singers in white vestments carried candles down the mountain trail, and the Arkansas Gazette called it the best-known celebration of its kind.
Who created the Hot Springs Christmas Eve program?
Elizabeth Bowe Sims, founder of the Hot Springs Choral Club, created and directed the program for more than 30 years. The Community Players performed tableaux of the Christmas story on a bluff above the stage while the Choral Club sang traditional carols.
What is the gingerbread house at The Arlington?
It is a big gingerbread house in the lobby of The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa. The 2022 article described it as 8 feet tall and almost 1,000 pounds, and a recent guide calls it a four-decade tradition on display through New Year's Day. Sizes may vary by year.
Can kids write to Santa in Hot Springs?
Yes. The recent holiday guide says visitors can write letters to Santa at The Arlington, where there is also a tree lighting and caroling. Kids can also see Santa at the end of the Christmas parade. Check our Hot Springs Christmas events guide on this page for this year.
How can I explain the lights display to a toddler?
Describe it as a night walk where the garden or street is dressed up in sparkles. Garvan Woodland Gardens has light tunnels, giant flowers and illuminated creatures, and the Chipmunk Cafe serves snacks and hot drinks, so little ones have something to look for and a warm treat.
What is Dino Lights at the Mid-America Science Museum?
Dinosaurs on the Oaklawn Foundation's Dino-Trek at the Mid-America Science Museum are dressed in lights through December. Local businesses and organizations adopt one of the 18 dinosaurs, and visitors vote on favorites. In 2022 the winning business received $500 for its dinosaur's lights.
Are there train museums near Hot Springs?
The Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff has a big collection in the former Cotton Belt shops, including steam locomotive 819 built there in 1942. Kids can climb aboard many engines and cars. Hours are limited, so call (870) 535-8819 first. See our Hot Springs Christmas events guide on this page for seasonal options.
Is there a Christmas train in Arkansas?
The Arkansas & Missouri Railroad runs vintage passenger excursions from Springdale and Van Buren, including a Holiday Express Pajama Train. It is in northwest Arkansas, a long drive from Hot Springs, so book ahead online or by phone. Our Hot Springs Christmas events guide on this page has current options.
Where do the Hot Springs Christmas parade floats go?
The parade travels through downtown Hot Springs, and in 1941 crowds lined Central Avenue to watch. Businesses and organizations ride on homemade floats, according to a 2022 article. Check our Hot Springs Christmas events guide on this page for this year's route and viewing tips for families.
Sources
- Holidays in Hot Springs, Hot Springs National Park (hotsprings.org)
- One million reasons to visit Hot Springs this season, Hot Springs National Park (hotsprings.org)
- Time tour glimpses Christmas, Hot Springs Sentinel-Record
- Holiday guide: Hot Springs, Arkansas, Hot Springs National Park (hotsprings.org)
- Arkansas Railroad Museum, Rally Takes the Train
- Cotton Belt Depot Museum, Rally Takes the Train
- Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, Rally Takes the Train