Christmas Weekends at Jellystone Park™

Our Recreation Staff runs holiday activities every weekend of the season, and most of them are included in your stay. Here's this year's lineup:

• Thankful & Twinkling Weekend (November 25–29): A Thanksgiving potluck for campers on Thursday. We provide the turkey; bring two sides or a side and a dessert. On Friday we deck the halls, and Saturday night brings a local beverage tasting and live entertainment.
• Light the Night Christmas Parade Weekend (December 4–6): Christmas crafts, games and movies in the park. Yogi Bear™ and friends ride in Fredericksburg's Light the Night Christmas Parade on Friday night, and they're back at camp for activities on Saturday.
• Winter Wonderland Weekend (December 11–13): A holly, jolly weekend of holiday fun, snow or no snow.
• Santa's Workshop Weekend (December 18–20): Christmas crafts, games and movies, plus wagon rides and bingo with a Christmas twist.
• Bear-y Merry Christmas Weekend (December 24–27): Yogi Bear™ teams up with Santa Claus for Christmas at the park, with Candy Cane Bingo, a Caroling Hayride and Carol Karaoke.
• New Year, New Adventures (December 31–January 3): A pajama pizza party for kids and teens, plus a local beverage tasting and live entertainment on New Year's Eve.

See every weekend on our Themed Weekends page.

Fredericksburg Christmas Events Near the Park

• Christmas Nights of Lights at Marktplatz: Every night from Thanksgiving week into early January, the Community Christmas Tree and the 26-foot German Christmas Pyramid light up downtown. Holiday music starts at 5 PM and the lighting is at 6 PM. It's free. Go after dark to see the pyramid's figures turning.
• Light the Night Christmas Parade: Friday, December 4, from 6:30 to 7:45 PM on Main Street, with more than 150 lit-up floats. The AfterGlow on Marktplatz runs from 3 to 9 PM with food, holiday music and kids' activities, and Santa and Mrs. Claus take free photos at Peppermint Platz from 8 to 9 PM. Bring lawn chairs and get there early for a good spot (bleacher seats can be bought ahead from the Chamber), and wave to Yogi Bear™ when he goes by!
• Eisbahn ice skating: An outdoor ice rink in the Kinder Halle Pavilion at Marktplatz, a Fredericksburg tradition since 2008. A $15 day pass lets you come and go all day, and there's hot chocolate, cookies and nachos at the rink. Kids under 12 skate with an adult, and proceeds help local charities and Heritage School.
• Singing Christmas Tree: On December 5 and 6, a 65-person choir fills a 30-foot Christmas tree at the Pioneer Museum for an hour of carols, German Christmas songs and sing-alongs. Gates open at 5:30 PM at the Milam Street entrance. Bring your own chairs and a blanket.
• Kinderfest at the Pioneer Museum: A free Texas-German Christmas day for kids and families on Saturday, December 5, from 10 AM to 3 PM. It's the same weekend as the parade, so it's easy to make a whole weekend of it.
• Holiday shopping on Main Street: More than 100 local shops and boutiques, with the storefronts lit up for the season.
• Fredericksburg Trade Days: More than 350 vendors in seven barns at Sunday Farms, just a few miles from the park on US-290 across from Wildseed Farms, plus a Biergarten with live music. Holiday dates are November 20–22, a special show weekend November 27–29, and December 18–20. Parking is $5 for the whole weekend.
• New Year's Eve at Marktplatz: A free afternoon celebration with a ball drop at 6:30 PM.

Event dates and times are set by the organizers, so check Visit Fredericksburg before you go.

Christmas Lights and Day Trips Down US-290

The park is east of town, so some of the Hill Country's best Christmas stops are even closer to us than Main Street is.

• LBJ Tree Lighting: A few miles east on US-290 in Stonewall, LBJ State Park & Historic Site holds its 57th annual tree lighting on Sunday, December 20, a tradition started by President and Mrs. Johnson. Festivities start at the Visitor Center at 5:30 PM with carolers, a live nativity, Santa and refreshments, then you can take a lamp-lit tour of the Sauer-Beckmann Farm and try traditional German Christmas cookies. Bring canned goods for the Fredericksburg Food Pantry drive. Earlier in the season, the park's Deck the Halls on Saturday, November 28 at 10 AM shows how to make Christmas decorations from natural materials.
• Johnson City Lights Spectacular: About 20 miles east on US-290. The courthouse square and the PEC headquarters light up with more than a million lights. The PEC Holiday Lights are free, 6 PM to midnight, every night from November 27 through January 3.
• Luckenbach: The little Texas town with the famous dance hall decorates for the season and usually holds a Christmas bazaar with live music in early December.
• The Lone Star Beer Can Christmas Tree in Comfort: A Christmas tree built from Lone Star cans, about 30 minutes away. It makes a fun photo stop.

Hill Country Wineries for the Holidays

Signor Vineyards is next door and the one winery you can walk to. Grape Creek Vineyards and Heath Sparkling Wines are right across US-290 and share a parking lot, so it's easy to visit both. More than 50 Hill Country wineries take part in the Christmas Wine Affair, November 23 to December 18. The passport from Texas Hill Country Wineries gets you a complimentary tasting and 10% off three or more bottles at each winery. Find more wineries on our Places To Go page.

Where to Stay for Christmas in Fredericksburg

• Cabins: Eight cabin types, from a cozy studio to the Family Lodge that sleeps 8. Linens and towels are included.
• RV sites: Full hookups with 20, 30 and 50 amp service, pull-thrus up to 90 feet, and buddy sites for traveling with family.
• Winter Texans: Staying for the whole season? We take monthly RV guests.
• Tent sites: Every tent site has electric.

Every site has a fire ring and picnic table, and our hot tub stays at 100°F all year, even on the coldest December night. Holiday weekends fill up, so book early with the Reserve Now button or call us at (830) 990-2267.