Ozark Mountain Christmas in Branson, Missouri, is one of the country’s most celebrated Christmas season events. Filled with a lineup of Christmas activities, fun, excitement, and the true spirit of Christmas, it elevates the traditional Christmas celebration to new heights. It is the place for those who want to celebrate the traditional American Christmas.
This unforgettable experience has celebrated the magic of the season for over a quarter century, and this season runs from early November, November 1, 2025, through January 7, 2026. Here’s a list of things that make it a special and unique event:
Silver Dollar City’s Old Time Christmas
Silver Dollar City, near Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, hosts the “An Old Time Christmas” festival, a popular holiday event running from Saturday, November 1, 2025, to Sunday, January 4, 2026. This is one of the Nation’s top Christmas events, with USA Today picking it as “America’s Best Theme Park Holiday Event” multiple times, most recently in 2024. The festival transforms the park with over 6.5 million lights, making it one of the most illuminated parks in the world and creating a magical winter wonderland. Key light displays include the Joy on Town Square, featuring an 8-story animated Christmas tree with a synchronized light and music show, and the Christmas in Midtown Light Spectacular, a 70,000-square-foot area featuring a 90-foot light pole Christmas tree, a 50-foot Santa and sleigh, 30 flying angels, and light tunnels. Other highlights include Rudolph’s Holly Jolly Christmas Light Parade and two Broadway-style shows, “Home For Christmas” and the classic Christmas tale “Dickens’ Christmas Carol”.
For 2025, new additions include The Grand Plaza Fir with 150,000 lights and a living tree lighting ceremony at The Plaza, and an all-new live show, “The Heart of Christmas,” featuring the Lindley Creek family band through November 27 and Bluegrass star Rhonda Vincent from November 28, 2025, to January 4, 2026.
Branson Christmas Shows During Ozark Mountain Christmas?
Absolutely! Live entertainment is one of Branson’s biggest draws, and it just gets better during Ozark Mountain Christmas. There’s no better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to see one of Branson’s live Christmas shows, with special effects and festive decorations honoring the true spirit of Christmas. Here’s a short Bucket List of Christmas shows you might enjoy during the holiday season and the reason why:
The Haygoods Christmas Show
One of Branson’s most popular shows, Christmas and otherwise, this high-energy show features a talented family of performers who combine lasers, modern instruments, and Christmas classics to create a dazzling holiday concert experience the whole family will enjoy.
Hughes Brothers Christmas Show
Has garnered “consecutive ‘Best Christmas Show’ in Branson honors since 2008. It features “over 50 family members” who light up the stage with exciting dance numbers, hilarious comedy, and classic music and carols. A particularly moving segment involves Santa Claus explaining “the symbols of Christmas,” which will not soon be forgotten. Due to the age range of the cast, children of all ages will be able to relate to this show.
Legends in Concert
– As expected in a Legends in Concert show, every Tribute Artist will perform a mini-concert featuring four or five hit songs of the Legend being portrayed. That doesn’t change. What changes at Christmas is that each Tribute Artist will perform a Christmas song associated with that artist as part of their set. With all the tribute artists, Legends dancers and singers, and a live band, the Christmas Finale is always a special Christmas blessing.
Grand Jubilee
This award-winning show is half pure Christmas, half the best of their regular season show, and 100% pure entertainment!. Produced by Mike Patrick and featuring one of Branson’s most rewarded quartets, “New South,” the vocals of Jackie Brown, the comedy and talents of Jamie Haage as “Jim Dandy,” and the Rhinestone Mafia. This show features some of the finest entertainers in Branson, will infuse you with the Christmas Spirit, and have you leaving thinking, “It was over all too quickly.”
Presley’s Country Jubilee
A treasured tradition since 1967, this show is the first on the Branson Strip, combining country music, comedy, and heartfelt holiday tunes. The first half features the best of their regular season, and the second half is dedicated entirely to Christmas, filled with the holiday spirit.
And that’s just a few highlights. Dolly Parton’s Stampede Christmas show is a spectacular event, featuring dinner and interactivity, that will entertain audiences of all ages. For a family-friendly Christmas show that’s up close and personal, it’s hard to beat The Duttons, The Hughes Brothers, or the Doug Gabriel shows.
Branson Aglow with Christmas Lights and Decorations
From the wonder of Silver Dollar City’s old time Christmas festival’s six million lights, to its expansive outlet malls and Branson Landing, one of the most popular reasons people visit during Ozark Mountain Christmas is the stunning Christmas light displays. From the Shepherd of the Hills to the Branson Ferris Wheel through its historic downtown district to the shores of Lake Taneycomo in Branson Landing, Branson is aglow with millions of sparkling lights, animated scenes, and glowing trees. The Trail of Lights is one of Branson’s most iconic holiday attractions. This 2.5-mile drive-through Christmas light display takes you through wooded hills and valleys filled with themed scenes and music. Visitors can also ride to the top of Inspiration Tower for panoramic views of the lights across the Ozarks. Another drive-through display is Branson’s Lights of Joy, a large drive-through light show that features custom displays of reindeer, nativity scenes, Santa’s sleigh, toy soldiers, and more. Conveniently located off Shepherd of the Hills Expressway.
America’s Christmas Tree City Comes to Life
Area businesses and residents team together to make Branson “America’s Christmas Tree City.” Launched in 2016, the Branson Christmas Tree Tour will allow you to see and visit over 100 of the area’s largest, most interesting, colorful, and unique Christmas tree displays. You’ll find traditional evergreens adorned in lights, tinsel, and ornaments, but also dancing trees of lights, naturally growing trees ablaze in color, and creative trees made from life jackets, racing flags, library books, and more. See America’s Christmas Tree City Tour Guide for the complete list of locations and an interactive map.
Branson Adoration Scene Lighting & Parade
Branson’s Ozark Mountain Christmas includes the Annual Adoration Parade on the first Sunday in December. As it has done for decades, the Branson community will gather to celebrate the Christmas season’s true meaning with its Annual Adoration Parade and lighting of the Adoration Scene atop Mount Branson at 5:00 p.m. on December 7, 2026, in historic downtown Branson. The parade’s theme is today what it was at its inception, to “Keep Christ in Christmas.” The evening begins with the illumination of a 30-foot Nativity Scene atop Mt. Branson, which overlooks Lake Taneycomo, Branson Landing, and Historic Downtown Branson. Following this is a “light parade” featuring many bands, floats, and walking units. The nighttime parade features bands, floats aglow with lights, and a visit from Santa Claus. Held in the middle of the historic downtown district, the Adoration Parade is a long-standing tradition that honors the birth of Christ. Floats, school bands, and church groups participate, and the event begins with the lighting of the Adoration Nativity Scene on Mount Branson, visible from across Lake Taneycomo.
Unique World Class Shopping
From the discounts and variety of Tanger Outlets, to the artisans at Silver Dollar City, the Grand Village Shops, unique shops of historic downtown Branson, and the glitz and glamour of Branson Landing, Branson offers a world-class shopping experience during Ozark Mountain Christmas or any time of the year. It’s the perfect place to find that one-of-a-kind gift for that special person.
