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Deck the Y'alls Lightfest Returns to Florence This Holiday Season

Two million lights will transform Thomas More Stadium into a winter wonderland.

Oct 17, 2023 at 11:04 am

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Photo: Provided by the Florence Y'alls

Deck the Y'alls

After a successful first year helping Greater Cincinnati families create a new holiday tradition, Deck the Y’alls Lightfest will return to Florence for another season.

The Florence Y’alls will bring its popular holiday lights festival back to Thomas More Stadium from Nov. 24-Jan. 1. Organizers say the stadium will transform into a dazzling winter wonderland, full of twinkling lights and holiday cheer. Two million lights will be choreographed to music, including a 50-foot animated tree, and guests can immerse themselves in the show as they walk onto the field and through themed areas.

Servatii Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt to Bring Holiday Cheer Back to The Banks: You can warm up with glühwein, shop for holiday gifts and glide down an ice slide in an innertube.

Deck the Y’alls Lightfest will also feature interactive experiences, like Santa’s Workshop where kids can meet the jolly old elf himself, plus a skating rink during the day and plenty of photo ops. Local choirs, bands and entertainers will perform live, and there will be a variety of food and drinks available.

Tickets to Deck the Y’alls Lightfest can be bought online here.

Greater Cincinnati Holiday Market Returns to Duke Energy Convention Center in November: Shop for locally handmade gifts, decor, gourmet food and baked goods, toys and more.

Thomas More Stadium, 7950 Freedom Way, Florence. More info: decktheyalls.com.

Slideshow

15 Ways to Have a Day Straight Out of a Hallmark Christmas Movie in Cincinnati

Support a small business while shopping at local holiday marketsWith some hard work and just a dash of Christmas magic, you can be the protagonist who saves the day and a struggling small business – or you can just do your part to support small businesses by shopping local for your holiday gifts. We have a handy gift guide you can use, or you can visit one of the holiday markets happening around the city. The Servatii Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt pops up at Smale Riverfront Park every week with local vendors, and City Flea is hosting a weekend-long holiday market Dec.16-17 at Washington Park.

Go ice skating at Fountain Square, Summit Park or Fifty West BrewingNothing screams wholesome Winter Wonderland more than people lacing up their skates for a glide on the ice. At Fountain Square, you can twirl underneath the glow of the Christmas tree – or drive bumper cars – after doing some holiday shopping in the many small businesses in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine and visiting the Shillito’s Elves in their new home at the Foundry. Summit Park in Blue Ash has their Warm 98.5 rink set up underneath a color glass canopy, and the four on-site restaurants have plenty of food, hot chocolate and DORA drinks for sale. And Fifty West Brewing has brought back their ice rink, along with fire pits, heated tents and hot drinks to keep you warm after a spin on the ice with that cute baker you just met.

Pick out a Christmas tree at a local market or farmThe visual centerpiece of any good Hallmark holiday movie is the meticulously decorated Christmas tree decked out in lots of colorful lights, ornaments and garland. And if your childhood crush who grew up next door to you and is back for the holidays can come over and help you decorate it — even better. Find a list of places where you can grab a tree, some hot chocolate and maybe even pet a reindeer here.

Visit a small town, like Lebanon or Metamora, and revel in the Christmas aestheticThere are lots of charming small towns close to Cincinnati that go all out for the holidays. Lebanon is known for its distinct Hallmark-movie vibe this time of year. Metamora, Indiana, breaks out tons of lights and decorations for its annual Old Fashion Christmas Walk, and Historic Clifton Mill in Clifton, Ohio, lights up with millions of bulbs each year.

Go sledding, glow snow tubing or tobogganingThis one requires some participation from Mother Nature, but you can always dream of a white Christmas. If it does happen to snow, some popular sledding hills include Embshoff Woods in Delhi, Stanberry Park in Mt. Washington, Devou Park in Covington, Harbin Park in Fairfield and Mt. Storm Park in Clifton. If you’d rather hit the slopes or careen downhill on an inner tube, you can take a trip out to Perfect North in Lawrenceburg for skiing, snow tubing and warming up with a treat in the lodge. You can also plan a holiday road trip to Mansfield for after-dark glow snow tubing. Just make sure to load your road trip playlist with lots of holiday carols and songs.

Take a wintry hike at the Bender Mountain Nature Preserve and other scenic trailsHiking is a great way to help you reflect and think things over. Do you want to quit your job in the big city to open a coffee shop in a small town? Do you want to leave your aloof, corporate-y significant other for the humble, kind and attractive veterinarian? Probably! But you can decide on the trail. Hamilton County’s Great Parks has 78 miles of trails throughout its 17 parks, including nature trails ranging from just the 0.15-mile Woodlot Trail at Winton Woods to the 2.1-mile Timberlakes Trail at Miami Whitewater Forest. Cincinnati Parks also boasts some amazing nature trails at French Park, California Woods and Ault Park. And in Delhi is the Bender Mountain Nature Preserve that offers stunning views of the Ohio River and Northern Kentucky. Find more stunning hike suggestions here.

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About The Author

Katherine Barrier

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she oversees the digital and social media strategies, edits web and print content and writes for the dining and arts...