December is when Flagstaff turns into the town everybody in Phoenix pictures when they say they want to see snow. Downtown is strung with lights from Thanksgiving weekend to New Year's Eve, Santa shows up on a fire truck, a parade of lit-up floats rolls past the old hotels, and the month ends with a pinecone coming off a roof. This is the full December 2026 calendar by date, checked against each organizer's own listing on November 13, 2026, with what we'd do.
Is December a good time to visit Flagstaff?
Yes, if you pack for it. Flagstaff sits at 7,000 feet and averages more than 100 inches of snow a year, so December can mean a storm or a clear blue-sky day, sometimes in the same weekend. The holiday calendar is packed, most of it is free, and nearly all of it happens in a downtown you can cross on foot in ten minutes.
December 2026 in Flagstaff, by date
| When | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select dates through Dec 20 | A Christmas Carol, Theatrikos with Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival | Doris Harper-White Playhouse, 11 W Cherry Ave | Ticketed |
| Through Dec 24 | North Pole Experience | Little America Hotel | Ticketed |
| Through Dec 31 | Stroll Holiday Magic: downtown in thousands of lights | Start at the Visitor Center, 1 E Route 66 | Free |
| Dec 1 to 31 | Downtown Window Decorating Contest | Downtown shop windows | Free |
| Fri, Dec 4, from 5 PM | First Friday ArtWalk | Downtown galleries and shops | Free |
| Sat, Dec 5, 10 AM to 2 PM | Snowflake Festival: Santa, the Grinch, kids' crafts, art market, toy drive | Flagstaff Visitor Center | Free |
| Sat, Dec 5, 2:30 to 7 PM | Winter Wonderland and Tree Lighting. The City lists Santa's arrival at 6:15 PM | Heritage Square | Free |
| Sat, Dec 5, 12 and 19, 9:30 AM | Winter Movie Series, doors at 9 | Orpheum Theatre | Free |
| Sun, Dec 6, 11 AM to 1 PM (date to confirm) | Howlidays: pet photos with Santa for High Country Humane | Heritage Square | Free, donations welcome |
| Sun, Dec 6, 13 and 20, 9 AM | Storytime with Santa | Downtown coffee shops | Free. The downtown alliance asks for an RSVP |
| Sat, Dec 12, 2 to 7 PM | 12 Bars of Christmas | Downtown | See the organizer |
| Sat, Dec 12, 6 PM | Holiday Parade of Lights | Beaver, Aspen and San Francisco streets | Free |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Flagstaff Snow Park's scheduled opening day, weather permitting | Fort Tuthill County Park | Ticketed |
| Thu, Dec 31, 10 AM to 1 PM | Noon Year's Eve, with a pinecone drop at noon | Heritage Square | Free |
| Thu, Dec 31, 10 PM and midnight | The Great Pinecone Drop | Weatherford Hotel | Free on the street |
Dates come from the Downtown Flagstaff Business Alliance, Discover Flagstaff and each organizer. One heads up: the downtown alliance's calendar says Howlidays is Sunday, December 6, but its own event page and the City's page say December 7, which is a Monday this year. Check before you dress up the dog.
First weekend: ArtWalk and the tree lighting
Friday, December 4 is the First Friday ArtWalk, starting at 5 PM, and it's a good night to buy a gift from the person who made it. The Flagstaff ArtWalk guide has the map and every stop. If you want the stories behind the walls first, the mural tour leaves at 10 AM that morning.
Saturday is the big family day. The Snowflake Festival runs 10 to 2 at the Visitor Center, then Winter Wonderland takes over Heritage Square at 2:30 with music, crafts and free hot cocoa until Santa lights the tree. Our Route 66 Centennial Walking Tour leaves the Heritage Square flagpole at 4 PM and wraps up around 5:30. The City lists Santa's arrival at 6:15 PM, and the downtown alliance says the exact lighting time is still to come, so check the day before.
December 12: the Holiday Parade of Lights
The Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce parade starts at 6 PM sharp at Beaver and Elm, comes down Beaver to Aspen, runs east on Aspen past the Weatherford Hotel, then turns up San Francisco Street back to Elm. It's free to watch. The main stage is by the Weatherford on Aspen, so that stretch fills first. The route also runs right up San Francisco Street, past the door of The Wild Below.
The 6 PM ghost tour and the 7 PM adults-only tour are off that night. The parade has the streets. The 10 AM mural tour and the 4 PM Route 66 tour both go that day. Parking gets tight by 5, so read our guide to where to park downtown and come early.
A Christmas Carol is a ghost story. So are ours.
Dickens put it right in the subtitle: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. Telling ghost stories in December is an older tradition than most of the things we do this month. Theatrikos and Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival are staging it downtown through December 20, two hours with an intermission, good for all ages.
Pair it with the real thing. The Downtown Flagstaff Haunted History Tour is 75 minutes of documented history and the hauntings attached to it, on the same streets, a few blocks from the playhouse. In December it leaves Wheeler Park at 6 PM and has you back by 7:15.
Our tours in December
| Tour | When in December | Length | Price | Meets at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Flagstaff Haunted History Tour | 6 PM nightly, except Dec 7, 9, 12 and 16. Extra 4 PM tours Dec 26 to 31 | 75 minutes | Adults $29, students $25, children $22 | Wheeler Park, 212 W Aspen Ave |
| Route 66 Centennial Walking Tour | 4 PM every day | 90 minutes | Adults $29, students $25, children $22 | Heritage Square flagpole, 22 E Aspen Ave |
| Mural Tour of Historic Downtown Flagstaff | 10 AM Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, except Dec 5 and 31 | 90 minutes | Adults $29, students $25, children $22 | Orpheum Theatre, 15 W Aspen Ave |
| Mountain Town of Madness (18 and up) | 7 PM Thursday to Saturday, except Dec 12. Every night Dec 24 to Jan 2 | 90 minutes | Adults $39, students $34 | Wheeler Park |
That's our booking calendar as of November 12, 2026, and the calendar on each tour page is the final word. Winter is our favorite season to give these tours. The streets are quiet, the stories carry, and snow on the streetlamps does half the work. Here's what to wear, and here's the full case for winter.
Snow days
If the snow is why you're coming, read our Flagstaff snow play and sledding guide before you leave the house. Short version: tubing is at Flagstaff Snow Park, the old sledding hills on Highway 180 are closed for good, and you can't park on the highway. Flagstaff Snow Park lists December 12 as its scheduled opening day, weather permitting. Call the City's snow hotline at 1-844-256-SNOW for what's open.
Still need a room for the holiday party?
The Wild Below is our event space under the 1917 Masonic Temple on San Francisco Street: two rooms, a stage, a dance floor, art on the walls, and room for under 50 people. Office party, family in town from three states, a friends' gift swap, a birthday that lands the week of Christmas. If it needs a room with some character, this is the one.
Both rooms together run $100 an hour Monday to Thursday and $120 an hour Friday to Sunday, with a two-hour minimum. Running a nonprofit or putting on something for the community? Say so, and we'll work with you on the price. Tell us the date you want and we'll get back to you. We put on nights of our own down there too.
The last week of the year
The week between Christmas and New Year's is the busiest of the winter, so we add tours: a 4 PM ghost tour every day from December 26 to 31 on top of the 6 PM, and Mountain Town of Madness every night. Then comes the 31st. The Great Pinecone Drop happens three times, at noon, 10 PM and midnight, and our guide has where to stand and how to fill the hours in between.
Questions people ask
Does it snow in Flagstaff in December?
Often, but not on a schedule. Flagstaff averages more than 100 inches of snow a year, and December storms are common, but so are clear weeks. Check the City's webcam and call 1-844-256-SNOW before you drive up for snow play.
Is there a Christmas village in Flagstaff?
The closest thing is the North Pole Experience at Little America Hotel, a ticketed visit to Santa's workshop that runs through December 24. Downtown itself is decorated with thousands of lights from November 27 to December 31, and that part is free.
When is the Flagstaff Holiday Parade of Lights in 2026?
Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 6 PM in historic downtown. It starts at Beaver and Elm and follows Beaver, Aspen and San Francisco streets. Watching is free.
When is the Flagstaff tree lighting in 2026?
Saturday, December 5, 2026, in Heritage Square. Winter Wonderland starts at 2:30 PM, and the City lists Santa's arrival to light the tree at 6:15 PM.
What's open in Flagstaff on Christmas Day?
Less than usual, so plan ahead. Our booking calendar shows the mural tour at 10 AM, the Route 66 tour at 4 PM, the ghost tour at 6 PM and Mountain Town of Madness at 7 PM on December 25. The City also lists Christmas dinner at Woodlands at the DoubleTree from 2 to 8 PM, by reservation.
What is there to do in Flagstaff on New Year's Eve?
The Great Pinecone Drop at the Weatherford Hotel, at noon, 10 PM and midnight. Our Pinecone Drop guide covers times, parking and a plan for the night.
Where these dates come from
- Downtown for the Holidays, Downtown Flagstaff Business Alliance.
- Christmas and Winter Holidays, Discover Flagstaff.
- Holiday Lights Parade, Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce.
- A Christmas Carol, Theatrikos Theatre Company.
- Our own booking calendar for tour times, read November 12, 2026.
