Holiday arts and entertainment: 15 fun family activities to light up the winter season

Sure temperatures are dropping and sunsets are creeping earlier but when has that ever stopped Minnesotans from having wintertime fun This is the city of the Winter Carnival after all The chilly celebration which runs this winter from Jan to Feb is marking a milestone th anniversary During the holiday season in particular from light festivals to North Pole villages there s plenty of all-ages family fun to be discovered all around St Paul and the east metro Here are particular ideas Now through Dec Illuminate Festival of Lights Along with hundreds of indoor lanterns at this colorful festival you can also catch performances by the AmeriKing Yan Dong Chinese Acrobats Festival runs to p m Fridays and Saturdays and to p m Sundays through the rest of the year acrobat performances are and p m Fridays and Saturdays and and p m Sundays Note holiday hours Nov Nov Dec Dec Dec festival is open to p m and acrobats perform at Tickets required for adults for kids ages for seniors and military Pan Asian Center South White Bear Ave Maplewood - - more info and tickets at illuminate-us com Now through Jan GLOW Holiday Festival Courtesy photo Sarah DopeA globe display at the GLOW Holiday Festival The holiday lights festival returns to CHS Field this year with more than a million lights a carousel ride a zipline and other family programs Timed-entry tickets with entry between and p m the festival is open till p m are required and must be purchased in advance for general admission and for kids and younger and under are free The festival is cashless GLOW Holiday Festival at CHS Field N Broadway St glowholiday com Now through Feb Night Trains At the Twin City Model Railroad Museum the main lights go down and street lamps glow in the miniature villages decorated with snow and holiday decor as vintage model trains run through the scrupulously crafted cities You can t ride the trains unless you re the size of a model-train voyager I suppose but you can admire them from to p m every Saturday plus special dates of Dec and Jan Tickets are per person free for members and those under Twin City Model Railroad Museum Transfer Road tcmrm org Nov Dec to Dec Afton Holiday Village Afton is turning into a winter wonderland horse-drawn wagons carolers tree lighting crafts bonfires treats and more What more could you ask for Weekends have special themes Candy Cane Trail Nov Celebrate Merry Bright Dec - and Wrap It Up Festive Giving Dec Centered around Afton Town Square Park S St Croix Trail Afton aftonholiday weebly com Dec Stillwater s Hometown for the Holidays Stillwater s Main Street is lighting up for the holidays During Twinkle Weekend Dec kids can get free twinkle necklaces and meet-and-greet Frozen characters and Santa with glowing luminaries along Main Street During Candy Town Weekend Dec events include cocoa with Santa a gingerbread man hunt and gingerbread house contest and cookie-decorating During Furry Friends Weekend Dec there ll be a pet parade and costume contest plus treats from the Grinch for both pets and humans Additional events include the Outdoor Christmas Celebration on Dec featuring An Andy and Bing Christmas and the St Croix Valley Opera and SCVO s Home for the Holidays concert on Dec featuring Laura Osnes Hometown for the Holidays Along Main Street in Stillwater full schedule and location details at communitythreadmn org Hometown-Holidays Dec North Pole Express Departing from Union Depot the North Pole Express consists of real vintage trains that ll take you to the North Pole aka the far east end of the Union Depot property don t tell the kids to meet Santa and enjoy treats Tickets tend to go very fast and are likely already sold out but consider this a heads-up for next winter North Pole Express More info at com npe Dec Solstice at Circus Juventas Youth performers ride unicycles during a performance of Solstice at Circus Juventas on Dec The circus school is remounting the show for a limited run during the holiday season Dan Norman Circus Juventas This year s holiday show at the Highland Park circus school is Solstice which focuses on forest creatures quest to rescue Jack Frost and save winter it s a remount of the holiday show Tickets are for adults and for kids students seniors military Circus Juventas Montreal Ave tickets at - or circusjuventas org holiday-show- Dec Grand Meander Find plenty of holiday entertainment during this wintry open house event along Grand Avenue Highlights include Trolley rides sugar cookie decorating at Cooks of Crocus Hill free caricatures at Red Balloon Bookshop p m the annual Golden Ladle Soup Tasting Contest at various spots along Grand to p m happy hour with Winter Carnival Royalty at Red Rabbit to p m and more Grand Meander a m to p m along Grand Avenue find more info at grandave com events grandmeander Dec Union Depot tree lighting and movie night