Holidays at National Harbor Includes Two Million Lights, 60-foot Tree, Fireworks and ICE! Featuring The Polar Express™
Celebrations begin on November 7 with the weekly tree lighting and fireworks and continues with ice sculptures, Santa, performers, movies, holiday market, and stunning festive décor
NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vicki Bendure, APR
Bendure Communications, Inc.
202-374-9259 c
Vicki@bendurepr.com
Holidays at National Harbor Includes Two Million Lights, 60-foot Tree, Fireworks and ICE! Featuring The Polar Express™
Celebrations begin on November 7 with the weekly tree lighting and fireworks and continues with ice sculptures, Santa, performers, movies, holiday market, and stunning festive décor
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., Dec. 1, 2025— National Harbor is a waterfront holiday destination not to be missed. This year’s festivities include Gaylord National’s widely acclaimed ICE! featuring The Polar Express™ brought to life through colorful, colossal ice sculptures. Experience the classic holiday story in real life. Ride down thrilling frozen slides, wander through awe-inspiring tunnels and capture the coolest pictures with your family and friends throughout this amazing frozen attraction.
Gaylord National launches its full holiday spectacular including ICE! and so much more on November 14 through January 4. The ice carvers, from Harbin, China, work with more than two million pounds of colorful ice, taking more than 12,000 man hours to create the nearly 20,000 square foot, frozen attraction. Christmas at Gaylord includes amazing ice sculptures, vibrant light shows, treasure hunts, Snow Flow Mountain ice slide, Snowball Build and Blast, Cirque: Spirit of Christmas, Gingerbread decorating and more.
The popular National Harbor Christmas Market and Holiday Craft Show Series returns on Saturdays and Sundays from November 29 to December 21 from noon to 6 p.m. Each week, new crafters and artisans will have their works for sale. Some of the goods being sold include clothing made for children, upscale jewelry, dog accessories, candles, maple products, home décor, bath and body, pillows and table runners, dinnerware, cashmere and silk scarves, rugs and carpets, glasswork, alpaca blankets and shawls, crystals, metal art, aprons, towels, resin art, woodwork, stationery, leather products, photography, kids’ crafts and a wide array of artworks.
The dazzling 60-foot RGB tree in the Waterfront District comes to life nightly with a breathtaking light show that illuminates to a holiday medley recorded by the U.S. Air Force Band. The show runs every half hour from sunset to 9 p.m., followed by fireworks every Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m., through December 27.
Santa will be at The Capital Wheel for photos on Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 21 from noon to 2 p.m. Children may share their holiday wish list and get a photo taken with Santa before taking a ride on the 180-foot wheel with its climate-controlled gondolas. And, furry friends can come out and meet Santa and have their photo taken, take a spin on The Capital Wheel (with their owner) and then gather on the Flight Deck for Yappy Hour.
National Harbor is magical during the holidays and all dressed up with more than two million holiday lights and decorations throughout. With its eight hotels, more than 40 restaurants and The Capital Wheel, it’s the perfect location to make holiday memories. From family activities to a romantic getaway for couples, National Harbor has it all.
MGM National Harbor celebrates the holiday season at National Harbor with spectacular decorations throughout, including the property’s popular Conservatory where the holidays come alive with a breathtaking display. The Theater at MGM National Harbor
is offering a variety of holiday shows including Cirque Dreams Holidaze
on December 19 and 20.
National Harbor is also the perfect location for holiday shopping with more than 140 shops including Tanger National Harbor’s 85 designer brands such as Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Hugo Boss, Movado, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Coach and H&M.
There is additional shopping in the Waterfront District where there are walkable streets with unique shops and boutiques such as MahoganyBooks, ZAAF, It’Sugar, Corinto Gallery and more. These join nationally recognized brands including Carhartt and others. MGM National Harbor provides additional boutique shopping opportunities.
The holidays are the perfect time to gather with friends or plan a fun outing with out-of-town guests. At National Harbor, you’ll find plenty of unique experiences to enjoy together—from developing your own photos at Sip & Develop, to creating a custom-scented candle at Wigenton Candle Co., to testing your teamwork at Escapology.
For more information about all of National Harbor’s holiday fun and hotel packages, visit www.NationalHarbor.com/hohoho. For more information on National Harbor, visit www.NationalHarbor.com.
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About National Harbor
Situated on the banks of the historic Potomac River and just minutes from the nation’s capital, National Harbor is a waterfront resort destination unlike any other. National Harbor is home to two of Maryland’s Four Diamond rated hotels—Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the East Coast’s largest non-gaming hotel and convention center and has almost 2,000 hotel rooms and 660,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and MGM National Harbor, an integrated luxury casino resort with renowned chef-driven restaurants, a 3,000-seat state-of-the art theater and one of the largest gaming floors outside of Las Vegas. The vibrant Waterfront District features boutique shops, restaurants and entertainment options along picturesque promenades. The iconic Capital Wheel, a 180-ft observation wheel, Tanger National Harbor’s 85 designer outlet brands, and a robust calendar of events round out this destination that welcomes more than 15.2 million visitors a year. For more information, visit www.NationalHarbor.com.
About Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences
Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences (WBDGE) is a worldwide leader in the creation, development, licensing and operating of location-based entertainment based on the biggest franchises, stories, and characters from Warner Bros.’ world-renowned film, television, animation, and games studios, HBO, Discovery, Cartoon Network and more. WBDGE is home to the groundbreaking locations of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks around the world, award-winning Warner Bros. Studio Tour locations in London, Hollywood, and Tokyo, the iconic Harry Potter New York flagship store, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, The WB Abu Dhabi, The FRIENDS Experience, The Game of Thrones Studio Tour and countless other experiences inspired by Harry Potter, DC, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, FRIENDS and more. WBDGE is part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Revenue & Strategy division. Warner Bros.’ The Polar Express™: THE POLAR EXPRESS and all related characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.