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By Lori Rackl
Tribune News Service
They say everything’s bigger in Texas. And you could say that adage applies to the way Grapevine celebrates the holiday season.
This suburb of roughly 50,000 residents in the middle of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is known as the Christmas Capital of Texas. State lawmakers officially dubbed it so in 2009.
“It began as something simple, a small-town tree lighting, where families and friends gathered along Main Street for the countdown to the moment the Christmas tree came to life,” said 84-year-old William D. Tate in an email. Tate has served as the city’s mayor for half a century.
“Fast-forward to 2026,” he said, “and that humble tradition has grown into a spectacular holiday experience that draws thousands to historic Main Street.”
The revelry isn’t confined to Main Street. Grapevine hosts a whopping 1,400-plus events over the span of 40 days. The Christmas cheer begins before the Thanksgiving turkey even hits the table.
Main Street is the stage for Grapevine’s annual Parade of Lights. (Lori Rackl/TNS)Things kick off this year on Nov. 23 with the Carol of Lights. The annual evening event is when Main Street comes alive with music, food vendors, Santa sightings and the glow of colorful, elaborate displays lining more than half a dozen blocks of the historic boulevard.
Main Street is the stage for another signature event, the 47th Parade of Lights, on Dec. 3. Billed as the largest lighted Christmas parade in North Texas, the cavalcade features more than 100 illuminated floats and marching bands.
Crowds flock to Main Street for the annual Parade of Lights. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
The Parade of Lights is billed as the largest Christmas light parade in North Texas. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
A more recent addition to the lineup takes place a few days later with a drone show Dec. 7, when 600 of the little flying machines light up the night sky.
The city, located close to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, is home to the massive Gaylord Texan Resort. The 1,814-room hotel and convention center on the shores of Lake Grapevine transforms into a holiday destination in its own right thanks to 2 million twinkling lights, thousands of ornaments, miniature trains and towering toy soldiers.
The main draw is the Gaylord’s immersive ice experience, a ticketed attraction whose theme changes annually. Last year was “Elf.” This year it’s Harry Potter. Ice artisans from China turn 2 million pounds of frozen water into rooms reminiscent of Potter places like Hogwarts Castle, Hogsmeade Station and the Forbidden Forest. The indoor exhibit, which runs from Nov. 13 to Jan. 3, is kept at a crisp 9 degrees Fahrenheit (parkas provided).
Guests are given parkas to help keep them warm as they make their way through Gaylord Texan Resort’s ice experience. Last year’s theme was “Elf.” (Lori Rackl/TNS)
A young guest rides down a frozen slide at Gaylord Texan Resort’s immersive ice experience. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Other Grapevine hotels channel a winter wonderland vibe, too, even though the weather tends to be relatively mild in December. Family-friendly Great Wolf Lodge puts on daily “snow” showers in the lobby, and the boutique Hotel Vin serves sparkling wine and seasonal bites in igloo-like bubbles on the lawn.
Around town, classic holiday movies play at the Art Deco-style Historic Palace Theatre. Skaters spin under a towering Christmas tree at the Peace Plaza Ice Rink. People make one-of-a-kind ornaments at Vetro Glassblowing Studio. And they bake cookies in an old-fashioned, wood-burning stove, string popcorn garland and make Victorian crafts at Nash Farm, a living history museum that pays homage to Grapevine’s agricultural past.
Make your own ornament at Vetro Glassblowing Studio. (Lori Rackl/TNS)Grapevine Vintage Railroad switches to Santa’s North Pole Express from Nov. 27 to Dec. 30. Passengers—many of them wearing pajamas—board vintage train cars for a 45-minute ride full of singalongs, cookies and cameos by Mr. Claus and his elves.
Passengers board vintage train cars for a ride on Santa’s North Pole Express. (Lori Rackl/TNS)The railroad hosts a handful of Christmas Wine Train rides, too, but those are already sold out this season.
Passengers ride vintage train cars on Santa’s North Pole Express. (Lori Rackl/TNS)Good thing there’s still plenty of vino to be had along Grapevine’s Urban Wine Trail, a collection of nine tasting rooms. A couple of them, Winestein’s and Messina Hof, roll out Christmas cookie-and-wine-pairing offerings around the holidays. The newest addition to the trail is the irreverent Housewife Rebellion, a pink art gallery and winery with the motto “Because Mommy Needs a Break.”
Despite its name, Grapevine isn’t a landscape of vineyards. The Texas wines poured here are made with grapes grown in other parts of the Lone Star State. The city’s name, which dates back to the 1800s, is a nod to the Grape Vine Prairie, where wild mustang grapes proliferated in the fertile soil.
That doesn’t stop the city from making the most of its grapey moniker. It hosts a major wine festival each September. GrapeFest activities include Texas wine competitions, grape stomps, Champagne cork shoot-offs, live music and more during the four-day event, said to be the largest of its kind in the Southwest.
GrapeFest may be big, but the city’s social calendar is still dominated by the holiday season that led to Grapevine’s crowning as the Christmas Capital of Texas.
“Grapevine truly captures the magic of Christmas,” said Tate, the longtime mayor. “What makes it most special is the feeling and the traditions, the togetherness and the childlike wonder that fills the streets and brings people back, year after year.”
Businesses on Grapevine’s Main Street go all out with the holiday decor. (Lori Rackl/TNS)Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
