24 Holiday Happenings Heating Up the Season

Kimpton, along with IHG’s luxury and lifestyle brands, is partnering with celebrity artists and tastemakers including Maren Morris and Corey Damen Jenkins to create larger-than-life winter chalet installations in select hotel lobbies, including Kimpton EPIC Hotel, Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, and Kimpton Everly Hotel. Jenkins developed the aesthetic and style of each chalet, while Morris curated specialized playlists to set the mood for guests and locals in attendance. The chalets also include a variety of seasonal food and beverage offerings, decor, and guest activities.

Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge, an all-season indoor and outdoor rooftop bar with a retractable roof at Moxy Times Square, recently opened its new winter pop-up, The Pink Winter Lodge: Neon Frost Edition. The space features accents of metallic and neon pink, including metallic fringe, neon walls, and pink trees.

An interactive custom snow globe includes the backdrop of the Empire State Building. Yvonne Najor, vice president of Tao Group Hospitality, conceptualized the pop-up, in collaboration with Design House Decor.

The All That Glitters cocktail is infused with New Amsterdam vodka, allspice, cranberry, ginger beer, and rosemary.

The '70s-inspired campsite and retrofitted 1956 Scenicruiser returned for another season atop Nashville's Bobby Hotel rooftop. With igloos; personal campfires; snacks; and themed libations including “No Judge-Mint,” “It Butterbeer Me,” and “Straight to the Point-Settia,” Camp Bobby transports guests to a groovy winter escape.

Booking.com and Warner Bros. Pictures have teamed up to celebrate the holidays and the debut of Wonka by offering two limited-time stays at Wonka’s Sweet Suites at Park Lane New York and Viceroy Santa Monica. The suites, inspired by the film, are equipped with life-size chocolate confections and come with tickets to see Wonka in theaters. Wonka’s Sweet Suites are available to book on a first-come, first-served basis on Dec. 13 for each stay taking place Dec. 15-16 and are priced at $12.15 (the date the film is released).

A decadent chocolate bar bed topped with marshmallows is set amid cotton candy clouds in the suites.

As part of its “Leftovers’ Best Friend” holiday campaign, condiment company Primal Kitchen took its new Cranberry Mayo product on a roadshow in a custom sandwich cart in three cities, handing out free turkey sandwiches. The “Mini Merry Mayo Mobile” stopped in Chicago and New York, and will be in Los Angeles Dec. 17.

From Dec. 7-9, folks are invited to celebrate The Macallan’s new collection in collaboration with Stella and Mary McCartney at the brand’s Harmony Hideaway in Midtown Manhattan. The speakeasy supper club is inspired by The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland. Guests can book a visit at either 6 or 9 each evening to enjoy a chef-curated menu paired with special performances; each reservation costs $125. As part of the brand’s sustainability commitments, proceeds will be donated to the Natural Areas Conservancy in order to help preserve, protect, and improve access to urban natural areas throughout New York City.

Park Lane New York debuted the Darling Chalet in partnership with Moët & Chandon, transforming the hotel’s 47th-floor rooftop bar, Darling, into a chic, après-ski-style lounge. The space debuted in November with a launch event that included Moët & Chandon cocktails, a photo experience with branded snowboards and ski goggles, a vintage popcorn machine, plush blankets, and other après-ski touchpoints. Darling’s usual tropical decor was swapped for winter whites and silvers, with plush throw pillows, faux fur rugs, and seasonal accents.

Guests can indulge in a special menu featuring two bespoke cocktails, the Snow Bunny (pictured) and Alpine Passion, along with Petrossian caviar blinis served with creme fraiche; sea salt-toasted chestnuts with brown butter, sage, and chives; and a grilled cheese with roasted tomato soup. The space is open until Jan. 3.

Dog-friendly River Shannon, located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, is celebrating the season with holiday-themed treats for its furry friends, as well as activities including photos with Santa and complimentary cookie delivery during the Holiday Cookie Turn-Up Service.

This season at Mandarin Oriental, Boston, visitors can swing by the Holiday Cocktail and Whisky Bar from Nantucket’s Triple Eight Distillery, which is serving festive holiday cocktails made with the brand’s spirits, including Hot Apple Cran Cider, the Ginmas Negroni, Cranberry Lime Mojito, and Oriental Old Fashioned. It’s open Thursdays through Saturdays, from 4 to 7 p.m., until Dec. 30.

Toronto’s Illuminarium at The Distillery launched a new holiday experience this year called Winter Wonderland Spectacular, which runs until Jan. 7. Guests are transported into a castle filled with interactive technology and an ever-changing dreamland of nutcrackers, jingle bells, and candy canes.

In November, Mytheresa and Flamingo Estate celebrated the opening of the Mytheresa x Flamingo Estate Holiday House in Los Angeles, the brands’ 1,500-square-foot candy-adorned house in Highland Park. The Holiday House recreates Flamingo Estate’s interiors, featuring luxury products made out of gingerbread, as well as a fashion closet with a curated selection of fashion and home accessories that are shoppable with a QR code.

Mytheresa and Flamingo Estate partnered with Avaline, the wine brand founded by Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power, as the official wine sponsor of the experience. The Mytheresa x Flamingo Estate Holiday House is open Thursdays through Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In November, Aerie kicked off the holiday season at TWA Hotel in New York with its new travel-themed Holiday '23 collection. Guests were treated to a performance from singer-songwriter Amber Mark who surprised guests on the tarmac.

At the Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York, Bucket Listers presents Disney’s The Santa Clauses’ Winter Wonderland, which features Manhattan’s only rooftop skating rink. Visitors can also hang out in Santa’s living room.

For the second year, Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles presents custom-built Swiss-style chalets with additional fire pit seating and a menu of Alpine favorites. Featuring cozy decor, the five whimsical wood chalets offer dishes such as cheese and chocolate fondue, braised beef cheek served with roasted sunchokes, brie and pear soup, and festive cocktails like spiked eggnog and the “Espress-ski” martini. With seating available for 2 to 8 guests, the Swiss Chalet experience is available nightly beginning at 5 p.m. through Dec. 31. Fairmont Century Plaza has also collaborated with lifestyle and fashion platform Who What Wear to offer festive fun throughout December including weekend movie nights, cookie-making, challah-baking, and more.

Fort Lauderdale Beach has been transformed into a hub of holiday activities for the third annual Wonderland. The seven-week experience features a holiday market, strolling characters, live music, dance performances, visits with Santa, holiday movies, and more. Plus, the Rink at Las Olas Oceanside Park (known as The LOOP), a 4,000-square-foot eco-friendly, synthetic ice rink, brings the thrill of ice-skating seaside.

The Westin Nashville’s French Alps-inspired après-ski pop-up, Chalet 27, features faux fur and Alpine accents and offers seasonally inspired fondue and cocktails.

On Dec. 13, Walker Hotel Greenwich Village will be hosting the family-friendly Night on the Nice List event, an evening offering photos with Santa, warm holiday beverages, and light bites. The event will be held in partnership with the Child Center of NY. Guests will also be able to donate to the Child Center NYC giving tree.

On the flip side, on Dec. 14, Walker Hotel Tribeca will be hosting Night on the Naughty List, a holiday happy hour with seasonal cocktails such as the White Cranberry Margarita and Walker Spritz and bites from on-site restaurant Mostrador. Attendees will also get a chance to take grown-up photos with Santa (played by Broadway actor Timothy Hughes).

Toronto’s Christmas-themed pop-up cocktail bar Miracle has returned for the 2023 holiday season. From the team behind Civil Liberties, Miracle features kitschy holiday decor and festive cocktails and is open through Dec. 30. Covered in all things Christmas—tinsel, twinkle lights, gift wrapping, candy canes, Santas, Christmas trees, and more—the bar offers a wide selection of festive cocktails including the Jingle Balls Nog, Christmapolitan, Snowball Old Fashioned, and Hot Buttered Rum. New to the menu this year, the Marshmallows & Unicorns is made with gin, vanilla liqueur, velvet falernum, cherry liqueur, cardamon, black pepper, marshmallow, lemon, egg white, tiki bitters, and soda.

In October, Cher celebrated her new gelato line called Cherlato and her latest holiday album titled Christmas at Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica. Guests were treated to the gelato via a food truck while snow fell around them. MagicSnow provided snow effects, while Rheefined Company handled event production.

Furniture retailer Ashley recently teamed up with a cappella group Pentatonix and experiential agency CNC to create an immersive holiday-themed listening room experience at The Grove in Los Angeles. Aiming to connect consumers with current trends, the activation—which ran in November—allowed fans to listen to Pentatonix’s new Christmas album while lounging in holiday settings filled with Ashley furniture pieces.

“Houses” shaped like the Ashley logo took on different themes, including “The Yule Pod,” “The Modern Christmas,” and “The White Holiday.” Branded giveaways included tote bags and Pentatonix CDs; there were also photo ops and a DIY hot cocoa bar. Guests could shop the Ashley furniture items by scanning QR codes; they could also enter to win two Pentatonix tickets and a $1,000 Ashley gift card.

To celebrate the limited-edition release of the new espresso martini fragrance, Absolut and Kahlúa hosted a three-day pop-up in Hudson Yards in November to kick off the holiday shopping season. Guests had the chance to purchase the fragrance called Blend No. 83 and sip on espresso martinis.

The first-ever Cookiefest hosted by Brooklyn-based bakery The Good Batch took place Dec. 2 at Market 57. The event featured dessert-themed holiday activities such as cookie decorating, and proceeds from ticket sales went toward the Food Bank For New York City.

Dubbed "Prancer's Pub," Hyatt Lodge Oak Brook’s first-ever holiday-themed pop-up bar is open nightly from 5 to 10 until Jan. 2. The pop-up features festive decorations, specially crafted holiday cocktails like the Mistletoe Margarita (pictured), and a cozy atmosphere.

At Chef Art Smith’s Reunion, located at Chicago’s Navy Pier, guests can enjoy a comforting three-course prix fixe menu featuring a range of Southern classics including shrimp and grits, fried chicken, and hummingbird cake. The prix fixe menu is available for $30 per adult and $15 per child. It's open every weekend. Friday through Sunday, through Dec. 23.