Nativity Events in the United States, 2026–27

Confirmed

The 2026 dates are posted on the organizer’s own website.

Every year

The date follows a fixed rule, like December 16 to 24 for Las Posadas or Christmas Eve, so it doesn’t change from year to year.

Usual

The event comes back every year, but the 2026 dates weren’t posted yet when we checked. We give the last dates we could confirm.

Reported

We only found it in a reliable outside source, such as local news or the Friends of the Creche directory, not on a page from the organizer.

Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes ConfirmedRadio City Music Hall, 1260 Avenue of the Americas, New York

November 4, 2026, to January 4, 2027. The show has long ended with “The Living Nativity,” with live camels, donkeys and sheep on stage. Tickets on the official site.

Friends of the Creche national conference ConfirmedHotel Valencia on the River Walk, San Antonio, Texas

November 6 to 8, 2026, on the theme “Follow the Star,” with an exhibit of Texas nativities, visits to artisan nativities at Historic Market Square and an evening at San Fernando Cathedral. Registration closed on October 1; the Saturday talks can be followed on Zoom. The next conference is October 26 to 28, 2027, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Conference page.

Christmas City Stroll ConfirmedHistoric Bethlehem, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

November 13, 2026, to January 3, 2027, at 1, 3 and 6 p.m. A guided walk through the Moravian Christmas traditions of the town, including the community putz. $20 for adults, $12 for children; some dates were already sold out when we checked. Tickets.

Mepkin Abbey Crèche Festival Confirmed1098 Mepkin Abbey Road, Moncks Corner, South Carolina

November 16 to 21 and November 27 to December 5, 2026, timed entry from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Trappist monks set out their nativity collection indoors and out. Registration is required and opened October 1. Registration page.

“It Takes a Village: Christmas in Community” ConfirmedMarian Library, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, Ohio

November 16, 2026, to January 15, 2027. Large village-style nativity sets from the largest nativity collection in the country. Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on December 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20. Closed November 26–27, December 8 and December 24 to January 1. Exhibit page.

National Christmas Center opens for the season ConfirmedStone Gables Estate, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania

From November 20, 2026. A Christmas museum with more than a thousand nativity sets from around the world. $25 for adults, $15 for ages 5 to 17. Official site.

Christmas Festival of Lights and International Crèche Museum ConfirmedNational Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, Attleboro, Massachusetts

November 21, 2026, to January 3, 2027. About 2,000 nativity scenes from more than 100 countries, open daily 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and more than a million lights outside from 5 to 9 p.m. Free. The shrine’s page.

Central Moravian Church Community Putz Usual40 W. Church St., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Usually opens on Black Friday (November 27 in 2026) and runs through December 31: a putz with scenes that light up one after another, with narration and music. Last year it opened November 28. Putz page.

The Pittsburgh Crèche UsualU.S. Steel Tower plaza, Grant Street, Pittsburgh

Unveiled each year around Pittsburgh’s Light Up Night in late November, then open around the clock until January 6. A large outdoor replica of the nativity in St. Peter’s Square. The diocese’s article.

First Sunday of Advent Every yearNovember 29, 2026

The day many churches set up their nativity scene with the manger still empty; at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, the Baby Jesus is placed only at Midnight Mass. At home, it’s the traditional day to set up the scenery. See when to put up the nativity.

Journey to Bethlehem ConfirmedFaith Community Chapel, 345 Faith Chapel Road, Thomasville, North Carolina

December 2 to 6, 2026, 6 to 9:30 p.m. A drive-through living nativity, in its 11th year; you can also go by hayride. Free. Official site.

Bethlehem Walk ConfirmedSalem Baptist Church, 465 Broad Street Road, Manakin-Sabot, Virginia

December 2 to 6, 2026: 6 to 9 p.m. on December 2–4, 4 to 9 p.m. on the 5th, 3 to 8 p.m. on the 6th. An outdoor walk through Bethlehem, with Roman soldiers, a marketplace and the stable. Free. Official site.

Moravian Candle Tea ConfirmedSingle Brothers’ House, 600 S. Main St., Old Salem, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

December 3 to 5 and 10 to 12, 2026. Candle-making, carols, coffee and sugar cake, and the Old Salem putz with its large carved nativity figures, a tradition since 1929. $9, $5 for ages 3 to 12. Official page.

Streets of Bethlehem ConfirmedFirst Baptist Church, 1130 San Vicente Ave., Salinas, California

December 3 to 6, 2026, 6 to 8 p.m. A walk-through Bethlehem held since 1992, with more than two hundred volunteers and live animals. Free. Official site.

Drive-Thru Live Nativity ConfirmedSt. Paul Catholic Church, 410 Wallace St., Combined Locks, Wisconsin

December 4 and 5, 2026, 6 to 8 p.m. A parish drive-through with village scenes, live animals and the choir. The parish’s page.

Bethlehem Revisited ConfirmedCentral Presbyterian Church, Waxahachie, Texas

December 4 to 6 and 11 to 13, 2026, 6 to 9 p.m. A re-created Bethlehem with camels, merchants and a nightly procession of the Wise Men, held since 1997. Free. Local tourism listing.

The Community Nativity Celebration Confirmed4000 Nazarene Drive, Carrollton, Texas

December 4 to 7, 2026: Friday noon to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 9 p.m., Monday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. More than seven hundred nativity sets. Free. Official site.

Bellevue Festival of the Nativity Confirmed15205 SE 28th St., Bellevue, Washington

December 5 to 13, 2026, 1 to 9 p.m., according to the organizer’s ticket page. Hundreds of crèches from around the world, music and activities for children. Free. Official site.

The Living Nativity ConfirmedFellowship Community Church, 1520 Hainesport Road, Mount Laurel, New Jersey

December 5, 6, 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20, 2026, 5 to 8 p.m. Thirteen outdoor scenes with live actors, about a 45-minute walk, with cookies and cocoa at the end. Free, no tickets. Official site.

Wake Forest Moravian Lovefeast ConfirmedWait Chapel, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Sunday, December 6, 2026, at 7 p.m. (doors at 6). A Moravian lovefeast with sweet buns, coffee and beeswax candles, open to all. Free, first come, first seated; also livestreamed. Official page.

Bethlehem ConfirmedSanta Clara First Baptist Church, 3111 Benton St., Santa Clara, California

December 10 to 14, 2026, 6:30 to 9 p.m. A re-created biblical town with hundreds of costumed actors and live animals; the Christmas story is acted out every half hour. Free. Official page.

ChristmasFest ConfirmedSalem College, 430 Leaders Ave., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Saturday, December 12, 2026, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A Moravian Advent and Christmas festival with music and a holiday market, run by the Moravian Music Foundation. Free. Official page.

Annual Nativity Display ConfirmedTau Center, 335 S. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, Missouri

December 12 and 13, 2026, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nearly two hundred nativity sets shown by the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Instead of a ticket, bring household goods for a local charity. The sisters’ events page.

Festival of Nativities ConfirmedSt. Joseph Retreat & Conference Center, 1440 W. Division Road, Tipton, Indiana

December 12 and 13, 2026, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than three hundred nativity sets. Free. Official page.

Las Posadas on Olvera Street Every yearEl Pueblo de Los Angeles, 125 Paseo de la Plaza, Los Angeles

December 16 to 24, every evening. A candlelight procession re-enacting Mary and Joseph’s search for an inn, with songs in Spanish and English, held since the 1930s. Free. Olvera Street’s page.

Lititz Moravian Christmas Vigils ConfirmedLititz Moravian Church, 8 Church Square, Lititz, Pennsylvania

Saturday, December 19 (5 and 7:30 p.m.), Sunday, December 20 (5 p.m.) and Christmas Eve (5 and 7:30 p.m.). Candlelight services in the Moravian tradition. Free, but tickets are required; requests open December 7. The church’s page.

Blessing of the Bambinelli Every yearBasilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.

Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 20, 2026, after the 4:30 p.m. Mass (the time last confirmed in 2025). Bring the Baby Jesus from your nativity at home to be blessed, as families do in Rome. About the tradition.

Christmas Eve at Central Moravian Church Every year73 W. Church St., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

A children’s lovefeast in the afternoon and candlelight vigils in the evening (in 2025: 1 p.m., then 5:30 and 8 p.m.). Free, but tickets are required and are requested by mail. The church’s page.

Farolitos and luminarias in New Mexico Every yearCanyon Road, Santa Fe, and Old Town Plaza, Albuquerque

On Christmas Eve, paper-bag lanterns line the streets, a custom tied to Las Posadas and to lighting the way to Midnight Mass. In Santa Fe, people walk Canyon Road among farolitos and small bonfires; in Albuquerque, the walk centers on Old Town Plaza. Santa Fe · Albuquerque.

Midnight Mass, and the Baby Jesus in the manger Every year

In parishes across the country, the Baby Jesus is placed in the manger during the Christmas Mass during the Night, often carried in procession by a child. At home, it’s the moment the youngest lays the Child in the manger. See praying before the nativity.

Epiphany Every yearSunday, January 3, 2027, in the United States

The Wise Men reach the stable. It’s also the last day of the Christmas City Stroll in Bethlehem and of the Festival of Lights at La Salette.

Last chances

The Radio City show ends January 4, the Pittsburgh Crèche usually comes down after January 6, and the Dayton exhibit closes January 15. Many families keep their own nativity up until the Baptism of the Lord, January 10, or until Candlemas, February 2.

These events come back every year, but hadn’t posted their 2026 dates when we checked. In parentheses: the last dates we could confirm. We’ll update the list as dates come in.

Museum and church exhibits

• The Met’s Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Crèche, New York: late November to January 6 (November 25, 2025, to January 6, 2026). The Met.
• Nativity scenes exhibit, Washington National Cathedral: late November to mid-January (November 24, 2025, to January 18, 2026). The cathedral.
• Nativities of the World, Franciscan Monastery, Washington, D.C.: early December to mid-January (December 1, 2024, to January 12, 2025). Free. The monastery.
• Festival of Lights, Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center, Kensington, Maryland: early December to January 1 (December 4, 2025, to January 1, 2026). More than a hundred crèches. Official page.
• Mesa Temple Christmas Lights and nativities, Mesa, Arizona: Thanksgiving weekend to December 30 (November 28 to December 30, 2025). Official page.
• Nativities at the O’Reilly House Museum, St. Augustine, Florida: mid-November to mid-January. The museum.
• The Spirit of Christmas, McGivney Pilgrimage Center, New Haven, Connecticut (November 8, 2025, to February 1, 2026). The center.
• El Nacimiento, Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, Texas (December 11, 2025, to January 4, 2026). The museum.
• Christmas Putz, Moravian Historical Society, Nazareth, Pennsylvania (November 29, 2025, to January 4, 2026), daily 1 to 4 p.m. Official page.
• Lititz Moravian Putz, Lititz, Pennsylvania: Saturdays in December, noon to 3 p.m., and evenings between Christmas and New Year’s. The church.
• International Crèche Exhibit, St. Alphonsus, New Orleans: the week after Thanksgiving (November 30 to December 7, 2025). Reported.
• The Govan Crèche Collection, Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago: December, Wednesday to Saturday (December 3 to 23, 2025). Reported. LUMA.

Festivals of nativity sets

• Bartlesville Festival of the Nativity, Oklahoma: first weekend of December (December 5 to 7, 2025). Official site.
• Midland Nativity Exhibit, Michigan: first weekend of December (December 5 to 7, 2025). Official site.
• NativitySEEN, Grand Rapids, Michigan (December 5 to 7, 2025). Official site.
• A World of Nativities, Santa Rosa, California: first weekend of December (December 5 to 7, 2025). Official site.
• Christmas Crèche Exhibit, Palo Alto, California: early December (December 6 to 10, 2025). Official site.
• Festival of Nativities, Lawrence, Kansas: three December weekends (December 6–7, 13–14 and 20–21, 2025). The church.
• Light of the World Christmas Experience, Colorado Springs: a few days in early December. Official site.
• Festival of Nativity, Minot, North Dakota (December 5 and 6, 2025). Official site.
• Crestwood Festival of Nativities, Kentucky: first weekend of December (December 5 and 6, 2025). Reported.
• McMinnville Nativity Festival, Tennessee: mid-December weekend (December 12 to 14, 2025). Reported.

Living nativities

• Live Nativity at Tuacahn, Ivins, Utah: Thanksgiving weekend to December 23, Monday to Saturday. Official page.
• Living Nativity at Glittering Lights, Las Vegas: select nights in November and December. Official page.
• The Living Nativity, Searcy, Arkansas: two weekends in early December (December 5–7, 10 and 12–14, 2025).
• Live Nativity drive-through, Grace Fellowship Church, Titusville, Pennsylvania: first weekend of December (December 5 and 6, 2025). The church.
• Bethlehem Walk, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Gainesville, Virginia: just before Christmas (December 19 and 20, 2024). The parish.
• Living Nativity, Twin Falls, Idaho (December 11 to 13, 2025). Reported.

Las Posadas

• Las Posadas on the Plaza, Santa Fe: an early-December Sunday evening (December 7, 2025). Official page.
• Las Posadas in Old Town San Diego: a mid-December Saturday, with a live nativity (December 13, 2025). California State Parks.
• Las Posadas Candlelight Walk, Sutter Creek, California: an early-December Saturday (December 6, 2025). Official page.

Organizing a nativity festival, an exhibit or a living nativity? Send us the dates and your poster and we’ll add it.