Holiday tradition with lantern-lit streets, Heritage Carolers, a live nativity, Father Christmas, a train and wagon ride and pioneer Christmas crafts.
Candlelight Christmas returns to This Is The Place Heritage Park from December 11 to 21, 2026, running Monday through Saturday from 5 PM to 9 PM. It's one of Salt Lake City's oldest holiday traditions, set in the park's Heritage Village, where the streets are lit by lanterns and the whole thing is built around the historic pioneer village. The idea is to step back more than a century and see what Christmas felt like back then.
The evening unfolds along those lantern-lit streets, with Heritage Carolers walking through the village. There's a live nativity reenactment in the barn, a chance to meet Father Christmas, and a train and wagon ride that takes you around the village. You can also step inside the historic pioneer homes for hands-on holiday crafts, warm firesides, and demonstrations of how Christmas was celebrated in the 1800s. And if you're looking for something to eat, Brigham's Donuts is there with treats.
It's the kind of event that works for different speeds. You can spend the whole evening wandering from house to house, or just pick a few things—the carols, the nativity, the wagon ride—and call it a night. The Heritage Village is the heart of it, so most of the activities are clustered there.
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This Is The Place Heritage Park is at 2601 E Sunnyside Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84108. Candlelight Christmas runs December 11 through 21, Monday through Saturday, from 5 PM to 9 PM.
