Christmas, Hanukkah Events In Germantown: Parade, Tree Lightings

GERMANTOWN, MD — There is no shortage of things to do in the Germantown area to get the winter holiday season off to a rollicking good start.

Christmas and Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, intersect this year, with Hanukkah running Dec. 18-26. Christmas, of course, is on Dec. 25, but you don’t have to wait to start taking in all the sights and sounds of the holidays.

Tree and menorah lightings near Germantown include:

• Jingle Jubilee and Tree Lighting: Celebrate diverse holiday traditions at Gaithersburg’s evening of music, dance and song on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. Festivities take place at the Concert Pavilion in Olde Towne. Admission is free.
• Festival of Lights hosted by Washington D.C. Latter-day Saint Temple, Visitors Center, 9900 Stoneybrook Drive, Kensington, MD: Thursday, Dec. 1, 4:30 p.m.
• Garden of Lights, Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallen Ave., Wheaton-Glenmond: Open through Jan. 1, 2023. Closed Dec. 24-25.
• Kensington Christmas Tree Lighting, Kensington Town Office, 3710 Mitchell St, Kensington: Sunday, Dec. 4, 12:30 p.m.
• Kensington’s Annual Menorah Lighting, Kensington Town Office, 3710 Mitchell St, Kensington: Sunday, Dec. 18, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Grand Menorah Lighting at Bethesda Row: Sunday, Dec. 18, 6:30 p.m.
• National Menorah Lighting, Ellipse, just across from the White House, Washington, D.C.: Sunday, Dec. 18, 3:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

Holiday lighting displays are another holiday favorite. Some to catch near Germantown are:

• The City of Gaithersburg‘s Winter Lights Festival is open nightly at Seneca Creek State Park through Dec. 31. The festival will be closed on Dec. 25. The 3.5-mile drive takes you past more than 450 illuminated displays and lit trees. Tune in to 97.1 WASH FM for holiday music.
• Zoo Lights at National Zoo, Washington, DC: Friday, Nov. 25 to Dec. 30.
• Enchant Christmas, Washington, DC: Friday, Nov. 25 to Jan. 1.

Other upcoming holiday events in and around Germantown include:

• First Annual Jingle Jubilee at Chevy Chase Lake, 8525 Chevy Chase Lake Terrace, Chevy Chase: Wednesday, Nov. 30, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Bethesda Winter Wonderland, Norfolk Avenue Streetery, corner of Norfolk and St. Elmo Avenues, Bethesda: Saturday, Dec. 3, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Holiday Barket, Cabin John Regional Park, 7400 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda: Saturday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m
• Trek Rockville Holiday Lights Ride, Rockville: Wednesday, Dec. 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m.