Holidays On The Hill 2019: What You Need To Know

CHESTNUT HILL, PHILADELPHIA — Holidays on the Hill is returning to Chestnut Hill for another holiday season this year.

From Friday, Nov. 22 through Tuesday, Dec. 31., various locations in Chestnut Hill will offer unique experiences for the holidays.

With tree lighting ceremonies, horse-drawn carriage rides across cobblestone streets, holiday house tours, art exhibits, a model train display, and late-night shopping hours, Holidays on the Hill seek to instill the holiday spirit in everyone.

See the full schedule of events and activities below:

• Nov. 23, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. — Meet Saint Nick at Woodmere Art Museum and celebrate the beginning of the holiday season with live music from the Norwood Fontbonne Note-ables and a live Mummers performance. Chestnut Hill Hospital will be on hand collecting new, unwrapped toys that will be donated to children in need. Enjoy hot chocolate and cookies and visit two new holiday exhibitions. Jeanette Turnbull will "deck the halls" at Woodmere with a new exhibit called Merry and Bright II. Make sure to visit a sculpture of Belsnickel, a Christmas figure from German folklore, on loan from the Germantown Historical Society. Additionally, prepare to be dazzled by Golden Slippers: Images of the Mummers from Woodmere’s Collection, on display until Jan. 5.
• Nov. 30 — Check off everything on your list and support local businesses on the Hill during Small Business Saturday. Check stores for hours.
• Dec. 4, Dec. 11, and Dec. 18 — During Chestnut Hill’s oldest tradition, Stag & Doe Nights, visitors and locals can stroll along Germantown Avenue, meet and greet Santa, ride in a horse-drawn carriage (Dec. 11 and Dec. 18), shop boutique shops during extended hours, and enjoy the sounds of carolers and a brass quartet. Festively decorated shops stay open late, welcoming visitors with hot cocoa, wine tastings, and seasonal treats on Wednesday nights.
• Dec. 6, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. — Shop, dine, and unwind during First Friday on the Hill, which include extended hours at participating boutique shops.
• Dec. 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Get inspiration for holiday décor as you visit the interiors of five historic homes decked out for the season during the Chestnut Hill Holiday House Tour. This cherished tradition, now in its 26th year, highlights the area’s rich architecture and invites attendees to take advantage of discounts at restaurants and shops. To celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the birth of Grace Patricia Kelly of Philadelphia, the Chestnut Hill Community Association will display memorabilia at Chestnut Hill College. Buy your tickets to the Chestnut Hill Holiday House Tour online here.
• December (Saturday and Sundays) — Pay a visit to Old St. Nick during Weekends with Santa. In December, visit Santa every Saturday at Market at the Fareway (8221 Germantown Ave.), or you can meet him on Sundays at his headquarters at Laurel Hill Gardens (8125 Germantown Ave.).
• Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Dec. 15, Dec. 20, Dec. 21, Dec. 22, Dec. 27, Dec. 28, Dec. 29; 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. — When you’re at the Morris Arboretum (100 E. Northwestern Ave.) for Holiday Garden Railway Nights, you can watch model trains chug along a quarter-mile track, admire the miniature village adorned with thousands of lights in the winter garden, and bask in the evening glow of the decorated arboretum.
• Dec. 14, 9 a.m. — Join thousands of participants and spectators at the Chestnut Hill Community Holiday Parade. Marching Bands, floats, antique cars, school groups, and the most anticipated guest of all (Santa) bring holiday fun down Germantown Avenue for families to enjoy. The parade starts at Germantown and Rex avenues (8700 Germantown Ave.) and leads to the Market at the Fareway for treats and more live music (8221 Germantown Ave.).

During the holiday season, Chestnut Hill’s six public parking lots offer free parking on Wednesday evenings after 6 p.m. and on weekends.

Those planning on using SEPTA can board at Jefferson, Suburban or 30th Street stations and hop on the Chestnut Hill East or Chestnut Hill West trains. The last stops on either line will bring you to Chestnut Hill. For the Chestnut Hill East make a left turn out of the station and walk two blocks up Bethlehem Pike to Germantown Avenue. For the Chestnut Hill West line, walk up the steps or the ramp directly onto Germantown Avenue.