Holidays at National Harbor, Maryland, Kick Off Nov. 7

National Harbor begins holiday festivities Nov. 7 with the debut of Cirque Italia, through Nov. 17. The show takes family travelers back to the 1950s with magic, acrobats, aerialists and comedy, all under a giant white-and-blue tent on a unique water stage.

The favorite National Harbor Christmas Market and Holiday Craft Show series makes its return Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 29 to Dec. 21. Each week, travelers and locals can look forward to different crafts and goods, such as children’s clothing, upscale jewelry, dog accessories, candles, home décor, maple products, pillows, table runners, dinnerware, silk scarves, rugs, glasswork, crystals, metal art, woodwork, stationary, leather products, artwork and more. There will also be plenty of kids’ crafts to keep young travelers entertained.

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Witness the 60-foot RGB tree that comes to life with a sparkling light show paired with a holiday medley performed by the U.S. Air Force Band. Beginning Nov. 8, catch the show every half hour from sunset until 9 p.m. (Saturday shows even feature a special firework event at 5:30 p.m.)

Meet Santa every Friday and Saturday from Nov. 29 to Dec. 21 at The Capital Wheel. From noon to 2 p.m., children can get their photo with Santa and tell him what they want for Christmas. Afterwards, get the best views of the destination on the 180-foot wheel in the climate-controlled gondolas.

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Stay at Gaylord National for even more holiday fun. The hotel’s holiday spectacular of ICE! offers larger-than-life sculptures, frozen slides and fun tunnels. The holiday season’s Christmas at Gaylord includes ice sculptures, light shows, treasure hunts, Snow Flow Mountain ice slide, snowball fights, Cirque: Spirit of Christmas, Gingerbread decorating and more.

National Harbor is also the perfect location for holiday shopping with more than 140 shops including Tanger National Harbor’s 85 brands such as Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Hugo Boss, Movado, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Coach and H&M.

There is additional shopping in the Waterfront District, with walkable streets with unique shops and boutiques such as MahoganyBooks, ZAAF, It’Sugar and Corinto Gallery.