Nation’s tallest indoor Christmas tree shines bright as centerpiece of center’s holiday activations
Galleria Dallas has been one of the top holiday destinations for shoppers across North Texas and around the world for more than four decades. From the iconic 95-foot-tall Christmas tree to Missile Toes, the ice-skating, back-flipping Santa who shoots fireworks from his skates, the holiday celebration at Galleria Dallas is recognized as one of the grandest nationwide.
The holiday season at Galleria Dallas kicks off Nov. 2 with the installation of America’s tallest indoor Christmas tree, which features LED lighting by Twinkly that allows for brilliant, animated and immersive light s
hows on the tree. The tree has 850 branches – each the size of a small Christmas tree – plus more than 15,000 ball ornaments, 24 super-size starburst ornaments with Twinkly lighting, 215,000 points of light and a 100-pound, 10-foot-tall LED star. The tree will be complete on the evening of Nov. 5.
Festivities continue throughout the season with live entertainment and numerous other holiday events, Nov. 14-Jan. 5.
Santa arrives at Galleria Dallas on Friday, Nov. 14, and will welcome guests in Santaland on Level I near Banana Republic with Texas’ most immersive holiday tradition. Galleria Dallas is proud to offer the area’s most technologically advanced Santa experience, where families board a magical train, seeing the sights as they move from Dallas to the North Pole, and thanks to Santaland’s special wish list technology, Santa knows what kids want under the tree on Christmas morning. There will be designated times for Santa experiences for those with pets, families with children with special needs, and even a Spanish-speaking Santa. Budget-minded guests will find discounted tickets on Mondays and Tuesdays. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made online now at snowdaydallas.com.
After visiting Santaland, guests will want to continue on to SNOWDAY, the acclaimed immersive exhibit that changes every holiday season and has become a tradition for DFW families. Guests will explore the secret town where Santa’s elves live, an immense space with Hollywood-grade sets and styling creating some of the elves’ favorite places, along with state-of-the-art, touch-free photo technology. SNOWDAY even integrates AI image processing into a photo op, which allows for surreal holiday photos of guests. Additional features include an upgraded m
ultimedia show including lights, sounds and videos, culminating with “real” snowfall; a Christmas kaleidoscope photo op; and, of course, fan-favorite rooms like the Christmas lights maze and others have been reimagined for 2025. Guests also can purchase snacks at Santa’s helpers’ favorite watering hole, The Tipsy Elf. Even if you’ve been to SNOWDAY before, you’ll want to come again to capture all its magical, Instagrammable moments.
For thousands of shoppers, a trip to Galleria Dallas to enjoy the abundance of sales and promotions offered on Black Friday (Nov. 28) starts the holiday season in good cheer. This year, there are even more reasons to choose Galleria Dallas, with the hotly anticipated Netflix House opening on Dec. 11, and Alo, Portland Leather Goods and Tailored Restaurant at the Westin Galleria Dallas all opening by year’s end.
The holiday festivities kick off at noon on Black Friday with the impressive Grand Tree Lighting Celebration, which features a spectacular free ice-skating show with nationally rec
ognized figure skaters who will be announced soon. Stay for the fireworks finale as the tree is lit by Missile Toes, Galleria’s famed ice-skating Santa. The lighting celebration will be hosted again Saturday, Nov. 29 at noon and Saturday, Dec. 6 at noon.
Galleria Dallas will celebrate the first night of Hanukkah on Dec. 14, with a Menorah Lighting led by Rabbi Andrew Paley from Temple Shalom and a performance by Kol Shalom, Temple Shalom’s youth choir. Sufganiyots will be served to attendees. Remaining candles will be lit nightly at sundown.
During the holiday season, Galleria Dallas shines with holiday décor top to bottom throughout each level. For those guests wishing to stay and make a weekend out of it, the adjoining Westin Galleria Dallas hotel is conveniently located and accessible to Galleria Dallas. Guests have access to holiday shopping and dining at more than 200 retailers including several exclusive, specialty boutiques and stores such as Apple, Bachendorf’s Jewelers, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, lululemon, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Tiffany & Co and Zara. Enjoy all the season has to offer, including Galleria Dallas’ extended holiday hours, while checking off the gift-giving list!
This holiday season, more than 60 local groups will perform wintry favorites throughout the center at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays from Dec. 1-19. Please see the full schedule and more information on holiday events starting in mid-September at GalleriaDallas.com.
