The City of Fort Mitchell's 2026 Christmas flyer lists eight events, and five of them take place in other cities. One is in Crescent Springs, one in Covington, one in Florence, and two across the river in Cincinnati. The city doesn't put on those events. It arranges free or discounted access to them for residents and labels each one a Fort Mitchell Night, Day, or Morning.
So the season works more like a membership program than a festival. For the two most popular perks, your first step comes well before December. You make a trip to the City Building at 2355 Dixie Highway on a weekday during business hours, with your ID in hand.
Five Of The Eight Flyer Events Happen Somewhere Else
Here are the events away from home, with what each one asks of a resident according to the city's flyer and event pages.
| Event | Date and time | Venue | What residents need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Mitchell Night, ice skating | Wed., Nov. 25, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Northern Kentucky Ice Center, 2638 Anderson Road, Crescent Springs | Free admission with proof of ID |
| Fort Mitchell Night, A Christmas Carol | Sat., Dec. 12, 7 p.m. | Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mt. Adams Circle | Discounted tickets bought ahead at the City Building, 4-ticket limit |
| Fort Mitchell Night, PNC Festival of Lights | Sat., Dec. 19, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Cincinnati Zoo, 3400 Vine Street | Discounted tickets bought ahead at the City Building, 5-ticket limit |
| Fort Mitchell Day, Holly Jolly Days | Sun., Dec. 20, 1 to 5 p.m. | Behringer-Crawford Museum, 1600 Montague Road, Covington | Free admission with proof of ID |
| Fort Mitchell Morning, The Polar Express | Mon., Dec. 21, 10 a.m. | Cinemark Florence 14 | Discounted tickets, per the flyer |
The ice rink and the museum are walk-up perks, where you show ID and go in. The Playhouse and the Zoo are buy-ahead perks, and those are the two with an errand attached. The flyer lists the Florence movie morning as discounted, and the city can confirm how those tickets are sold.
The Counter At 2355 Dixie Highway Is Where The Season Starts
According to the city's Festival of Lights page, the city is offering "a limited number of discounted tickets to its residents at the city building," sold Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Residents show ID at purchase to verify residency, and the page sets a five-ticket limit. Children 2 and under don't need a ticket.
The Zoo tickets don't lock you into one night. Each ticket covers one admission any day from November 19, 2026, through January 3, 2027. December 19 is the designated Fort Mitchell Night, but a family that can't make that Saturday can still use the discount on another evening.
The Playhouse offer runs the same way, with tighter terms. The city's A Christmas Carol page lists a limited number of discounted resident tickets, sold at the City Building during the same weekday hours. "ID is required to verify residency at the time of purchase (4 ticket limit)." The tickets are for one performance, Saturday, December 12, at 7 p.m.
Neither page gives a dollar amount for the discount or a last day to buy. Both describe the supply as limited. That means the date that matters is the day you get to Dixie Highway while the counter is open, not December 12 or December 19. Anyone who works standard weekday hours will need to plan a lunch break or a morning stop for it.
Questions about either offer go to Joe Christofield, the city's Programs and Communications Coordinator. You can reach him at [email protected] or 859.331.1212.
The walk-up perks take less planning, but they still have their own windows. At the Behringer-Crawford Museum, Holly Jolly Days runs much longer than Fort Mitchell's single afternoon. The museum's calendar lists the season from November 14, 2026, to January 10, 2027. On Sunday, December 20, Fort Mitchell residents get in free with proof of ID. The city's page lists Holiday Toy Trains, Irving Berlin's White Christmas Exhibit, and Polar Express Reading & Crafts from 2 to 3 p.m. that afternoon. If you have young readers, plan your arrival around that hour. The next morning, Monday, December 21, the flyer lists a discounted 10 a.m. Fort Mitchell Morning showing of The Polar Express at Cinemark Florence 14.
The skating night at the Northern Kentucky Ice Center is the first designated Fort Mitchell event on the flyer. It falls on Wednesday, November 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the night before Thanksgiving. Admission is free with proof of ID.
What Stays In Town Is Built Around Streets And Neighbors
The three flyer events held inside the city share something the away events don't. Every one of them involves local institutions or local blocks.
Fa-La-La in the Fort is the city's tree lighting. It runs Sunday, December 6, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Iris Road Park, off Fort Mitchell Avenue on Iris Road. The event page lists these activities:
- Buddy the Elf from Cincinnati Circus
- Carols from the Beechwood Choir
- Carriage rides from Tall Tails
- Hot chocolate from Greyhound Tavern
- Photos with Santa
- Cookies, candy canes, face painting, and coloring books
- Ornament decorating and reindeer food
- A TANK bus on site
- The lighting of the tree
Most of that list comes from close by. The choir is from Beechwood, the hot chocolate is from a Dixie Highway restaurant, and the bus belongs to Northern Kentucky's own transit agency.
St. Nick's Bingo is for Fort Mitchell seniors. It runs Tuesday, December 8, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber at the City Building, with snacks, refreshments, and prizes listed.
The 12 Houses of Christmas lights contest is the one event that takes place on residents' own streets, and its rules surprise people who expect an entry form. Nobody signs up. The contest page asks residents to have their lights on the weekend of December 11 to 13, 2026. A city committee then drives around Fort Mitchell and picks 12 houses. The city announces the winners the week of December 14 on its social media, its website, and its e-newsletter.
Every winning house gets a gift card to a Fort Mitchell business or restaurant. That keeps the prize money in town. The skating, theater, zoo, museum, and movie perks send residents out to regional venues, while the lights contest sends its winners back to local businesses.
Since the committee drives the route instead of accepting nominations, a house with its display dark on any of those three evenings could be missed.
Before The Christmas Flyer, A Morning On Beechwood Road
The first event of the season isn't on the Christmas flyer. The Veterans Day Parade is set for Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. It runs along Beechwood Road from Beechwood Swim Club to Beechwood Schools.
The parade page invites veterans to meet at Beechwood Swim Club, 247 Beechwood Road, at 9 a.m. Police escort the veterans in their cars up Beechwood Road, and Beechwood students and staff greet them along the way. Like the tree lighting, this event depends on people who live and study in town, not on a venue across the river.
It's also a weekday morning, which makes it a natural first stop for anyone combining errands. The City Building sits on Dixie Highway, a short drive from the parade route, and it's open until 4:30 that afternoon for the Zoo and Playhouse ticket sales.
The Season In Order
- Any weekday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Buy discounted Zoo and Playhouse tickets at the City Building, 2355 Dixie Highway, with ID. Supplies are limited.
- Wed., Nov. 11, 9:30 a.m.: Veterans Day Parade on Beechwood Road.
- Thu., Nov. 19: Zoo tickets become valid for one admission, good through Jan. 3, 2027.
- Wed., Nov. 25, 5:30 p.m.: Fort Mitchell Night at the Northern Kentucky Ice Center.
- Sun., Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m.: Fa-La-La in the Fort at Iris Road Park.
- Tue., Dec. 8, 2 p.m.: St. Nick's Bingo for seniors at the City Building.
- Fri. to Sun., Dec. 11 to 13, evenings: Keep lights on for the 12 Houses of Christmas judging.
- Sat., Dec. 12, 7 p.m.: A Christmas Carol at Playhouse in the Park.
- Sat., Dec. 19: Fort Mitchell Night at the Cincinnati Zoo's PNC Festival of Lights.
- Sun., Dec. 20, 1 p.m.: Fort Mitchell Day at Behringer-Crawford Museum, with Polar Express reading at 2 p.m.
- Mon., Dec. 21, 10 a.m.: Fort Mitchell Morning, The Polar Express at Cinemark Florence 14.
If you're weighing a move to a Northern Kentucky town where a weekday stop at the City Building opens up the whole December calendar, Rebecca Weber is glad to talk through how civic traditions like these differ from one town to the next. Let's Connect.
