Top Free Holiday Events In Philadelphia

The winter season is descending, and with it the reminder of the lack of ability or desire to be outdoors. Fortunately, the holiday season is full of many great traditions, and there is much a person can do in Philly to get into the holiday spirit without spending much, if any, money. Many places are decorated and full of activities to delight your senses this holiday season. Here are the top five holiday events that are free in the Philly area for 2015.

Christmas Village In Philadelphia
Love Park (JFK Plaza)
1500 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102
www.philachristmas.com

Love Park at JFK Plaza transforms every year into a German Christmas village of over 60 crafters and vendors. This fully decorated park will be sure to make you feel as if you have whisked yourself away to Germany because of the lights and holiday scents. You can enjoy traditional German foods such as bratwurst, Bavarian nuts (frosted nuts) and Gluehwein (mulled wine). Christmas Village will be available from Nov. 21 through Dec. 27, 2015 daily from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. and is open an extra hour on Friday and Saturday. There are special themes throughout the week, an opportunity to meet Santa and various weekend events such as German Weekend and charity events.

Macys Holiday Light Show & Dickens Village
1300 Market St.
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 241-9000
www.wanamakerorgan.com

Macys over on Market Street has been into the holiday spirit since the very beginning (the first Santa appeared here back in the 1840s) and has some of the best decorations in the city. In Philadelphia, this tradition of a transformed store has been offered to shoppers and visitors for almost 60 years. The Grand Court will begin the light show on Nov. 28 this year and run through Dec. 31. You can catch the 11-minute show every hour from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. More than 100,000 lights make up the musical light show. Also on the third floor is the animated Dickens Village with over 6,000 square feet of more than 100 animatronics displaying 26 of the most memorable scenes of "A Christmas Carol."

Franklin Square Winter Fest
6th & Race Sts.
Philadelphia, PA.
(215) 629-4026
www.historicphiladelphia.org

Franklin Square is one of the city's five main squares and is a haven for fun and frolic all year long. The winter holidays are no exception, and Franklin Square will be full of holiday fun from Nov. 12 through New Year's Eve from 10 a.m. -8 p.m. daily (except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day). An outdoor lighted spectacular of 50,000 holiday lights and themed music from the Philly POPS is the main attraction. The lights surround a 10-foot kite that is lit by Ben Franklin and begins at 4:30 p.m. The seven-minute show will restart at the half-hour, concluding at 8 p.m., and two different versions are shown at each show. Don't be too worried about being cold — warming stations will be available and Franklin Square also has two restaurants.

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Comcast Holiday Spectacular
Comcast experience wall
1701 JFK Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA
www.themarketandshopsatcomcastcenter.com

If you are shopping or doing other holiday events in the city, one of the places to stop by is the Comcast experience wall which converts to a Holiday Spectacular from Thanksgiving until New Years. This 15-minute show plays at the top of each hour from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. in the lobby of the Comcast building. The tradition began in 2008 and has the resolution of five times that of HDTV on an LED screen that is 83.4 feet wide and 25.4 feet tall, making it even more magical. The visuals include scenes from the "Nutcracker" and the Philly countryside as a virtual sleigh ride paired up with the music of a 64-piece orchestra.

Gingerbread House Competition & Display At Peddlers Village
Routes 202 & 263
Lahaska Bucks County, PA.18931
www.peddlersvillage.com

Peddler's Village will be ready for the holidays as early as Nov. 20 with the beginning of the Gingerbread House Competition and Display event. Competitors will design their ideal Gingerbread house version in a few different categories (traditional, authentic replication of a significant building and student/kids).They will also have a Christmas Festival on Dec. 5 and 6, both days at 1:30 p.m. the Santa Parade will begin in the Courtyard. The over 70 shops and more than eight restaurants will keep to a themed environment of wreaths and greenery in the Victorian Style tradition. Admission and parking are always free.

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Christina Dagnelli is a freelance writer in Philadelphia and the author of Little Squares with Colors: A Different way to look at autism. Her work on examiner can be found here Examiner.com.