Downtown Dayton Partnership

Holly Jolly Social: A Christmas Bar Pop-Up
2025-11-07 | Two Social, 123 E. Third St., Dayton, OH, 45402
A festive Christmas pop-up where holiday cocktails, sparkling decor, and cozy seasonal vibes transform the space into a winter wonderland. 2socialdayton.com
Nov. 7-Jan. 15

Virginia Kettering’s Holiday Train Display
2025-11-28 | Stratacache Tower, 40 N. Main St., Dayton, OH, 45423
November 28-January 1
Stratacache Tower lobby at the corner of Second & Main sts.
View in building lobby Mon-Sat, or through windows anytime.

View this one-of-a-kind model train display given to the community by Mrs. Virginia Kettering. (Use Second St. building entrance.) Free. 224-1518.

Rike’s Holiday Windows
2025-11-28 | The Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, 1 West Second Street, Dayton, OH, 45402
November 28-January 4
Schuster Center Wintergarden, Second & Main sts.;
Hours of operation vary – for the most up-to-date info, visit daytonlive.org/rikes.
Closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day

Experience a reimagining of the Rike’s department store holiday window displays that once stood at this busy downtown corner. Free. (Not accessible during private events. Call 228-7591 to confirm hours.) Presented by Dayton Live

The CoSHOP Holiday Shopping
2025-11-19 | The Contemporary Dayton, 25 W. Fourth St., Dayton, OH, 45402, United States
The Contemporary Dayton’s CoSHOP gets a holiday refresh of new handmade ornaments, cards, decor, and all sorts of giftables from a selection of local artists and artisans.

Downtown Dayton Holiday Hop
2025-11-29 | Downtown Dayton
Downtown Dayton’s small businesses need our help now, more than ever! This holiday season, while you’re celebrating and shopping small and local, you can Play, Shop, & Dine your way to some easy money to spend on yourself!
How to Play
1. Visit three of the 40+ participating businesses between November 29 and December 22, 2025.
(See participating businesses here: https://downtowndayton.org/hop/)
2. Collect three different stamps by making a purchase – one for each category of Play, Shop, and Dine – to complete the Hop.
3. After collecting three stamps, turn in your completed card to one of the drop-off locations to get $25 in Downtown Dollars*.
(See drop-off locations below)
Drop-off Locations
Base Camp Outdoors – 420 E. First St.
Downtown Dayton Partnership Office – 10 N. Ludlow St., Suite 901
Heart Mercantile – 601 E. Fifth St.
Omega Music – 318 E. Fifth St.
Rabbit Hole Books – 29 W. First St.
RiverScape MetroPark – 237 E. Monument Ave.

*While supplies last. Purchase required to get stamps. Must provide an email address to receive Downtown Dollars. $25 prize will be emailed after Dec. 12 or Dec. 29, 2025. Limit one entry per person. Limit one stamp per business. Submit by December 22, 2025.

Ice Skating
2025-11-28 | RiverScape MetroPark, 237 E Monument Ave, Dayton, OH, 45402, United States
Sheltered under the covered pavilion, the MetroParks Ice Rink sets the scene as a perfect winter wonderland in downtown Dayton. While the rink is open, you can enjoy delicious treats from the concession area, including a cup of hot chocolate. Take advantage of fun skating activities, such as lessons, themed skating nights and more. Visit metroparks.org/ice-rink to learn more, find daily open hours, and see a schedule of events. Admission: $7 daily, ice skate rental: $3 daily. Season passes available. Ages 3 and under are free with a paying adult. 278-2607.

RTA Historic Christmas Trolley
2025-11-29 | Downtown Dayton
Before nestling the children all snug in their beds, check out the Greater Dayton RTA’s Historic Christmas Trolley – #559! The 1948 Marmon-Herrington TC-48, famous for its simulated fireplace and plush seat for Santa, is back this holiday season for special events featuring photos with the trolley and Santa and a chance to ride through downtown on this piece of Dayton history. Schedule of events at www.iriderta.org.

Winter Gift Gallery (Local Artist Nook)
2025-12-01 | K12 Gallery & TEJAS, 341 S. Jefferson St., Dayton, OH, 45402
Artists will showcase paintings, ceramics, blown glass, prints, and jewelry for sale. Mon.-Thurs. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

RTA Holiday Bus
2025-12-01 | Downtown Dayton
Santa is coming to town aboard the Greater Dayton RTA’s holiday bus! This year’s holiday bus will run along Dayton routes through Dec. 31 with holiday music, free candy canes, and appearances by the big man himself – Santa! For the holiday bus route and schedule information, visit iriderta.org.

Members’ Spotlight: Lori Daugherty: Bold Whispers
2025-12-04 | The Contemporary Dayton, 25 W. Fourth St., Dayton, OH, 45402, United States
December 3 – 27, 2025 Opening Reception: December 3, 6 – 8 pm Closing Reception: December 27, 2025, 4 – 6 pm Lori Daugherty: Bold Whispers brings together a series of intimate encaustic works in which color, wax, and heat converge to form small but potent moments of energy. In each piece, Dayton-based artist Lori Daugherty coaxes organic bursts of form and pigment into being—gestures that feel alive, expanding, and quietly insistent. These works reward slow looking: what first appears delicate reveals surprising force, and what seems restrained carries a pulse of movement just beneath the surface. Working with encaustic wax and inks, Daugherty builds her compositions through layered translucency, texture, and the dynamic unpredictability of a torch and flame. The resulting surfaces hover between control and spontaneity, abstraction and suggestion. Together, the paintings in Bold Whispers invite viewers to linger in the space where subtlety becomes powerful and small moments open into larger stories. All artworks in this exhibition are available for purchase. Please visit the reception desk or speak to a staff member to purchase. Proceeds support both the artist and The Contemporary Dayton’s mission to connect artists and audiences through accessible, engaging contemporary art experiences.

Holiday Greenery Crafting
2025-11-06 11:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Now and Zen DIY Studio, 121 E. Third St., Dayton, OH, 45402
Stop in for a jolly good time with whimsical holiday plant projects, including terrarium snowmen, air plant ornaments, and more!

Back To The Future: The Musical
2025-12-02 19:30 (America/New_York) | The Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, 1 West Second Street, Dayton, OH, 45402
Great Scott!
Back To The Future, the beloved, cinematic classic is now a Broadway musical with its destination set for Dayton this December.
Winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, four WhatsOnStage Awards (including Best New Musical), and the Broadway World Award for Best New Musical, BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL is adapted for the stage by the iconic film’s creators Bob Gale (Back To The Future trilogy) and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) and directed by the Tony Award® winner John Rando with original music by multi-Grammy® winners Alan Silvestri (Avengers: Endgame) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror”), alongside hit songs from the movie including “The Power Of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel,” and “Back In Time.”
When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past, and send himself… back to the future. When BACK TO THE FUTURE hits 88 mph, it’ll change musical theatre history forever.

Open Studio Sessions
2025-12-04 17:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | The Contemporary Dayton, 25 W. Fourth St., Dayton, OH, 45402, United States
Come join us for a fun night of creativity at Open Studio Night! FREE for Members, $10 at the door for non-Members Open Studio Night Get creative in a relaxed, welcome space–no experience necessary! We’ll provide materials, or feel free to bring your own. Whether you’re an experienced artist or just looking to unwind and try something new, this night is all about making, experimenting, and connecting with others through art.

Community Workshop – Flourish and Flow: An Oil Painting Journey
2025-04-10 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | The Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH, 45405, United States
Our artist-led workshops are designed to make community connections between our guests, local artists, and The Dayton Art Institute through conversation and artmaking. Flourish and Flow: An Oil Painting Journey Date: Thursdays, April 10, 17 and 24, and May 1 and 8 – 5:30–7:30 p.m Cost: $100 for museum members; $125 for non-members Ages: 18+ In this multi-session workshop series, local artist Jamaal Durr leads participants through an exploration of the fundamentals of oil painting. Sessions will focus on layering, blending, and texture while developing skills through the creation of personalized artwork featuring birth flowers. Jamaal Durr, a Contemporary Artist, is recognized for his figurative works that intimately blend reality and the surreal. Using materials like oil paint, charcoal, and graphite, he explores themes of identity and self-reflection through his timely narratives. Jamaal has expanded his capacity within the realm of Art, having also gained experience as a Curator, Teacher, and Muralist. Jamaal is primarily self-taught, having only received a couple of years of formal training at Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton, OH and a brief stint studying architecture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.

Crochet 101: Star Ornament
2025-12-04 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Dayton Metro Library – Main Library, 215 E. Third Street, Dayton, OH, 45402
For adults and teens: Learn a few basic crochet stitches to create and ornament or gift wrap embellishment. Instructions will be given for both five or six pointed stars.

Deck the Diamond
2025-11-14 18:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Day Air Ballpark, 220 North Patterson Blvd., Dayton, OH, 45402
Step into a winter wonderland at Day Air Ballpark, where the magic of the season shines bright! Experience the enchantment of over 1.1 million dazzling lights and enjoy a festive lineup of holiday activities perfect for the whole family. Make unforgettable memories together at this one-of-a-kind holiday celebration. Enjoy festive displays, a themed light show, live performances and entertainment, family fun, holiday shopping, delicious treats, photos with Santa, ornament decorating, rides on the North Pole Express, fire pits and s’mores, carnival games, photo opportunities, letters to Santa, the grand tree, and so much more! For tickets and more information, visit dragonsdeckthediamond.com.

Guided Tours
2025-12-04 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | The Contemporary Dayton, 25 W. Fourth St., Dayton, OH, 45402, United States
Join us for an inside look at the exhibition, with fresh insights into the artist and her work. Led by Heather Jones, Curator and Director of Programs and Engagement. FREE and open to all.

Karaoke
2025-11-20 18:30 - 21:30, 2025-05-15 18:30 - 21:30, 2025-01-23 18:30 - 21:30, 2025-02-13 18:30 - 21:30, 2025-03-20 18:30 - 21:30, 2025-09-25 18:30 - 21:30, 2025-06-26 18:30 - 21:30, 2025-02-06 18:30 - 21:30 (America/Detroit) and 3 more dates | OH
Join us for Karaoke Thursdays at The Dayton Beer Company, hosted by Limelight Entertainment from 6:30 p.m.-9:30p.m. Cheers!
