Downtown Dayton Partnership

Holly Jolly Social: A Christmas Bar Pop-Up
2025-12-06 | 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
2025-12-06 | 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
2025-12-06 | 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

Whimsical Windows & Elf Hunt
2025-12-06 | Downtown Dayton
Dec. 5-29
Select businesses throughout downtown
This annual contest shows off the creativity of downtown Dayton’s collection of small businesses as they decorate their storefront windows for the holidays in their own unique ways. Enjoy shopping, dining, and exploring downtown Dayton in this fun and festive atmosphere! Vote for your favorite window display online at DaytonDailyNews.com starting Dec. 5. YOU can be the winner in the Elf Hunt contest! Simply find elves hidden among holiday decorations in first-floor storefront windows and text a photo of it to 937-304-4041. Each photo taken of a different elf counts as one entry toward a weekly drawing for $100 in Downtown Dollars! Free.
Sponsored by Dayton Daily News
Whimsical Windows Locations:
Art + Soul Maison, 135 E. Main St. – Blind Bob’s, 430 E. Fifth St. – Clash Dayton, 521 E. Fifth St. – CrossFit Dayton, 150 S. Patterson Blvd. – The Dayton Arcade, 23 & 25 S. Main St. – Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, 8 N. Main St. Ste. 100 – The Dublin Pub, 300 Wayne Avenue – Golden Hour Piercing, 411 E. Fifth St. – Joui Wine, 117 E. Third St. – League of Women Voters, 127 N. Ludlow St. – Lisse Beauty Bar, 21 W. First St. – Rabbit Hole Books, 29 W. First St. – Reduce & Reuse Refillery, 133 E. Fourth St. – Secret Beauty Hats & Boutique, 131 N. Ludlow St. #129 – Space Three, 39 S. St. Clair St. – Val’s Bakery, 25 S. St. Clair St. – Wild Whiskers, 33 S. St. Clair St.
Elf Hunt Locations:
Art + Soul Maison, 135 E. Main St. – Blind Bob’s, 430 E. Fifth St. – Chairapy, 605 E. Fifth St. – Clash Dayton, 521 E. Fifth St. – CrossFit Dayton, 150 S. Patterson Rd. – The Dayton Arcade, 23 & 25 S. Main St. – Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, 8 N. Main St. Ste. 100 – Dayton Church Supply, Inc., 136 E. Third St. – Dayton Live, PNC Arts Annex, 46 W. Second St. – The Dublin Pub, 300 Wayne Avenue – Edward A. Dixon Gallery, 222 N. St. Clair St. – Golden Hour Piercing, 411 E. Fifth St. – Hotel Ardent Dayton Downtown + Bistecca, 137 N. Main St. – Joui Wine, 117 E. Third St. – Lucho, 37 W. Fourth St. – Rabbit Hole Books, 29 W. First St. – Reduce & Reuse Refillery, 133 E. Fourth St. – Secret Beauty Hats & Boutique, 131 N. Ludlow St. #129 – Space Three, 39 S. St. Clair St. – Table 33, 45 W. Fourth St. – Tony & Pete’s, 19 E. Third St. – Val’s Bakery, 25 S. St. – Clair St. – Wild Whiskers, 33 S. St. Clair St. – Winans Coffee & Chocolate, 221 N. Patterson Blvd.

The CoSHOP Holiday Shopping
2025-12-06 | 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
2025-12-06 | 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
2025-12-06 | 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
2025-12-06 | 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)
2025-12-06 | 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
2025-12-06 | 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
2025-12-06 | 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.

Family Movie Series
2025-12-06 11:00 (America/New_York) | THE NEON, United States
December 6, 13, & 20; 11 a.m.
THE NEON, 130 E. Fifth St.
Bring the family to THE NEON for fun, festive films. Free admission for kids 12 and under, $2 for adults.
Sponsored by Dayton Children’s and THE NEON
Scheduled Films:
December 6 – The Polar Express (with a pajama party!)
December 13 – Jingle All the Way
December 20 – A Year without Santa Claus

Titles subject to change – call theater for confirmation.

Saturday Art Workshops
2025-12-06 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | K12 Gallery & TEJAS, 341 S. Jefferson St., Dayton, OH, 45402
Saturday Art Workshops for Kindergarten-12th Grade and Adults. Each month explore a different art medium (Clay, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Mosaics, Drawing, Photography, in a different theme/artistic style (K-12th grade). For Adults classes in Mosaics, Stained Glass, and Glassblowing. Saturday Classes run from September 2025-May 2026. 11:00am-1:00pm. Call for Costs.

Front Street Art Hop
2025-12-06 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Detroit) | Front Street Galleries, 1001 E. Second St., Dayton, OH, 45402
Art, Music, Food, Community: First Friday Art Hop at Front Street. We are so excited to announce that we have a NEW ART HOP SCHEDULE!! Join us every First Friday & the Saturday after for our monthly art hops. FRIDAY, 5PM – 9PM Explore art studios, shops, and galleries across campus! Live demonstrations, gallery openings, and new work on display by more than 150 artists! Meet our artists, learn about their work, or sign up to take a class! Don’t just see art, live it! Kool Beanz Cafe is open! Order at the tent and step inside to warm up while your made-to-order treat is prepared! SATURDAY, 11AM – 4PM Saturday after is your chance to visit what you couldn’t fit in on Friday! Of course, Kool Beanz Cafe will have things fired up and ready to make your lunch fresh.
