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'Tis the season for bars that transform into winter wonderlands, Santa's Playground, and more.
To step into a winter wonderland, you may only need to go as far as your local bar. These unexpected venues are full of over-the-top décor and festive drinks packed with holiday flavors and spices—many with fun names in perfect pitch with the season. This list is a mix of pop-up bars that emerge in November and shut down by early January, as well as year-round bars that know how to sport festive flair.
Pack your Santa hat and your Ugly Christmas Sweater, and make sure your smartphone is charged—you’re going to want to take a gazillion photos.
Santa Baby
WHERE: Chicago
Stolen Saddle’s pop-up holiday bar (opening Nov. 21) celebrates its seventh year in 2025, combining multiple bar concepts at one address, including an open-air rooftop space and heated indoor patio. Twinkling holiday lights, decorated Christmas trees, candy-cane-striped tabletops, and ornaments repurposed into suspended pendants strike a festive tone. Each ticket ($18+) includes a 90-minute reservation and two drinks, which are far from classic cocktails available year-round. Order “cookie shots” (vodka, Bailey’s, or spiked peppermint poured in an edible cookie cup), a peppermint espresso martini, or an Elf Fashioned (a twist on Old Fashioned blending in cinnamon-rosemary syrup).
Craftsman Row Saloon
WHERE: Philadelphia
This Jewelers Row’ bar adorns itself in all things red, green, and sparkly, as part of its annual holiday pop-up concept, “Miracle on 8th Street.” It’s so over-the-top that Good Morning America featured it. Imagine huge, gift-wrapped boxes, tinsel, a toy train zipping above the bar, and a row of Nutcracker dolls, too. In addition to drinks, including the Peppermint-tini and a bottled milkshake with a cookie on top, there’s the locally famous Christmas Dinner Burger, a patty topped with cranberry sauce, stuffing, and sweet-potato fries.
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Frosty's Christmas Bar
WHERE: New York City
Tucked into New York City’s Times Square, as well as in four other cities across the U.S. (Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and Austin, Texas), Frosty’s Christmas Bar embraces holiday vibes through live music, festive cocktails adorned with candy-cane-striped straws, decorated Christmas trees, glittery lights, photo-taking opportunities and more. The bar claims there are “millions of lights” (both vertical and horizontal) and that’s not a stretch—the place is literally glowing, including a canopy of twinkling lights to help set the mood.
Christmas Bar
WHERE: Honolulu
Even in a state where snow never falls, Hawaii’s largest city says “Mele Kalikimaka” (“Merry Christmas” in Hawaiian) at this Waikiki Beach bar, which is within Tiki’s Grill & Bar inside Twin Fin Hotel. Classic Hawaiian appetizers like coconut shrimp and tropical cocktails such as Mai Tais remain on the menu, bumping up against cheese, fruit, and charcuterie platters, drinks sporting red and green accents, and holiday-themed flavors. Hanging out beneath the ceiling at Christmas Bar is akin to being inside a Christmas tree; you’re surrounded by ornaments, tinsel, and lights.
Blitzen's
WHERE: Pittsburgh
Located at the Omni William Penn Hotel, inside Mellon Square Coffee, Blitzen’s is only open during the holiday season, hence its name. Tinsel-wrapped walls and layers of sparkly lights make this hotel bar even more glam in December. In 2024, the cocktails were crafted by famed New York City mixologist Julie Reiner, a judge on the Netflix show “Drink Masters” and co-owner of Clover Club in Brooklyn. Drink adornments include an edible miniature candy cane tucked into a tiny stocking.
Santa's Lair
WHERE: San Diego
San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter has long been a bar crawl locale, but during the holidays, when the ticketed Santa’s Lair pops up, it’s even more popular. This is also a very cozy place to sip a drink; ceramic mugs serve as cocktail vessels, filled with nostalgia-tinged hot-chocolate drinks. A large decorated Christmas tree, hung stockings, miniature Santa suits strung on a clothesline, and twinkly lights overhead are other decorative accents. Some tickets include a keepsake glass.
Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour
WHERE: Phoenix
For a new twist on a tiki bar, this downtown watering hole (in the historic Beaux-Arts Luhrs Building, also home to Moxy Phoenix Downtown) truly delivers when it transforms into “Sippin’ Santa.” Lights are strung around poles and dangle from the ceiling, for starters. While the place consistently ranks as having the best cocktails in Phoenix, the winter holidays give mixologists another opportunity to flex their creative muscles—without abandoning Tiki culture. For example, the “Sugar Plum Mai Tai” adds cinnamon syrup to a tropical-themed classic, and “Hot Buttered Grog” celebrates island spices, honey-butter batter, and rums from Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
The Mermaid
WHERE: Los Angeles
Not only does this Little Tokyo bar lean into Christmas, it also adopts a unique theme each year. In 2026, that theme is “The Siren Who Stole Xmas,” which is as wacky as ever, pairing festive holiday tones with a haunting underwater oasis. Some cocktails are presented in red ceramic Santa boots, and the names of these limited-time drinks are unique: “Slay Bells” and “Xmas Stole the Spot,” to name two.
Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa and Casino
WHERE: Henderson, Nevada
Dubbed “Winter at the Terrace,” this resort near the Strip in Vegas puts a chill spin on its holiday-themed bar by bringing a winter wonderland to its desert setting. You can cozy up inside a decked-out igloo featuring holiday décor and twinkly lights, sipping on drinks with fun names like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”—folding in coconut milk and designed for two to share—paired with a fondue pot or s’mores made with Dubai chocolate.
Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar
WHERE: Miami Beach
You’d have to have been living under a rock for decades not to know Mariah Carey’s beloved festive song “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” It’s the sole inspiration for this kitschy pop-up bar at Ray’s Hometown Bar Miami, inside Freehand Miami Beach (Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York City all have their own versions). Décor is, obviously, inspired by Christmas, but also by Carey, including staged holiday photo ops with cardboard cutouts of the singer. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is played often, naturally, and many cocktails feature Black Irish, Carey’s Irish crème liquor brand. You can even write a letter to—not Santa—but Carey.