The Best Things to Do in December in Butte County

Skate Under the Stars at Chico’s Ice Rink

A per­fect addi­tion to any hol­i­day get­away, Chico’s Ice Rink in the Plaza is a must-vis­it des­ti­na­tion in December.

Spend the day shop­ping and din­ing in Down­town Chico, then glide under the stars for a per­fect­ly fes­tive evening.

Butte Coun­ty is a year-round hik­ing des­ti­na­tion. Despite the chill­i­er tem­per­a­tures and pos­si­bil­i­ty of rain, win­ter reveals a dra­mat­ic side of the region.

North Table Moun­tain Eco­log­i­cal Reserve

For breath­tak­ing water­falls and few oth­ers around, head to the North Table Moun­tain Eco­log­i­cal Reserve in December.

Rain trans­forms this land­scape, bring­ing sea­son­al flows to life. Head out after a storm to spot Phan­tom Falls along­side up to 14 hid­den sea­son­al water­falls across the reserve.

• Take it from us: The rain that brings the falls to life also makes much of the reserve extreme­ly mud­dy, so make sure to wear footwear that can hold up to wet and mud­dy conditions.

Upper Bid­well Park

In Upper Bid­well Park, usu­al­ly dor­mant water­falls come to life after heavy rain as rain­wa­ter flows through the Love­joy basalt, cre­at­ing tem­po­rary cascades.

And on dry days, Upper Bid­well Park is great for win­ter hik­ing. Favorites like the Yahi Trail, North Rim Trail, South Rim Trail, and Mon­key Face offer phe­nom­e­nal views across miles of trails.

Watch Win­ter Wildlife Along the Pacif­ic Flyway

Win­ter marks peak bird­ing sea­son in the North State as mil­lions of migra­to­ry birds trav­el the Pacif­ic Fly­way, mak­ing Butte Coun­ty a pre­mier stopover.

• Gray Lodge Wildlife Area (Gri­d­ley): Grab your binoc­u­lars and walk the wet­land trails to spot win­ter­ing water­fowl at this top bird­ing spot. Bun­dle up and bring your binoc­u­lars for a chilly yet reward­ing expe­ri­ence spot­ting migra­to­ry birds dur­ing their annu­al flight through Butte County.
• Llano Seco Unit (Chico): Walk the easy half-mile trail to two ele­vat­ed obser­va­tion plat­forms over­look­ing peace­ful feed­ing grounds.
• More Local Bird­ing Spots: Explore easy-to-access trails at Chico Seed Orchard, Low­er Bid­well Park, and the Oroville Wildlife Area.

Head to High­er Ele­va­tions for Snow Day Fun

Dri­ve less than an hour uphill from the val­ley floor to reach snow-cov­ered high coun­try. Butte Mead­ows and Jonesville trans­form into win­ter play­grounds per­fect for snow­shoe­ing, sled­ding, snow­mo­bil­ing, or cut­ting your own Christ­mas tree.

Bun­dle up and dri­ve up to the moun­tains for an easy day of snow, with plen­ty of time to return to town for din­ner, hol­i­day shop­ping, and evening events.

No Decem­ber vis­it is com­plete with­out sea­son­al fes­tiv­i­ties. Butte Coun­ty offers a robust sched­ule of events — be sure to expe­ri­ence one of our local com­mu­ni­ty cel­e­bra­tions to dis­cov­er what makes the hol­i­days so spe­cial here.

Below are a few of our favorites; get all the details using our guide to hol­i­day events in Butte County.

Local Com­mu­ni­ty Celebrations

Gri­d­ley

Expe­ri­ence small-town hol­i­day charm at Gri­d­ley’s Win­ter Won­der­land Fes­ti­val, which fea­tures local ven­dors, a tree light­ing, and the high­ly antic­i­pat­ed Parade of Lights.

• Date: Wednes­day, Decem­ber 2, 2026

Par­adise

Cel­e­brate sea­son­al spir­it in Par­adise with an all-day hol­i­day craft fair, the Tiny Voic­es choir, Santa’s arrival, the tree light­ing, and the pop­u­lar Light­ed Truck Parade.

• Date: Sat­ur­day, Decem­ber 5, 2026

Big­gs

Small-town cheer takes cen­ter stage in Big­gs for their annu­al Tree Light­ing Cer­e­mo­ny and Christ­mas Mar­ket, com­plete with a fes­tive street mar­ket and self­ies with Santa.

• Date: Sun­day, Decem­ber 6, 2026

Chico

Down­town Chico Com­mu­ni­ty Tree Light­ing: Gath­er down­town for live music, per­for­mances, shop­ping, and Santa’s arrival.

• Date: Fri­day, Decem­ber 4, 2026

Stans­bury Home Vic­to­ri­an Christ­mas: Tour this his­toric 19^th-cen­tu­ry home filled with hol­i­day décor, live car­ol­ers, and hot treats.

• Dates: Decem­ber 4 – 6, 2026

Oroville

Down­town Oroville Tree Light­ing: Enjoy horse-drawn car­riage rides, face paint­ing, pho­tos with San­ta, and local shopping.

• Date: Fri­day, Decem­ber 4, 2026

Oroville Parade of Lights & Craft Fair: Watch bright­ly dec­o­rat­ed floats cruise the his­toric streets of Down­town Oroville.

• Date: Sat­ur­day, Decem­ber 12, 2026

Sea­son­al The­ater and Screenings

• A Very Die Hard Christmas at the Blue Room The­atre: A comedic, row­dy spin on the 80s clas­sic Christ­mas action movie. Check the the­ater web­site for tick­ets and showtimes.
  • Loca­tion: Blue Room The­atre, 1005 W 1^st St, Chico
  • Dates: Fri­days, Sat­ur­days, and Sun­days from Decem­ber 3 – 19, 2026
• Hol­i­day Movies at Oroville State The­ater: $5 mat­inée screen­ings in a clas­sic 1920s theater.
  • Loca­tion: Oroville State The­ater, 1489 Myers St, Oroville
  • Dates:
    • Sun., Dec. 6 at Noon: It’s a Won­der­ful Life
    • Sun. Dec. 13 at Noon: Elf
    • Fri. Dec. 18 at 6pm: A spe­cial show­ing of The Polar Express, with kids can wear paja­mas and enjoy hot cocoa.
• The Nut­crack­er: The clas­sic Christ­mas bal­let per­formed live by the North­ern Cal­i­for­nia Ballet.
  • Loca­tion: Par­adise Per­form­ing Arts Cen­ter, 777 Nun­neley Rd, Paradise
  • Dates: Decem­ber 18 – 20, 2026

Sea­son­al Sips at Butte Coun­ty Cof­fee Shops

Whether you are crav­ing the per­fect local­ly made pep­per­mint mocha, some­thing sea­son­al but unique, or just need a cozy spot for a break, a Butte Coun­ty cof­fee shop is the answer.

Par­adise

Cozy up on a couch at Lofi Café with a pep­per­mint mocha or their fan favorite but­ter­scotch lat­te after a day explor­ing The Ridge.

Oroville

Mug Shots Cof­fee House always fea­tures a wide range of sea­son­al cof­fee fla­vors and sweet treats inside their cozy, brick-lined café, while the near­by Union Cof­fee Club serves more non-tra­di­tion­al and tea-for­ward sea­son­al flavors.

Chico

In Down­town Chico, Sto­ble offers rooftop views along with sea­son­al fla­vors, like its pop­u­lar maple pecan and hot choco­late. And tea fans have to stop at the Chico Chai House for a cup of its sig­na­ture chai or sea­son­al Hol­i­day Cocoa Mint tea blend.

Veg­ans will appre­ci­ate Ten­der Lov­ing Cof­fee​’s cru­el­ty-free menu, while the Creek­side Café and Mer­can­tile is per­fect for those seek­ing a clas­sic neigh­bor­hood feel.

Hearty & Com­fort­ing Win­ter Din­ing Options

While we love adven­tur­ing out­side no mat­ter the weath­er, some­times the day calls for stay­ing in and keep­ing warm. When the weath­er out­side is fright­ful, a warm plate is that much more delightful.

Here are a few deli­cious options in Butte Coun­ty for a hearty dish that will warm you from the inside out:

• South­east Asian & Thai: Enjoy hot noo­dle soups and rich cur­ries at Coco­dine Thai Cui­sine (Chico), Phở Noo­dle House (Oroville), or Authen­tic Thai Cui­sine of Par­adise (Par­adise).
• Indi­an & Pak­istani: Try fla­vor­ful dish­es at Priya’s Indi­an Cui­sine (Chico) or com­fort dish­es hand­made by Sofi her­self at Sofi’z Kitchen and Bar (Chico).
• British Pub Fare: Pair stout ales with bangers and mash or savory pasties inside the cozy atmos­phere at The Allies Pub (Chico).
• Mex­i­can Clas­sics: Warm up at Casa Lupe Mex­i­can Restau­rant (Gri­d­ley) with house-made tor­tillas, tamales, and hot fajitas.

Butte County’s blend of nat­ur­al beau­ty, fes­tive com­mu­ni­ty events, and unique local din­ing cre­ates the per­fect, cozy back­drop for your hol­i­day season.

So pack your lay­ers, grab your mit­tens, and let the warmth of our local tra­di­tions turn the chilly days of Decem­ber into your favorite win­ter getaway.