Holiday Happenings at the Capitol

Turkey in James Penney Vestibule mural

The Capitol will be open for public tours Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The Capitol will be closed Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after. The Capitol will be open for regularly scheduled public tours on Saturday and Sunday following Thanksgiving. Then in December the Official State Christmas Tree will arrive and be lit in a special ceremony on Sunday December 8th at 2:00 p.m. with prelude music beginning at 1:30 p.m. December 17 will be Tuba Tuesday in the Capitol with local tuba musicians playing traditional holiday carols at Noon in the 2nd floor rotunda. On Wednesday December 18 at noon the University of Nebraska School of Music will sponsor Holiday Horns. The rotunda will be filled with the sound of holiday music played by the Husker Horns Choir.

The Official State Christmas Tree, featuring ornaments representing the spirit of Nebraska and its citizens may be seen in the 2nd floor rotunda until Christmas. The Capitol will be closed to the public on Wednesday December 25, Christmas Day. The State’s Tree will be taken down soon after. Please call the Capitol Tour Office at (402)471-0448 for more information about tours and special holiday activities.

  • Tower Window Work

    By Roxanne Smith • June 22, 2026

    Contractors will be visibly working on the exterior of the Capitol's central tower through Thanksgiving. The tower work will include caulking the bronze ribbon windows, and the removal and repair…

  • Memorial Day Meaning

    By Roxanne Smith • May 21, 2026

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  • Dangerous Wind

    By Roxanne Smith • March 12, 2026

    Windy conditions during the spring season may require some of the doors to the Capitol to be closed for visitor's safety. We will keep the entrances open unless gusty winds…