The holiday pop-up bar that sold out within hours atop the Terminal Tower last year is coming back, and this time organizers are giving Clevelanders a lot more chances to snag a seat. Destination Cleveland and K&D Group are bringing back Illuminate CLE Holiday Sip & See to the Terminal Tower Observation Deck, 42 floors above downtown, for a second year running Thursday through Sunday from Dec. 3 through Dec. 20.
Tickets go on sale Monday, Nov. 9, at 10 a.m. for $20 per person, according to Cleveland.com. Destination Cleveland describes the event as its “2nd annual holiday experience” in partnership with K&D Group, per the event listing on thisiscleveland.com.
This year's schedule includes 60 ticketed sessions spread across three December weekends, Cleveland.com's report notes. Last year's event also ran across three weekends, and many fans were shut out when tickets vanished within hours of going live.
What Guests Can Expect This Year
Each night will feature five 45-minute sessions starting at 6 p.m., with additional slots at 6:45 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. Every session can accommodate up to 35 guests, according to the same outlet's reporting, transforming the observation deck into what organizers call a winter wonderland for the night.
From 668 feet up, guests get a bird's-eye view of Illuminate CLE's synchronized lights-and-music show along with the holiday lights on Public Square below, per thisiscleveland.com. A cozy pop-up bar will serve hot chocolate alongside seasonal alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for purchase, though anyone ordering alcohol must be 21 or older. Each ticket also includes a custom, Cleveland-branded holiday keepsake as a souvenir of the visit.
Illuminate CLE's Expanding Footprint Downtown
Illuminate CLE itself, Destination Cleveland's synchronized lights-and-music show, first debuted on Public Square in April 2025. A special holiday version of the show is set to debut later this month at WinterLand, featuring seasonal lighting and music on Public Square every 30 minutes, per Cleveland.com's reporting. Separately, the 2026 Illuminate CLE production, titled “Welcome Home,” is scheduled to run nightly on the hour from dusk until 11 p.m. on Public Square, according to Downtown Cleveland's Public Square page.
Last year's event, which ran on eight nights only, Dec. 4-6, Dec. 11-13 and Dec. 18-19, sold out so quickly that Destination Cleveland told Cleveland.com at the time it had no plans to add extra dates or times. A separate 2025 report from News 5 Cleveland described groups of 20 touring the 42nd-floor deck for 45 minutes at a time, a smaller setup than this year's 35-guest sessions. This year's 60-session rollout gives holiday revelers a shot at the view before tickets disappear again.
