Lancaster City's 2026 Holiday Calendar Runs on Three Addresses
November 12, 2026
November 12, 2026
The night after Thanksgiving, the tree at Penn Square gets lit between 5 and 8 p.m. The same evening, Central Market reopens its doors for a second shift, and the light show at Penn Medicine Park starts its five-week run. Those three things happening on Friday, November 27 show how the whole 2026 season is laid out. Downtown Lancaster's holiday calendar runs out of three places, and each one has its own job. Penn Square handles the single evenings when the city gathers. Ewell Plaza handles the December weekends. The ballpark on North Prince Street handles the long stretch of nights through New Year's Eve.
If you know which address does what, you can plan the season without checking a calendar every few days.
The Mayor's Tree Lighting is the city's official start to the season. It runs Friday, November 27, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Penn Square, with live entertainment, a visit from Santa, food trucks and vendors.
That evening is also the only evening shopping session on Lancaster Central Market's holiday schedule. The Market is at 23 N. Market St. Its Black Friday hours are 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by a second opening from 5 to 8 p.m. during the tree lighting. If you've only shopped the Market in the early-morning rush, this is the night to walk the aisles after dark.
Penn Square comes back into use the following week. The Jewish Community Alliance of Lancaster leads menorah lightings there from December 4 through December 11, 2026. They start at 5:30 p.m. on most nights and at 4 p.m. on Fridays. The square sees eight evenings in a row of short public ceremonies, which is more than any other spot downtown gets on the calendar.
A few steps from the square, Ewell Plaza takes over once December starts. Last year it had a different role. In 2025, the city opened its inaugural Outdoor Winter Market there, running daily from November 28 through December 21, noon to 7 p.m. It was organized with K Marketing Co and sponsored by Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, as the Central Penn Business Journal reported.
The 2026 city guide schedules the plaza around specific days. December's First Friday, on December 4 from 5 to 8 p.m., brings an artisan vendor market with handmade gifts, hot chocolate and Santa. After that, Santa's visits make Ewell Plaza the Saturday stop for most of the month.
Santa in the City, 2026 schedule:
December 12 is the busiest of these days. Santa starts with an early-morning visit at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square and then moves to the plaza for the afternoon. If you have young kids and want to avoid a crowd, the 8 a.m. slot is the earliest Santa appears all season.
The stretch between Penn Square and Ewell Plaza is where the season's shopping events take place. None of them has a single stage. Instead, they send people from storefront to storefront.
Small Business Saturday falls on November 28, 2026, the day after the tree lighting. This year it includes a scavenger hunt, with clues hidden at local businesses and a chance to win a prize. Cyber Monday follows on November 30, with participating city businesses offering online-only deals.
The Window Decorating Contest runs along those same blocks. Voting is open from Friday, November 27, through Monday, December 14, in five categories:
"Best at Night" is its own category, which means some storefronts are designed to be seen after dark. Lancaster Shops Late gives you a natural time to do that. On Friday, December 11, from 5 to 8 p.m., participating businesses stay open into the evening. Voting closes three days later, so that walk can double as your last look at the windows.
The list of downtown stops has changed a bit since last season. Edd's & Flo's Artisan Bakery Café at 47 N. Queen St. closed September 20 and is relocating to Philadelphia, according to The Lancaster Ledger. Dov-A-Licious Deli moved out of Southern Market at 100 S. Queen St. by the end of October. In October, The Lancaster Ledger reported that the deli planned to reopen at 1573 Manheim Pike in Granite Run Square in early December.
One evening happens away from the downtown squares altogether. Light Up Southeast is on Thursday, December 3, 2026, at the Crispus Attucks Community Center, 407 Howard Avenue. Neighborhood light displays turn the South Duke Street Mall into a lit walkway. The city's Light Up Southeast event page is the place to check for timing before you go.
That Thursday leads into the weekend described above: First Friday and the first menorah lighting on December 4, then Santa at Ewell Plaza on December 5. That's three days in a row with something on the calendar in different parts of the city.
The Lancaster Parking Authority's 12 Days promotion runs Thursday, December 17, through Monday, December 28, 2026. It offers two hours of free on-street metered parking. The city's guide says the offer covers metered spaces in the Downtown Investment District.
The free window starts after most of the Ewell Plaza events have already happened. Of the season's scheduled downtown events, only the final Santa Saturday on December 19 falls inside it. The timing points to last-minute shopping rather than event nights. Two hours on a meter is enough for one Saturday visit to Central Market or a few stops along the Queen Street blocks.
Central Market's holiday schedule shifts away from its usual pattern in the weeks around Christmas and New Year's. Here are the hours for all three holiday weeks:
| Week | Open | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | Tue. Nov. 24, Wed. Nov. 25, Fri. Nov. 27 and Sat. Nov. 28, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., plus Fri. Nov. 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. | Thu. Nov. 26 |
| Christmas | Tue. Dec. 22, Thu. Dec. 24 and Sat. Dec. 26, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Fri. Dec. 25 |
| New Year's | Tue. Dec. 29, Thu. Dec. 31 and Sat. Jan. 2, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Fri. Jan. 1 |
Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve both land on Thursday this year, so the Market's open days for those two weeks are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you're planning holiday cooking around a market run, Christmas Eve morning is the last chance before the Saturday after Christmas.
The third address is the one that's open the longest. The Christmas Spirit Light Show opens at Penn Medicine Park on November 27 and runs through December 31. You drive a mile-long route through hundreds of thousands of color-changing lights set to Christmas music. You can also walk the concourse to see more than 100 decorated trees and vote for your favorite.
Penn Square and Ewell Plaza each get scheduled events on specific dates. The ballpark is the one holiday venue in the city where any night between Black Friday and New Year's Eve works. That makes it the easy answer for a weeknight outing, or for family visiting between Christmas and the New Year when nothing is planned downtown.
The season wraps up at the ballpark as well. On Thursday, December 31, 2026, the City of Lancaster and the Lancaster Stormers host a family New Year's Eve celebration from 8 p.m. to midnight at Penn Medicine Park, 650 N. Prince St. It includes music, food, the Red Rose Drop and fireworks. City residents can ride a free shuttle to the stadium. The evening also includes a walk through the Christmas Spirit Light Show, giveaways and a kids' zone. December 31 is also the last night of the Christmas Spirit Light Show, which opened on November 27.
If the holidays have you wondering what your place near Penn Square, the Queen Street blocks or North Prince Street is worth heading into 2027, David Wissler and the Wissler Team would be glad to help. Start with a Free Home Valuation, and we'll walk you through it over coffee after a Central Market run.
The Wissler Team is dedicated to providing you with exceptional service and unparalleled expertise. Discover the Difference Local Expertise Makes.