Plano's 2026 holiday calendar moves around town. It starts in mid-November with ticketed indoor gift markets at the Plano Event Center. In the second half of the month, tree lightings and light displays spread out to Legacy and the Heritage Farmstead. By December, Downtown Plano has a major event on three Saturdays in a row. The only true scheduling conflict of the season falls on Sunday, December 13.
November happens indoors, and the big market sells admission
The biggest early event is 'Neath the Wreath, now in its 31st year at the Plano Event Center. It brings more than 125 merchants and raises money for the Junior League of Collin County. Some calendars list it as November 11 to 15. The Junior League runs the public market November 12 to 15. Wednesday, November 11, is a separate Ladies Night Out preview from 5:30 to 9 p.m. It costs $125 and includes dinner, two drink tickets, valet, early shopping, and one general-market ticket.
For the public days, general admission is $15 plus a $1.81 fee, and children under 12 get in free. Hours vary by day:
- Thursday, Nov. 12: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 13: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 15: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Parents should know this before they load the car. Strollers, wagons, rolling carts, rolling bags and pets are not allowed. Self-parking is included, and valet is $25.
The rest of November's shopping happens at school and recreation-center events on the next two weekends. The Snowflake Bazaar at Plano West Senior High runs November 14 and 15 and supports the Mighty Wolf Band. On November 21, the John Paul II High School Christmas Bazaar holds its 14th year with more than 160 vendors. The free Plano Holiday Market at Carpenter Park Recreation Center runs November 21 and 22 and features handmade goods and baked items from local seniors. All four of those November weekends center on shopping indoors.
The lights come on in the second half of the month
The season moves outdoors on November 20. That night, Lights on the Farmstead opens at Heritage Farmstead Museum, 1900 W. 15th St. It runs through December 30 with more than two million lights across the four-acre historic farm. This is the event on the calendar most likely to sell out. The museum says to buy tickets online ahead of time because it often does. Advance tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for ages 3 to 12, seniors 65 and up, and military, plus a service fee. Tickets at the door cost more. Last entry is 9 p.m., and the farm closes at 9:30.
Parking at the Farmstead has its own rules, and the museum lists them plainly:
- The main lot is the Starbucks lot south of Custer and 15th, and it fills up.
- Overflow parking is at Pickleball Kingdom, with a free shuttle from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
- Don't park at Chase Bank, on Pitman Drive, or in Pitman Creek.
The Farmstead also runs themed nights. The first four are November 20, 21, 27 and 28. In December they fall on the 4th, 10th, 11th, 18th through 23rd, 26th and 30th.
Two days after the Farmstead opens, the first tree lighting happens on the west side of town. Lights at Legacy East runs Sunday, November 22, from 4 to 7 p.m. Santa photos cost $30 and run from 4 to 6:15 near Truluck's off Bishop Road, first come, first served. Live music plays on the main stage until 6:30, when the tree is lit. Park in the Legacy East, Legacy North or Legacy Tower garages.
Thanksgiving weekend fills the gap between November and December. Chamberlain Ballet performs The Nutcracker at the Eisemann Center November 27 to 29. Legacy West has a pop-up cabin event on its calendar for Friday, November 27, from noon to 6 p.m.
December moves to Downtown Plano, three Saturdays in a row
In December, the season settles in the Downtown Plano Arts District and stays for most of the month.
| Weekend | Downtown Plano | Elsewhere in Plano the same weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 5–6 | Dickens in Downtown Plano, Sat. 4–9 p.m. | Shopping Days at Plano Event Center, Dec. 5–6; Legacy Hall Holiday Sip & Shop Market, Sun. 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 12–13 | Red, White, and Merry Plano Holiday Parade, Sat. 2 p.m.; Downtown Plano Holiday Market, Sun. | Gingerbread Lane 5K & 10K at Oak Point Park, Sat.; Santa's Sleighin' at The Boardwalk, Sun. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Dec. 18–20 | Irving Berlin's White Christmas at the Courtyard Theatre | Home for the Holidays at Robinson Fine Arts Center, Sun. Dec. 20 |
Dickens in Downtown Plano starts it off on Saturday, December 5, in Haggard Park and the surrounding district. It runs from 4 to 9 p.m. and is free. The schedule includes photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a snow slide, Feaster's Fair, kids' crafts, a vendor village, Polar Express readings at 6:30 and 7:30, and a tree lighting at 7 p.m. That 7 p.m. tree lighting is the city's main one. No separate city tree-lighting event appears on the 2026 calendar. If you'd rather skip parking, DART's Downtown Plano station is steps from McCall Plaza.
A week later, the Red, White, and Merry Plano Holiday Parade steps off Saturday, December 12, at 2 p.m. Some calendar apps display the time in Eastern, but it is 2 p.m. Central. This year's theme ties the holidays to America's 250th anniversary, and the Rotary Clubs of Plano co-organize it. The route runs like this:
- Start on 19th Street at M Avenue.
- Head west on 19th Street.
- Turn south on K Avenue.
- Go east on 15th Street.
- Turn north on M Avenue and finish at 18th Street.
If weather cancels the parade, the notice goes up on the event page the morning of December 12.
The next day, the free Downtown Plano Holiday Market sets up vendors among the district's boutiques and restaurants. On the third weekend, Repertory Company Theatre stages Irving Berlin's White Christmas at the Courtyard Theatre from December 18 to 20.
The weekend that actually makes you choose
On paper, December 5 and 6 looks like the crowded weekend. Prestonwood Baptist Church's The Gift of Christmas runs December 4 to 11, and A Tuna Christmas opens at Art Centre Theatre on December 4. Shopping Days fills the Plano Event Center on both days of the weekend. The two big free events don't overlap, though. Dickens is a Saturday evening event. Legacy Hall's Holiday Sip & Shop Market runs Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is free, and welcomes families and dogs. You can do downtown Saturday night and Legacy Sunday afternoon, and Friday the 4th is a Farmstead themed night if you want to start early.
December 12 and 13 is harder. Saturday is manageable. The Gingerbread Lane race at Red Tail Pavilion in Oak Point Park offers a 1-mile, 5K or 10K course and a Kids Dash. Sunday is where the choice comes in. The Downtown Plano Holiday Market and Santa's Sleighin' at The Boardwalk at Granite Park, 5880 State Highway 121, are both on December 13. The Boardwalk event runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and its holiday program starts at noon. It has a market, Santa, Frosty, a Snow Princess, a candy-cane-making demonstration and a kids' activity station. The two sit on opposite ends of the city, and both draw families with young kids. That Sunday is the one date on the season's calendar worth deciding ahead of time. Scrooge the Musical also ends its December 9 to 13 run that weekend.
Deerfield runs all month, and weeknights are easier
Deerfield Holiday Lights runs December 1 to 30 and is free. Most of December's big free events land on weekends, so Deerfield gives you somewhere to go on a weeknight. Visit Plano lists typical hours as 7 to 10 p.m. on weeknights and 7 to 11 p.m. on weekends. Weekend lines can last an hour. Please don't stop and get out of your car, and don't block the alleys. The Visit Plano holiday guide recommends going on a weeknight and entering from Quincy Road to avoid the longest line. Seeing Deerfield on a weeknight leaves your weekends open for Haggard Park.
After the parade weekend, the calendar quiets down to concerts. The Plano Civic Chorus performs 'Tis the Season, with selections from Handel's Messiah, at Christ United Methodist Church on December 15. Home for the Holidays closes the run at Robinson Fine Arts Center on December 20.
The DiBella Team pays this kind of attention to Plano's calendar all year. If you're hosting family this December and want ideas for which weekend to bring them downtown, we're glad to share what we know. And if a guest leaves the parade asking what it would take to live closer to 15th Street, we'd be happy to talk that through too. Your path to buying or selling starts here.
