Southlake's Holiday Season Starts All on One Night. The Quieter Nights Come After.

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Christmas tree in Southlake Town Square lights up at 6:00 p.m. Santa's Village opens at Rustin Pavilion the same evening. The Holiday of Lights walking trail at McPherson Park opens that night as well, and this year that is new. Each of the three runs on its own schedule after opening night. If you live a few minutes away, the more useful information is what happens on the weeknights that follow.

The lights trail moved up to opening night

The Holiday of Lights started last year. Community Impact described the McPherson Park trail as a new feature in November 2025. It was a walking loop about a third of a mile long with Christmas lights, displays and photo spots, plus food vendors on Fridays and Saturdays. Its first season ran from Nov. 22 to Jan. 4, 2026.

For its second season, Visit Southlake lists the trail from Nov. 21 into January 2027. It is open every day from 5 to 10 p.m. at 1297 Division St., it's free, and food vendors are there on Fridays and Saturdays. The listing describes light tunnels, a giant polar bear, glowing gift boxes, large photo spots and views of the lake.

On Nov. 21, the crowd that comes for the tree lighting also has a new loop to walk afterward. After that the trail runs every night with no tree lighting to draw a crowd.

Opening night runs on two stages

Home for the Holidays, the city's tree-lighting event, runs from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 1400 E. Southlake Blvd. It's free and includes Santa activities, a snow hill and performances by local schools. A fireworks show follows the tree lighting.

Performances run on two stages at once, and the posted 2026 schedule puts the tree-lighting ceremony at 6:00 p.m. on both. If you're there to watch a particular performer, find their park and time before you leave home.

Rustin & Family Park

• 4:30 p.m. Southlake Community Band
• 6:00 p.m. Tree Lighting Ceremony
• 6:30 p.m. Walnut Grove Elementary
• 6:45 p.m. Carroll Elementary
• 7:00 p.m. Johnson Elementary
• 7:15 p.m. Old Union Elementary
• 7:30 p.m. Rockenbaugh Elementary

Frank Edgar Cornish, IV Park

• 4:30 p.m. Artistry in Motion
• 4:45 p.m. Community Performances
• 6:00 p.m. Tree Lighting Ceremony
• 6:15 p.m. NTPA
• 6:30 p.m. Covenant Christian Academy
• 6:45 p.m. Dragon Youth Dazzlers
• 7:15 p.m. Cantare Performance Choir
• 7:45 p.m. WC Youth Ensemble
• 8:15 p.m. WC Adult Ensemble

The Rustin & Family Park stage is done by about 7:45 p.m. The Cornish Park stage goes until close. That makes Cornish Park the later option for families who come after dinner. The elementary school sets at Rustin & Family Park come one after another, every 15 minutes or so, between 6:30 and 7:30.

Parking is free in the East Garage at 1451 Federal Way and the West Garage at 351 State St. If you're coming from the west side by way of West Continental Boulevard, the city has moved Phase 3 of that project to the South Peytonville Avenue intersection. Phase 3 calls for a single-lane roundabout there, and the city says the road will stay open during construction. The city's Sept. 25 update projects Phase 3 to finish in spring 2028.

After Nov. 21, every attraction has its own hours

Once opening night is over, each holiday attraction keeps its own schedule. The lights trail is an evening event. Santa sees visitors on set days and hours. The one Town Square shopping event is on a Saturday morning, and the season's concert is held away from the square.

Holly Jolly Sip & Shop is a morning of holiday shopping on Saturday, Dec. 5. Town Square's own description of it is "Holiday shopping is less stressful with mimosas!" and its listing says tickets go on sale in the fall. It ends at noon. Later that day, the lights trail opens at 5 p.m. and food vendors are there because it's a Saturday. On Dec. 5 you can shop in the morning and walk the trail with food vendors that evening.

The Sounds of the Season holiday concert is set for 7 p.m. on Dec. 15 at White's Chapel Methodist Church.

The Rink at Southlake Town Square opened in 2024 as the city's first ice rink, according to My Southlake News. Check the official Town Square and Visit Southlake pages for this season's skating dates and prices before you go.

Santa's calendar has gaps

Santa's Village 2026 at Rustin Pavilion does not run every day from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. The posted schedule has three blocks:

1. Nov. 21 through Nov. 29. Opening night runs 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., the same hours as the tree lighting. From Nov. 22 through Nov. 25, hours are 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Santa is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, and the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, runs longer, from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
2. Dec. 4 through Dec. 8.
3. Dec. 11 through Dec. 24.

Santa isn't there Nov. 30 through Dec. 3 or Dec. 9 and 10. Photo packages start at $19.99, and the daily schedule includes a milk-and-cookie break. That break, the Thanksgiving closure and the two weekday gaps are the details most likely to send a family home without a photo. Check the official page for the hours of your chosen day before you load the car.

During the day, the posted hours on Nov. 22 through 25 and Nov. 27 end before or not long after the lights trail opens at 5 p.m. Taking the kids to Santa in the afternoon and then walking the trail at dusk works on those days without a long wait in between.

The weeknight version

On opening night, the tree lighting, the fireworks, Santa and the trail's first evening all happen at once. After that, the same trail is open every night from 5 to 10 p.m.

On weeknights the trail has its lights and lake views but no food vendors, because vendors come only on Fridays and Saturdays. For a hot drink near the trail, Southlake Style reported that Ascension Coffee was set to open its first Southlake café on Friday, Oct. 9, at 100 State St., the former Corner Bakery space. The menu covers coffee, breakfast, brunch and all-day food. The announced hours are 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday and 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Community Impact also listed Oct. 9 as the opening date.

If those announced hours hold, Wednesday and Thursday evenings line up best. The café's announced hours run until 9 p.m. those nights, and the trail is less likely to have weekend crowds. A coffee before 9 followed by a walk around the loop before the lights go off at 10 is a plan you can make on short notice.

Here's how the season looks on the calendar:

• Saturday, Nov. 21: Tree lighting at 6:00 p.m., fireworks after, Santa from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., and the trail's first night.
• Thursday, Nov. 26: Santa closed for Thanksgiving. The trail's posted daily hours still apply.
• Saturday, Dec. 5: Sip & Shop in the morning, then the trail with food vendors in the evening.
• Tuesday, Dec. 15: Sounds of the Season at White's Chapel Methodist Church, 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Dec. 24: The last day on Santa's posted schedule.
• January 2027: The trail's posted closing month.

The trail is open from 5 to 10 p.m. every night between Nov. 21 and its January close, so you have about seven weeks to pick a quiet evening.

When you're out for the lights this season, look us up. At Niche Realty Group we put this kind of Southlake calendar together all year, and we're glad to talk about what your home is worth or what you're looking for next. Let's connect.