The Southlake Christmas tree lighting is one Saturday evening that runs four hours. The rest of the season runs into January. In 2026, Home for the Holidays is set for Saturday, November 21, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. That same night the Holiday of Lights trail at McPherson Park starts its nightly 5 to 10 p.m. schedule, and that schedule continues into January 2027.
Santa's Village at Rustin Pavilion runs short afternoon hours on many December weekdays, and those hours overlap with the opening of the lights trail. On those nights you can see Santa and walk the lights in one evening at Town Square, without having to fit everything into kickoff night.
Kickoff night is a single four-hour window
The Home for the Holidays event takes place at 1400 E. Southlake Blvd., and admission is free. The city's event page lists the tree lighting followed by fireworks, Santa photos, a three-lane snow hill, and performances by local school groups. Parking is free. Accessible parking is on Main Street near Bath & Body Works and Mi Cocina.
Performances run on two stages, and both stages pause for the 6 p.m. lighting. The posted 2026 schedule is:
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
If your child is performing, the stage and the time slot will shape your whole evening. The elementary groups perform in 15-minute slots on the Rustin & Family Park stage after the lighting, and the ensembles at Cornish Park continue until 8:15. Santa's Village is open the same evening, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., so you can find Santa during the event. Even so, the snow hill and the fireworks only happen that one night. Santa and the lights both continue for weeks.
The lights trail is the part that stays
The Holiday of Lights started at the 2025 kickoff. Community Impact reported at the time that the city had decorated a walking trail of about a third of a mile at McPherson Park with lights and displays, open daily from 5 to 10 p.m. This is its second season. The 2026 run starts November 21 and continues into January 2027 at 1297 Division St. It is still free, and food vendors are there on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Visit Southlake listing mentions light tunnels, a giant polar bear, glowing gift boxes and lakeside views along the loop. The loop is short and close to the shops, so a walk around it fits after dinner on Grand Avenue or before a school night. The 5 p.m. opening matters most when you compare it with Santa's schedule.
Santa keeps a weekday clock
The Santa's Village 2026 schedule at Rustin Pavilion follows its own pattern, with long stretches open and some days off. Visits start at $19.99.
- Thanksgiving week: 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Sunday, Nov. 22 through Wednesday, Nov. 25. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. Open 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27 and 28, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 29.
- Early December: No visits are listed from Monday, Nov. 30 through Thursday, Dec. 3, or on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 9 and 10.
- Short weekday hours: 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 4, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15 and 16.
- Weekends: 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Dec. 5, 12 and 19. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, Dec. 6 and 13. 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20.
- The final stretch: 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 17 and 18 and from Dec. 21 through 23. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
On the longer days, Santa takes a milk-and-cookie break from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. On Christmas Eve the break moves to 2 to 2:30 p.m. If you plan a mid-afternoon visit on a weekend or during the final week, that hour is the one to avoid.
Where the two schedules overlap
On every weekday in the 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. group, the lights trail opens partway through Santa's hours. That leaves a two-and-a-half-hour window, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., when both are running a short walk apart at Town Square. You can go after school pickup without taking a day off or competing with the kickoff for a parking spot.
| Evening | Santa's Village hours | Lights trail open | Both running |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Dec. 4 | 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. | 5 to 10 p.m. | 5 to 7:30 p.m., with trail food vendors |
| Monday, Dec. 7 | 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. | 5 to 10 p.m. | 5 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Dec. 8 | 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. | 5 to 10 p.m. | 5 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Friday, Dec. 11 | 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. | 5 to 10 p.m. | 5 to 7:30 p.m., with trail food vendors |
| Monday, Dec. 14 | 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. | 5 to 10 p.m. | 5 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Dec. 15 | 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. | 5 to 10 p.m. | 5 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday, Dec. 16 | 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. | 5 to 10 p.m. | 5 to 7:30 p.m. |
On the two Fridays, the trail food vendors take care of dinner. On the Monday through Wednesday nights, dinner at Town Square can come between Santa and the loop. For a family with young children, a sensible order is Santa a little before 5, then the lights once it is dark.
The long days from Dec. 17 through 23 work the same way, but Santa's hours start at 11:30 a.m., or 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19. That gives families with school out more flexibility, and the overlap with the trail still runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 5 fits in three events
One Saturday combines a morning event, a midday Santa visit and an evening walk. The Holly Jolly Sip & Shop is set for Saturday, December 5, from 9 a.m. to noon. Town Square describes it as holiday shopping with mimosas, and its page says tickets go on sale in the fall. Santa's Village opens at 10:30 a.m. that day and stays open until 7:30 p.m. The lights come on at 5, and Saturday is a vendor night on the trail.
There are two new stores on the gift list since last December. Crate & Barrel opened June 25, 2026, at 321 State St., according to Community Impact. Reformation opened Aug. 11, 2026, at 213 Grand Ave. E., also reported by Community Impact. Ascension Coffee's Southlake location is at 100 State St., in the former Corner Bakery space, as WhatNow reported.
On Dec. 5 you can shop in the morning, see Santa at midday and walk the McPherson Park loop that evening. Families who would rather not pick between a Saturday morning event and a December weeknight can do all three that day.
Our family celebrated our first Southlake holidays after moving to Texas in 2009, and we still plan around these dates. If you are relocating and would like to time a house-hunting trip so the visit ends on a weeknight at the lights trail, Go To Texas Team would be glad to plan it with you. Begin Your Relocation Journey with us this season.
