Three of Southlake's holiday events open on the same evening this year. On Saturday, November 21, the Home for the Holidays tree lighting takes over Southlake Town Square from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Santa's Village opens at Rustin Pavilion during those same hours. Starting at 5 p.m., the Holiday of Lights trail at McPherson Park switches on for the season.
After that night, each one keeps a different schedule. Santa works short after-school sessions on some weekdays and takes two midweek days off in early December. The lights trail is open every night, but its food vendors come only on Fridays and Saturdays. Santa's last full week, December 17 to 23, has the most daily hours of his season.
One Saturday, Two Stages and a Snow Hill
The city holds Home for the Holidays every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and this year that's November 21 at 1400 E. Southlake Blvd. Admission is free. The tree lights at 6 p.m., a fireworks show follows, and the activities include photos with Santa and a three-lane snow hill. The fireworks aren't new this year. Southlake Style described them as an annual part of the 2024 event.
The performances run on two stages at once, and the published schedule shows they draw different groups.
| Time | Rustin & Family Park | Frank Edgar Cornish IV Park |
|---|---|---|
| 4:30 p.m. | Southlake Community Band | Artistry in Motion |
| 4:45 p.m. | Community Performances | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Tree Lighting Ceremony | Tree Lighting Ceremony |
| 6:15 p.m. | NTPA | |
| 6:30 p.m. | Walnut Grove Elementary | Covenant Christian Academy |
| 6:45 p.m. | Carroll Elementary | Dragon Youth Dazzlers |
| 7:00 p.m. | Johnson Elementary | |
| 7:15 p.m. | Old Union Elementary | Cantare Performance Choir |
| 7:30 p.m. | Rockenbaugh Elementary | |
| 7:45 p.m. | WC Youth Ensemble | |
| 8:15 p.m. | WC Adult Ensemble |
The elementary groups at Rustin & Family Park finish by about 7:45. The Cornish Park stage runs until the WC Adult Ensemble goes on at 8:15. If you're planning around a child's 6:45 or 7:15 slot, the table tells you which park to stand in at the tree lighting.
The city's FAQ for the night covers the practical questions:
- Parking: Free in both Town Square garages, the East Garage at 1451 Federal Way and the West Garage at 351 State Street.
- Accessible parking: On Main Street in front of Bath & Body Works and Mi Cocina, entered from the east and west ends of Main Street.
- Coolers: Allowed. Outside alcohol and glass containers are not.
- Dogs: Strongly discouraged, because of possible cold weather, the crowd's excitement and loud noises, which includes the fireworks right after the lighting.
- Craft Corner: Free.
Santa's Calendar Has Gaps Worth Knowing
Santa's Village opens on tree-lighting night, and the Southlake Town Square schedule runs from there to Christmas Eve at Rustin Pavilion. Photo packages start at $19.99. The posted hours change a lot from week to week.
The week of Thanksgiving is the steadiest stretch. Santa is in from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, November 22 through Wednesday, November 25. He's closed Thursday, November 26, which is Thanksgiving Day, then back from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, November 27 and 28, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, November 29. If relatives are in town that week, there are good daytime times on four days in a row before the holiday and three after it.
Then come the gaps. No sessions are listed from Monday, November 30 through Thursday, December 3, and none on Wednesday, December 9 or Thursday, December 10. Weekdays in early December follow an after-school pattern:
| Dates in December | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 | Fridays | 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 | Saturdays | 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 6 and Dec. 13 | Sundays | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Dec. 7 and Dec. 8 | Monday, Tuesday | 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 14 to Dec. 16 | Monday to Wednesday | 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 17 to Dec. 23 | Every day | 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., opening at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 |
| Dec. 24 | Christmas Eve | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
The full-day sessions include a milk-and-cookie break from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. On Christmas Eve the break is shorter, from 2 to 2:30 p.m. The 3:30 weekday sessions start after the break window, so a visit right after school pickup won't run into a closed pavilion. From December 17 on, Santa is in every day, and the final week has the most hours of the season.
The Lights Trail Runs Every Night, the Food Runs Two
Holiday of Lights is the one draw that keeps the same hours all season. It's open every day from 5 to 10 p.m. at McPherson Park, 1297 Division St., starting November 21 and running into January 2027. The trail is free, with light tunnels, a giant polar bear, glowing gift boxes and views of the lake along the way.
This is its second season. Community Impact reported that Lauren Kimberly, festivals and events coordinator at the Southlake Economic Development and Tourism office, introduced the trail to the city council in November 2025 as a new feature. That first run lasted from November 22, 2025 to January 4, 2026 on a walking trail of about a third of a mile. At that length, a loop with photo stops fits easily between dinner and bedtime.
The one part of the trail that follows the week is the food. Vendors set up at the park only on Fridays and Saturdays. If you want to eat at the trail, go on Friday or Saturday. On other nights, pair the walk with dinner at Town Square, which is next to the park.
Opening night has its own overlap. The trail lights up at 5 p.m., while the stages are still going, and stays open until 10, ninety minutes after the tree lighting ends at 8:30. If you'd like to see the trail on November 21 without the stage crowd, those last ninety minutes are the time to go.
Two December Dates With Their Own Hours
Two more events fall inside the Santa and lights schedules, and each one also lines up with a Santa session.
Holly Jolly Sip & Shop, Saturday, December 5, 9 a.m. to noon. Southlake Town Square is hosting a morning of holiday shopping with mimosas. It's a ticketed event, and sponsorship questions go to Kite Realty, which runs Town Square. Santa's Village opens at 10:30 a.m. that Saturday, so the shopping morning and the first Santa session of the day overlap from 10:30 to noon.
Sounds of the Season Holiday Concert, Tuesday, December 15, 7 p.m. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Apex Arts League perform at White's Chapel Methodist Church, 185 S. White Chapel Blvd. Santa is at Rustin Pavilion from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. that day, so a late-afternoon Santa visit and the concert fit on the same weeknight.
New Stops Near the Square
Two businesses that are new this fall sit close to the holiday events. BYLT Basics opened October 8 at 214 State St., Ste. B48, inside Southlake Town Square, selling apparel for men, women and children plus accessories and footwear, according to Community Impact.
Barry's has its Southlake studio slated for November at 1081 E. Southlake Blvd., Ste. 170. Community Impact reported that the studio offered pre-opening memberships and a free first class.
If you're thinking about a move to Southlake and want help with the details, from schools and neighborhoods to where to stand at the tree lighting, Selling Southlake would be glad to help. Request a Concierge Consultation, and we'll talk through how the Southlake you know at the holidays fits the home you're looking for.