How many of Allen's holiday events can one household fit in before the calendar fills up? This year, December 3 to 6 is the stretch that decides it. In those four days you get a wine walk at Watters Creek, the City's tree lighting downtown, the Rotary parade the next afternoon and the first Sunday of a sensory-friendly Santa program. Everything before that stretch is a warm-up. Most of what comes after happens on weeknights.
For residents, the season works better as a date-by-date plan than as a list of things to do. Here is the order it runs in, starting with the night Watters Creek lights its tree.
Saturday, November 21 starts the season at Watters Creek
Light the Night returns to Watters Creek Village on Saturday, November 21. The Tree Lighting Concert starts at 6 p.m., and the Christmas tree lighting and fireworks follow at 6:30 p.m. Before and after, Visit Allen's listing describes caroling around the center, hot cocoa, wagon rides, face painting and balloon animals, along with offers from participating businesses.
Santa's season at Watters Creek starts the same day. The center's events calendar lists Santa visits from November 21 through December 24. If your family likes to get the Santa photo done before December crowds arrive, the window opens on the same Saturday as the fireworks.
Thanksgiving week moves indoors to CUTX
With family in town, the easiest outing may be indoors. CUTX Event Center hosts Disney On Ice presents Magic in the Stars from November 25 to 29. The run opens Wednesday, November 25 at 7 p.m., and there are multiple performances each day from Friday, November 27 through Sunday, November 29. The Sunday shows are at noon and 4 p.m. Because the run falls during Thanksgiving week, the weekend shows land on days when many households have guests.
December 3 to 6 holds the busiest four days
This is where the calendar gets crowded. Four events in four days, split between Watters Creek and downtown Allen.
Thursday, December 3: Ugly Sweater Wine Walk
Watters Creek holds its Ugly Sweater Wine Walk on Thursday, December 3, from 4 to 8 p.m. Of the four, it is the only one on a weeknight, which makes it the easiest to fit around school and work.
Saturday, December 5: Holly Jolly Celebration downtown
The City's Holly Jolly Celebration, presented by Credit Union of Texas, returns to downtown Allen on Saturday, December 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. The City's event calendar lists the address as 100 East Main Street. Visit Allen has listed the event in downtown Allen for the past two Decembers as well, on December 7, 2024 and December 6, 2025, so the downtown setting is now the norm.
Visit Allen's 2026 event page publishes the full schedule:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 3:00 p.m. | Shuttle service begins from Allen ISD Lowery Freshman Center |
| 4:00 p.m. | Event opens; 1-mile fun run begins |
| 4:35 p.m. | Timed 5K begins |
| 4:40 p.m. | Untimed 5K begins |
| 6:00 p.m. | Christmas tree lighting and drone show |
| 6:15 p.m. | Race award ceremony |
| 8:00 p.m. | Event ends |
| 8:30 p.m. | Shuttle service ends |
The shuttle starts an hour before the gates open and runs half an hour after they close, so you can be in place for the 6 p.m. lighting without hunting for parking near Main Street. The races start right after the event opens, which means runners fill the first hours. Families coming mainly for the tree and the drone show can plan to arrive closer to 6. Besides the lighting, the City promotes a holiday market, food trucks, festive drinks, light displays and photo spots.
Sunday, December 6: Rotary Christmas Parade and the first Santa Cares
Less than 24 hours after the tree lighting, downtown fills up again. The 2026 Allen Rotary Christmas Parade steps off Sunday, December 6, at 2 p.m. The Rotary Club of Allen Sunrise and the Rotary Club of Allen (Noon) sponsor it, and this year's theme is "A Hometown Christmas."
According to the Rotary Club of Allen, the route starts at North Cedar Drive and St. Mary's Drive and heads south to Main Street. It turns west on Main to Allen Drive, then north on Allen Drive to the traffic circle at St. Mary's Drive. Entries compete for a grand prize and for "best of" awards in eleven categories. The route forms a loop through the historic core, so the same few blocks of Main Street and Allen Drive host the lighting on Saturday and the parade on Sunday.
That same Sunday morning, Watters Creek starts Santa Cares. It runs on Sunday mornings from December 6 through December 27, by reservation, with quieter sensory accommodations. The calendar lists it at 911 Garden Park Drive. Appointment times and reservation details have not been posted yet, so keep an eye on the Watters Creek events page if your family needs a calmer visit.
The weeknight series makes room for everything else
Once that first December weekend passes, Watters Creek's holiday programming mostly moves to weeknights. For households with weekends already full of travel, sports or school events, these dates are the easiest to plan around:
- Mondays, December 7 to 28: Santa Paws, Monday evenings, with reservation details still to come
- Tuesdays, December 1 to 29: Kringle's Corner, every Tuesday in December at Blue House Too Art Space & Gallery
- Thursday, December 3: the Ugly Sweater Wine Walk, 4 to 8 p.m.
Hours for Santa Paws and Kringle's Corner aren't on the center's calendar yet. These events are smaller than a tree lighting with fireworks or a drone show, which is the point. They stretch the season across the whole month.
December 12 and 13 brings a second, smaller weekend
The weekend after Holly Jolly and the parade has two free events, one each day.
On Saturday, December 12, Watters Creek hosts Merry Tuba Christmas, a free concert on the Village Green. The start time hasn't been announced.
On Sunday, December 13, Chicken N Pickle holds a Holiday Market. Visit Allen's listing shows brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., bingo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and shopping from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free, and the event is family- and dog-friendly. Sunday afternoon is a good time to finish gift shopping, with brunch beforehand.
Hockey fills the end of the month. The Allen Americans' Teddy Bear Toss, presented by AVCO Commercial, is Saturday, December 19, with single-game tickets listed at $29 to $68. Under the team's 2026–27 schedule announcement, Saturday games start at 7 p.m. and the New Year's Eve game starts at 6 p.m. That December 31 game against Savannah is billed as the team's NYE Celebration.
New places to stop between events
Several businesses have opened since late summer, and a few more are scheduled to open during the season.
On Custer Road, Barrio Burrito Bar opened September 26 at 1480 N. Custer Road, Suite 140, serving tacos, burritos and bowls, Community Impact reported.
At Allen Premium Outlets, 820 W. Stacy Road, Community Impact's roundup of recent openings lists three that fit a holiday shopping trip. Toys R Us opened September 26 in Suite 160. Collector's Edition, with sports memorabilia, figurines, games and trading cards, opened October 3 in Suite 310. Coach Coffee Shop opened October 8 inside the Coach store in Suite 190, serving coffee, matcha, pastries and flavored lemonade.
Two more are scheduled to open mid-season. Flat Grounds Coffee is slated to open December 14 at 790 Waverly Drive, Suite 200, in Sloan Corners. It plans to serve sandwiches, salads and pastries along with coffee and to sell vintage clothing, according to Community Impact. Cookie Society, known for oversized cookies, is slated to open in December at 906 W. McDermott Drive, Suite 120, with in-store pickup and local delivery, Community Impact reported. Both dates are plans, and opening dates often slip, so check before you build an evening around either one.
Downtown's event blocks are also its next project
The downtown blocks that host Holly Jolly and the parade are also the focus of the City's biggest downtown plan in years. Allen City Council approved agreements for the $17 million Downtown Catalyst Project on March 10, 2026. The first phase covers a block near McDermott Drive and Allen Drive, with about 18,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space and a public park, and it keeps the original fire station and the Blue House. Community Impact reported a 6-0 vote.
According to the City of Allen's project announcement, construction is expected to begin by the end of 2026, with the district opening in 2028. Those are target dates, not a groundbreaking. Still, the parade's turn from Main Street onto Allen Drive passes the area where the City plans a permanent downtown gathering place. The holiday weekend already puts that space to work for two days every December.
The month starts at Watters Creek on November 21, with fireworks at 6:30 p.m.
If you live near Watters Creek or within walking distance of the parade route, you already know how much it adds to daily life to have these events close by. Buyers notice it too. When you want to know what that location means for your home's value, The Deann Abbott Group can show you how nearby homes are pricing this season. Get Your Complimentary Home Valuation.
