Cary's Holiday Season Runs on Two Clocks This Year
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
Cary's holiday season has two centers this year, and they keep different schedules. Fenton started early and stays open late. The ice rink in Fenton Square opened Nov. 6 and runs until Feb. 7, 2027, so it covers three months of weeknights. Downtown Cary Park works the other way. Its season leads up to two Saturdays in December. The tree lighting is Dec. 5, and the Cary Jaycees Christmas Parade comes down East Chatham Street a week later on Dec. 12.
That gives you a simple way to plan. Put the downtown dates on the calendar first, because each one happens only once. Then use Fenton for the weeknights and weekends in between.
Skate the Square is at Fenton Square by Paragon Theaters, 21 Fenton Main Street. A regular ticket costs $18 plus tax and fees, and a season pass costs $90. Daily hours change from day to day, so check the ticket link before you go. A season pass costs as much as five regular tickets, so it pays off for anyone who skates six times or more before February.
The weekly discounts set the rhythm:
As of today, Thursday, Nov. 12, Sports & Social at 301 Fenton Gateway Drive has turned into Tinsel Tavern. The pop-up bar runs through Dec. 27. It closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day and is open 4 p.m. to midnight on Christmas Eve. If you want something warm that isn't a cocktail, Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café opened its first North Carolina location at 1 Fenton Main St., Suite 190, in September. It serves sweet and savory crêpes and all-day breakfast, QSR Magazine reported.
The two calendars first meet on the weekend before Thanksgiving.
On Friday, Nov. 20, the Cary Night Market sets up in Downtown Cary Park from 5 to 9 p.m. The park's official address is 327 S. Academy St. The organizer, The Night Market Company, describes each market as a rotating mix of 45 to 50 hand-picked artisans, food trucks and prepared-food vendors.
On Saturday, Nov. 21, Fenton holds Light the Square from 3 to 7 p.m. The program includes a Christmas market, photos, a children's area and skating, and the stage show starts at 6 p.m. A community countdown lights the tree in Fenton Square, and Fenton's Makers Market for handmade gifts from Triangle artisans is on the same date. The Town of Cary's holiday calendar also lists the NC Chinese Lantern Festival starting that day and running through Jan. 10.
The Night Market on Friday and two markets on Saturday make this weekend the easiest time this season to shop locally made gifts.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is centered on Fenton's Igloo at 850 Lower Garden Lane. Santa mini photo sessions there are Nov. 28. On Sunday, Nov. 29, the Handmade Holiday Gifts workshop runs from 2 to 5 p.m. and makes soy candles and goat's-milk soaps. Santa Paws pet photos follow on Dec. 1 and Dec. 8.
Downtown Cary Park's Tree Lighting Celebration is free and runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Academy Street is closed from Park Street to Dry Avenue from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. that day. The park's published schedule runs like this:
| Time | Program | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Cary Farmers Holiday Market | East Park Street |
| 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Photos with Santa | The Gathering House |
| 12 – 8 p.m. | Holiday Vendor Market | S. Academy Street |
| 2 – 6 p.m. | Reindeer Games | Park Street Arena |
| 2 – 6 p.m. | Snowball Fight Area, Face Painting | The Nest Pavilion |
| 2 – 6 p.m. | Holiday Photo Backdrop | Frantz Square Plaza |
| 3 – 5:15 p.m. | Community Performances | Great Lawn Pavilion |
| 6 p.m. | Cary's Official Tree Lighting Ceremony | Frantz Square Lawn |
Victorian Christmas at the Page-Walker runs from 2 to 5 p.m. the same afternoon, according to the Town of Cary holiday calendar.
Fenton has its own plan for Dec. 5. It will show Elf on its outdoor movie screen all day, so you can skate while it plays. If you have young kids who are done before 6 p.m., you could do the afternoon activities downtown and then go to the rink. If you want to see the tree lit, stay downtown, because the ceremony is the only part of the day set for a single time.
Downtown's weekend starts the night before. A Peter Rabbit Christmas is a show staged at different spots around the park, produced by Applause! Cary Youth Theatre and Seed Art Share. It was written by Dylan Bailey and is directed by Davi Cunningham. Performances start at 5 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, and at 2 and 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6. General admission is $6.90 including estimated fees, and the ticket page set Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. as the start of sales. Ticket holders check in at the tent on Frantz Square Lawn by the park fountain, and hosts lead them to the first scene.
The 47th annual Cary Jaycees Christmas Parade is Saturday, Dec. 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. It starts on E. Chatham Street at Ward Street and heads down Chatham to S. Academy Street. There it turns left and ends at Dry Avenue in front of the Cary Arts Center. Earlier that morning, Santa's Workshop offers free holiday crafts at the Academy Pavilion and Plaza in Downtown Cary Park from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. If you go to both, the gap between them is long enough for lunch.
This is the first parade season for two restaurants on the route. Lloyd's Full Service at 107 E. Chatham St. opened Aug. 26 in a former service station more than 70 years old, The News & Observer reported. It comes from Early Bird Night Owl, the group behind Cary's Mayton Inn. Its lunch menu includes the "Corner Dog," which the paper describes as a tribute to the hot dogs at the former Ashworth Drugs across the street. Its opening schedule had Saturday service from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., The Line reported. Check its hours before parade day.
A short walk east at 147 E. Chatham St., K38 Baja Grill opened Aug. 29. Its listed hours were 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, according to The News & Observer.
Some of the season's events don't land on a big Saturday:
After Dec. 12, downtown's calendar quiets down. Fenton keeps going with Holiday Hits on the ice Dec. 17, Tinsel Tavern through Dec. 27 and Sports & Social's New Year's Eve Bash on Dec. 31. The rink stays open until Feb. 7.
We'll be at the parade on East Chatham Street on Dec. 12 too. If your family is weighing a move in 2027 and you'd like to know where your home stands before the new year, Sold By Starkey can talk it through over coffee downtown. Start with a free home value whenever it suits you.
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