Three of Leesburg's holiday events fall on Saturday, December 5, 2026. The Town's 35th Holiday Fine Arts & Crafts Show opens at Ida Lee Park in the morning. The Leesburg Movement's Mistletoe Market takes over the courthouse lawn at midday. At 6 p.m. the Town lights the holiday tree on Town Green. The parade comes a week later, on December 12. The times don't overlap much, so one Saturday can cover most of them, and this year the walk between them passes storefronts that weren't open last December.
The schedule for December 5
| Time | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 35th Holiday Fine Arts & Crafts Show | Ida Lee Park Recreation Center, 60 Ida Lee Drive NW |
| 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Mistletoe Market | Courthouse Square, 9 East Market Street |
| 6 p.m. | Holiday Tree Lighting | Town Green, 25 West Market Street |
Both daytime events close at 4 p.m., and the tree lighting starts two hours later. The craft show also runs Sunday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., which makes it the one stop you can push to the next day. If Saturday looks full, go to Ida Lee on Sunday and keep Saturday for downtown.
Morning at Ida Lee, when the craft show is calmest
The craft show fills more of the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center than most visitors expect. The Town's holiday page puts vendors in the basketball courts, the aerobics room, the main hallway and the lower level. The lower level is used only for the holiday edition of the show. According to the Town's events calendar, more than 95 local and regional artisans take part.
The show has strict rules about what can be sold. Every item must be handcrafted by the artist selling it, wholesale and resale goods aren't allowed, and a panel of qualified professionals juries every applicant. The Town lists candles, stained glass, carved wood, jewelry and table linens among the usual goods. Admission and parking are free.
Getting there at 9 a.m. gives you two hours at the show before the Mistletoe Market opens downtown at 11. Leave Ida Lee around then and you reach Courthouse Square while the market is still in its first hour.
Midday on the courthouse lawn
The Mistletoe Market is a smaller, outdoor event, and it's run by a different group. The Leesburg Movement describes itself as an all-volunteer, independent 501(c)(3) and a Main Street America chapter. Its members are downtown business owners and residents of the historic district, and its focus is the economic and cultural health of downtown.
The event listing says the market "returns to the courthouse lawn" this year "with even more vendors," plus holiday performances, sweet treats and "an appearance by the big man himself." Visit Loudoun's listing gives the same date and hours.
The market closes at 4 p.m., two hours before the tree lighting a short walk away on West Market Street.
The two hours between the market and the tree
From 4 to 6 p.m. the outdoor events are over and the lights aren't on yet. Three downtown storefronts that local news covered as new openings this year are within that stretch of King and Market streets, and each fits that window in a different way.
Kilwins Ice Cream & Chocolate, 17 South King Street. Loudoun Now reported in mid-September that the shop would open that Sunday. The Town held its ribbon cutting on October 8. The Town's announcement lists chocolates, fudge, caramel apples, caramel corn, brittle and premium ice cream, with many of the signature items made fresh in an open kitchen. Owner Nancy Carter grew up in Michigan. "It feels magnificent to be open as we have conversations each day with guests who feel the same way," she told the Town. On a December evening, it's somewhere warm to wait with a snack before the tree lighting.
The Painter's Cottage, 23 North King Street. The Loudoun Times-Mirror ran its opening story on October 14, 2026. Three artists, Denise Berg, Nikki Heinrich and Diane Hill, opened the shop to sell their own work and other local artists' work, according to the Loudoun Times-Mirror. It carries artisan, antique and vintage home décor along with jewelry, soaps, teas and honey. A separate DIY room stocks Dixie Belle paint and Iron Orchid Designs transfers, and the owners plan to hold regular crafting workshops. Berg used to run The Painted Pig in Lovettsville. "Most items in our shop are one of a kind," she told the paper. That's the same handmade standard as the craft show that morning, in a downtown shop that stays open after the holidays.
Hare and Hen, 26 West Market Street. This children's boutique had its grand-opening ribbon cutting on June 4, 2026, the Town reported. It's on West Market Street, the same street as Town Green, which makes it the last stop before the tree lighting.
That makes a simple walk: Kilwins and The Painter's Cottage are on King Street, a short distance from the market, and Hare and Hen is on West Market near the tree.
Two free parking stops cover the whole day
Parking is easy on December 5 because it's a Saturday. The Town's downtown parking page lists the Town Hall Garage at 10 Loudoun Street SW as free all day on weekends and holidays, with entrances on West Market Street and Loudoun Street. On weekdays the garage charges $1 an hour after the first two free hours, up to $10 a day, and parking is free after 7 p.m. The Loudoun County Garage at 146 Loudoun Street SE is also open to the public all day on weekends. On weekdays before 5 p.m. it's reserved for County employees and customers.
Ida Lee has its own free parking for the craft show. So the day takes two parking stops: Ida Lee in the morning, then the Town Hall Garage from late morning until after the tree lighting, with no meters to feed.
Here's the day in order:
- Park free at Ida Lee Park and get to the craft show when it opens at 9 a.m.
- Leave around 11 a.m. and park in the Town Hall Garage, which is free all day Saturday.
- Walk to Courthouse Square for the Mistletoe Market before it closes at 4 p.m.
- Spend 4 to 6 p.m. at Kilwins, The Painter's Cottage and Hare and Hen.
- Be on Town Green at 6 p.m. for the lights, live music and holiday characters.
The Town marks the tree lighting date as subject to change, so check the holiday events page the week before.
A week later, the parade starts where the craft show was
The Christmas and Holiday Parade is set for Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 6 p.m., with Sunday, December 13, as the rain date. It starts at Ida Lee Park, the same place as the craft show, and brings Santa down King Street through historic downtown. Anyone can enter the parade for free, and the Town has posted the 2026 entry form. The Town's pages give different endpoints for the route, so check the final route on the Town's holiday page when it's posted.
Last year's notice shows what parade night usually looks like. The Town posted it on December 5, 2025, eight days before that parade. It closed King Street to traffic at 5:15 p.m. from Battlefield Parkway to Catoctin Circle, reopened the streets after Public Works finished cleanup, and published a detour map at leesburgva.gov/parade-detour. That was the 2025 plan. The 2026 notice will confirm this year's closures, and if the Town keeps last year's timing, it would come out around the tree-lighting weekend.
Last year the Town also named four places to park: the Town Hall Parking Garage, the Pennington Parking Garage, the Loudoun County Government Center Parking Garage and the Liberty Street Parking Lot. If you used the Town Hall Garage on December 5, you'll already know the way in, and it's free on weekends.
Other dates for the calendar
The two Saturdays are the main events, but a few other dates fall around them:
- November 6, 2026: Reston Town Center's outdoor ice-skating pavilion reopens and runs through March 14, 2027, weather permitting.
- November 14, 2026: NOVA Parks' Bright Nights at Cameron Run, at 4001 Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, opens for a run through January 3, 2027. New this year are lighted mini-golf, a scavenger hunt and a giant maze.
- November 21, 2026: The Freeze Your Gizzard Cross Country 5K and 1-mile Fun Run takes place at Ida Lee Park, in partnership with Loudoun Hunger Relief.
- December 5 and 6, 2026: Craft show, Mistletoe Market and tree lighting, as above.
- December 12, 2026: Christmas and Holiday Parade, with a December 13 rain date.
If out-of-town family is visiting in early December, the first weekend is the easiest to plan around. After a morning at Ida Lee, the rest of that day runs on foot from one free downtown garage.
We love sharing what's happening around downtown Leesburg, and we're glad to answer your questions about the town anytime. Start the conversation and connect with Susan & Joe Team.
