Last December, the forecast changed the City of Katy's plans. Worried about the weather later that week, the City moved its annual Christmas Tree Lighting to Saturday, Dec. 6, and put it on the same day as the Katy Nutcracker Exchange at Historic Katy Town Square, 904 Avenue C. The combined day ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The tree was lit at 5:45 p.m. after a day of mechanical reindeer rides, photos with Santa, a petting zoo, cookie decorating, live music by Hayden Baker, DJ Max, carolers and snow on the square. The City's announcement said the change would help "maximize attendance" and support downtown businesses.
This year the two events share a date again. The City of Katy events page lists the Christmas Tree Lighting and the Katy Nutcracker Exchange for Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, at the same square. The Exchange runs from 2 to 8 p.m. One week later, on Dec. 12, the Katy Heritage Society holds its own afternoon and evening at Katy Heritage Park. So Katy's two biggest community holiday days fall on back-to-back Saturdays in the old part of town, and everything else in November leads up to them.
A market series in its second year closes on the square
The Nutcracker Exchange is the last stop in a series that's still new. The City introduced the Katy Exchange in 2025 as a free series of six markets running from March to December, featuring local artisans, vendors and makers. Covering Katy reported that the first market, on March 15, 2025, would bring more than 90 vendors to Historic Town Square, along with live music from Breakfast at Tiffany's, food trucks and a bar run by No Label Brewing Co. and Twins Tavern Katy. That first-year schedule ended with a December 6 market, the same date the weather later turned into the combined tree-lighting day.
The 2026 schedule kept the six-market pattern. The first market was Saturday, March 14, followed by an Easter Exchange on April 4, a May 9 market and an International Food Fest Exchange on June 13. Two markets are left this year:
- Katy Exchange, Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Historic Town Square, with handmade and one-of-a-kind goods from local vendors.
- Katy Nutcracker Exchange, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2 to 8 p.m. at the same square, on the same day as the Christmas Tree Lighting.
The Nov. 14 market comes the morning after the City's Fall Community Campout at VFW Park, 6202 George Bush Drive. That free overnight event runs from 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, to 9 a.m. Saturday, with a hot dog dinner from Parkway Fellowship North Katy and an outdoor movie. Registration is already closed.
The Dec. 5 market starts in the afternoon and runs until 8 p.m. If you're coming for both the shopping and the lighting, you can spend the afternoon at the vendor tables and stay into the evening. Last year's combined day ended with the lighting in the early evening. Check the City's events page the week of the event for the 2026 ceremony time.
Seven days later, Katy Heritage Park takes the evening
On Dec. 12, the holiday crowd shifts to Katy Heritage Park, 5990 George Bush Drive, where the Katy Heritage Society has planned the whole afternoon and evening.
The day starts with the 2nd Annual TubaChristmas from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuba and euphonium players from local schools and the community play carols among the historic homes. This is only the second year, so it's still a new event on Katy's calendar.
Christmas at The Park 2026 follows from 6 to 8 p.m. A ticket includes:
- A cup of hot cocoa, while supplies last
- A letter to Santa and a seasonal craft
- A tour of the historic homes and the decorated Christmas trees
- Christmas music
The event schedule also lists a Rudolph and Frosty movie on the park grounds and pictures with Santa at the Wright Museum. Everyone age 1 and older needs a ticket. Food, merchandise and the hayride cost extra. The Society says all purchases count as donations and are non-refundable.
Prices depend on when you buy. Early admission is $10, general admission is $12, and tickets bought the day before or at the gate are $15. General admission sales close at 3:13 p.m. on Dec. 11, per the Christmas at The Park event page. Buying a week ahead saves a few dollars per person. For a family of four, that's about $12 compared with buying at the gate.
The add-on with the most local flavor is the Christmas Hayride 2026, also from 6 to 8 p.m. It leaves from Heritage Park and loops around downtown Katy to see the Christmas lights, and every ride stops at Southern Dough Baking Co. You need a park admission ticket as well as the hayride ticket.
Taken together, the Dec. 12 events can fill an afternoon:
- 4:00 p.m.: TubaChristmas at Katy Heritage Park
- 5:30 p.m.: The concert ends, a half hour before the evening program
- 6:00 p.m.: Christmas at The Park opens, with the movie on the grounds and Santa at the Wright Museum
- 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.: Hayride window, with a stop at Southern Dough Baking Co.
How November builds toward the square
Most of November's holiday calendar is shopping and food, so it works as a run-up to the Dec. 5 market. Here's what's still ahead as of publication, in date order:
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 14 | Katy Exchange | Historic Town Square, 904 Avenue C | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., local vendors |
| Nov. 18 to 19 | Katy ISD Thanksgiving bake sale | Old Town Bistro, Miller Career and Technology Center | Wed. 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thu. 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., card only |
| Nov. 20 to 22 | Home for the Holidays Gift Market | Katy Merrell Center, 6301 S. Stadium Lane | 130-plus merchants, Santa all weekend |
| Nov. 26 | Katy YMCA Turkey Dash | Monty Ballard YMCA at Cinco Ranch, 22807 Westheimer Parkway | 10K at 7:30 a.m., Turkey Tailgate after |
| Nov. 6 to Jan. 3 | The Light Park | Typhoon Texas parking lot, 555 Katy Fort Bend Road | Drive-through, priced per car |
A few details about each:
The bake sale is run by Katy ISD Culinary Arts students. They sell pumpkin pies, cranberry orange pies, dinner rolls, decorated sugar cookies and pumpkin cream cheese rolls. New this year, students in the Construction Trades program will also sell handmade wood projects. My Neighborhood News reported that the sale takes cards only.
Home for the Holidays Gift Market has been running for 19 years and is a much bigger, ticketed event than the free Town Square markets. Shopping covers two floors of the Merrell Center. "First Call Shopping" runs Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, and general admission runs Friday from noon to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is free, children 12 and under get in free, and tickets work for re-entry with a wristband and email confirmation.
The Turkey Dash is in its 24th year, according to My Neighborhood News. The 5K walk/run starts at 7:50 a.m., the 1-mile kids race for ages 3 to 12 at 9:15 a.m., and the 1-mile family walk/run at 9:30 a.m. Every finisher gets a medal. The Turkey Tailgate afterward includes a Kids Zone and local vendors.
The Light Park runs every night from Nov. 6 through Jan. 3, rain or shine, with one price per car. The $29.99 presale ran through Nov. 5, and the page lists $60 as the regular price. It's the one event on this list that lasts all season. The others each happen on one day or one weekend.
Apart from the Friday-night campout, every remaining event on the City's and the Heritage Society's calendars this season falls on a Saturday. That's why the Nov. 14 market, the Dec. 5 Nutcracker Exchange and tree lighting, and the Dec. 12 Heritage Park evening are the three days to plan around.
The Bogany Team keeps up with neighborhood calendars like this year-round because we think knowing your community is part of feeling at home in it. If you're spending these Saturdays in Old Katy and starting to think about your next move nearby, Shad Bogany and our team would be glad to talk with you. Schedule a Free Home Consultation.
