Where do you find Santa in Sewickley this December? On Friday night, Saturday after the parade, and on four Sunday afternoons when the carriage rides start, the answer is the same: the gazebo at Wolcott Park.
That gazebo is the closest thing to a map for the 2026 season. The big events fall into one weekend, December 4 through 6. Light Up Night fans out over Broad Street, Walnut Street, Beaver Street and two parking lots. The weekend after that is quieter, but the season keeps going, and the Sewickley Valley Chamber of Commerce has set up a Holiday Village Passport that keeps shoppers moving through the village until January 16, 2027.
Below is the season in order, starting with the one shop that opens on the day this post goes out.
Thursday, November 12: A Pop-Up Above Bean Candle Co.
The first holiday shopping on the village calendar opens today. The Looms & Lilies Holiday Pop-Up runs November 12 through 18 at 408½ Beaver Street, upstairs from Bean Candle Co. It's open daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Chamber's listing describes pashminas, embroidered jackets, robes and gifts. The shop posts on Instagram as @loomsandlilies. A pop-up that closes at 3 p.m. suits a weekday lunch break or an errand on a weekend morning. It closes the week before Thanksgiving, so anyone who wants an early start on gifts has seven days.
Friday, December 4: Light Up Night Spreads Across the Village
Light Up Night begins at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 4. On a typical weekend the village runs along Beaver Street. This night is planned across nine separate spots, and the plan is easier to follow by place than by time.
| Where | What the 2026 program lists |
|---|---|
| Broad Street | Main stage, emceed by Larry Richert of KDKA, with Wexford School of Rock at 5 p.m., then Neon Bridges Band and the JAGGERZ |
| Walnut Street | Youth stage, emceed by Tom Forrest, opening with John Tucci |
| FNB on Beaver Street | Horse-drawn carriage rides depart, 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Beaver and Chestnut Street parking lot | Ice sculpting contest, 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Green Street parking lot | More than 20 food trucks |
| Borough Hall lawn | New Kids' Zone with SweetRide, cotton candy, face painting and a Santa Hotline |
| Wolcott Park | Santa in the gazebo |
| Sewickley Public Library | Kids' activities |
| The Lindsay Theater | Warming center |
Fireworks start at 8 p.m. The Sewickley Borough calendar lists the event under Community Events. The program also lists St. Paul's Lutheran, St. James, United Methodist, St. Matthew's AME Zion and St. Stephen's under "Activities at Local Churches," with details still to come.
The table shows a split. The new Kids' Zone, the library, and Santa at Wolcott Park give families with small children their own route. The two stages, the food trucks, and the ice carving at Beaver and Chestnut draw everyone else. The Lindsay Theater sits on Broad Street, so the warming center is close to the main stage. That's handy in early December, when the evening program runs about three hours.
Families with young children could do the Kids' Zone, the gazebo and the library early, then walk to Broad Street for the 8 p.m. fireworks. Families with older kids or teens may get more out of the Walnut Street youth stage, which has its own emcee and lineup.
Saturday, December 5: The Parade Ends at the Same Gazebo
Sewickley doesn't leave a quiet day between events. The Santa Parade, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Quaker Valley, runs Saturday morning, December 5, in downtown Sewickley. The Chamber lists a 10:30 a.m. start. After the parade, Santa goes back to the Wolcott Park gazebo until 1 p.m. That's the second straight day the gazebo is where families find him.
The same morning, the Sewickley Valley Garden Club holds its Greens & Goodies sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Stephen's Henning House, 327 Broad Street. The listing advertises floral arrangements, plants, soups, cookies, ornaments and more. Holiday wreath preorders were new this year, and the order deadline was November 6. Anyone who ordered a wreath picks it up at the December 5 sale. Proceeds go toward garden beautification at Sewickley Public Library and other community projects.
The parade's Santa visit ends at 1 p.m. and the Greens & Goodies sale runs until 3 p.m. On Broad Street, one Saturday morning can cover the parade, Santa at the gazebo, and greenery and baked goods for the house.
The Sundays After: Carriage Rides From Wolcott Park
Once the weekend is over, the season's events spread out, and Wolcott Park is still the starting point. Free horse-drawn carriage rides sponsored by FNB leave from Wolcott Park on Sundays, December 6, 13, 20 and 27, from noon to 4 p.m.
The departure point changes after Friday. On Light Up Night the carriages leave from FNB on Beaver Street. On the four Sunday afternoons they leave from the park.
The last Sunday is December 27, two days after Christmas. That gives out-of-town guests who are still around for the holiday week a free afternoon activity in the village. For residents who'd skip the Light Up Night crowd, the Sunday rides are the calmer way to see the village in December.
November 27 to January 16: The Passport
The Chamber's Holiday Village Passport is what carries the season past the first weekend of December. It begins Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, and runs through Saturday, January 16, 2027. That's about seven weeks, with Light Up Night roughly a week in.
The passport is a bingo card filled in by visiting participating businesses. Here's how the Chamber's rules work:
- Pick up a passport at any participating business, or download it online.
- Visit participating businesses. Each one has its own Holiday Village Passport dot to verify the activity.
- Five squares in a row, horizontally, vertically or diagonally, makes a Bingo line and earns one entry.
- Completing all 25 squares adds five bonus entries, for a maximum of 17.
- Write your name, email address and phone number on the passport and drop it in the branded ballot box at Sewickley Public Library during regular hours, by 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, 2027.
Three winners will be drawn at random on Monday, January 18, 2027, and will receive gift cards of $250, $100 and $50 to the participating business of their choice. The Chamber will announce winners on its social media channels and contact them by email or phone.
The 25-square card is meant to take more than one visit. It's possible to fill a single Bingo line during Light Up Night. Completing the whole card takes repeat trips through the weeks after Christmas, when the village quiets down. Because the drop box is at Sewickley Public Library, the last step of the season happens a short walk from where it started.
The Year Behind This Season
The Chamber opens its passport announcement with this year's recognition. In the 2026 USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice awards, Sewickley was named the No. 1 Best Small Town in the Northeast, with results published April 8, 2026. Sewickley's 10Best profile also shows a No. 7 finish for Best Small Town Food Scene.
The food-scene finish fits Light Up Night, which brings more than 20 food trucks to the Green Street lot. Those trucks will be there for one evening. The village's own shops and restaurants are the ones the passport sends people back to every week until the middle of January.
Putting the Dates on the Fridge
The full 2026 calendar, in order:
- November 12 to 18: Looms & Lilies Holiday Pop-Up, 408½ Beaver Street, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily
- November 27: Holiday Village Passport begins
- December 4: Light Up Night from 5 p.m., fireworks at 8 p.m.
- December 5: Santa Parade in the morning, Santa at Wolcott Park until 1 p.m., Greens & Goodies at 327 Broad Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- December 6, 13, 20 and 27: Free FNB carriage rides from Wolcott Park, noon to 4 p.m.
- January 16, 2027: Passports due at Sewickley Public Library by 5 p.m.
Schedules sometimes change in the last weeks before an event, so check the Chamber and Borough listings again before you head out on December 4 and 5.
I was born and raised in Sewickley, and I still mark my calendar for the first weekend in December. If you're hosting family this season, or just deciding whether to stay in the village through the holidays, I'm glad to share what I know about the place I grew up. With Emily Wilhelm, the conversation starts whenever you're ready. Let's Connect.
