At 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, a crowd will gather in the City of Sonora Fire Museum parking lot on Washington Street to watch downtown's holiday lights come on. That's the night before Thanksgiving. Two days later, on Black Friday, the 43rd Annual Historic Downtown Sonora Christmas Parade starts at 6 p.m., rain or shine.
Last year both events landed one day later on the calendar. In fact, almost every event on the Christmas Town Sonora calendar did. The Sonora Chamber of Commerce produces the season. Its events kept the same weekdays from 2025 to 2026, and the dates moved back one day as the calendar did.
The Whole Calendar Moved One Day
Here's how the 2025 dates compare with this year's. The 2025 dates come from the Christmas Town Sonora archive, and the 2026 dates come from the official 2026 Christmas Town map.
| Event | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Crafting with Tuolumne County Arts, 3:30 p.m. | Wed., Nov. 26 | Wed., Nov. 25 |
| Lighting ceremony, 5:30 p.m. | Wed., Nov. 26 | Wed., Nov. 25 |
| Historic Christmas Parade, 6 p.m. | Fri., Nov. 28 | Fri., Nov. 27 |
| Christmas Tree Lane opens | Dec. 3 | Dec. 2 |
| Celtic Christmas Concert, 2 p.m. | Sun., Dec. 7 | Sun., Dec. 6 |
| Gingerbread houses with Santa | Sun., Dec. 14 | Sun., Dec. 13 |
| Holly Jolly Wagon Fridays | Dec. 5, 12, 19 | Dec. 4, 11, 18 |
| Santa reads letters on KAAD-LP | Fri., Dec. 19 | Fri., Dec. 18 |
The lighting ceremony is set for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the parade for the Friday after it, and the carriage rides for December Fridays. So if you plan by weekday, last year's routine still works. If you plan by date, nearly everything comes one day sooner. The Giving Tree is the exception, covered below.
Wednesday Comes in Two Parts
Thanksgiving Eve starts in the afternoon. At 3:30 p.m. there's a free crafting session with TC Arts at the Aronos Club, 37 Elkin St. Last year the same workshop was co-hosted by the Sonora Chamber of Commerce, the Aronos Research Club and Tuolumne County Arts, and it ran until 5:30. That ends right as the lighting ceremony begins at the Fire Museum lot a short walk away, so you can do both in one trip downtown.
The 2025 listing says the ceremony lit up St. James Episcopal Church, the Red Church, along with Christmas Tree Lane in Courthouse Park. This year's schedule calls it the Holiday Lighting Ceremony for Downtown Sonora.
Black Friday's Parade Starts Shaping Downtown at 2 p.m.
The parade steps off at 6, but downtown starts changing hours earlier. The Chamber's 2026 parade entry application has the timeline for the staging area on School Street between Snell and Washington streets:
- 2 p.m.: School Street closes to through traffic.
- 3 p.m.: Only parade vehicles are allowed on School Street, and Snell Street closes from N. Green Street to Bonanza Road.
- 3 p.m.: The free trolley from the Junction Shopping Center to downtown starts running.
- 4:30 p.m.: Every parade entry must be in its assigned spot.
- 6 p.m.: The parade starts.
The Chamber says it made "a few improvements" to the application this year. One is easy to see when you compare it with an older version. The 2022 application restricted School Street traffic after 4 p.m., while the 2026 version closes it to through traffic at 2. On Black Friday, many downtown shops will be open while School Street fills up with floats, so that earlier closure affects anyone running errands that afternoon.
Recent years show how the rest of the evening tends to go. In 2024, myMotherLode reported that Tuolumne County Transit ran the free shuttle from The Junction near TJ Maxx starting at 3 p.m. It dropped riders at Lyons and Shepherd streets and looped every 15 to 20 minutes. That year the full route closed at 5:30 p.m., including Washington Street between Highway 108 and Elkin Street, plus Stockton Street, Restano Way and the connecting streets. Those were the 2024 arrangements. The confirmed 2026 details are the 3 p.m. trolley start and the School Street and Snell Street times above.
If your business, club or family wants to be in the parade, entries are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13. The fee is $25 per entry, which covers up to 10 vehicles plus walkers. The Chamber asks entries to follow a festive holiday theme and to decorate so they "SHINE" in a nighttime parade.
Two Things Start the Day After Thanksgiving
The parade isn't the only thing that starts on Nov. 27. The Giving Tree at Wildbud Floral Co., 59 S. Washington St., runs from that day through Dec. 18. Last year's Giving Tree closed on Dec. 20, so this year's ends two days sooner. If you want to pick an ornament and buy a gift for someone in need, Thanksgiving weekend is the natural time to start.
The next morning, Saturday, Nov. 28, Aloft Art Gallery at 105 S. Washington St. holds the first of two Gingerbread Man Ornament Workshops with its artists, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The second is Dec. 19.
December Runs on Fridays
After Thanksgiving weekend, Friday evenings have the most going on. On Dec. 4 and 18, all three of these overlap. On Dec. 11, the wagon and Tree Lane run without Santa:
- The Holly Jolly Wagon. Columbia Stage Line and Stable gives horse-drawn carriage rides through downtown from 4 to 7 p.m., weather permitting. Take "weather permitting" seriously. The Dec. 19, 2025 ride was canceled because of rain.
- Santa's House on W. Jackson St. Santa is in from 4 to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Dec. 4–5, 12 and 18–19, and you can drop a letter in the North Pole Mailbox.
- Christmas Tree Lane at Courthouse Park. Trees decorated by more than 50 local nonprofits stay up from Dec. 2 through Dec. 31.
If Friday nights are too crowded, Santa also keeps shorter weekday hours, 3 to 5 p.m., Sunday through Thursday on Dec. 6–10, 15–17 and 20–23.
Saturday, Dec. 12 adds one more evening. Downtown 2nd Saturday Art Night runs from 5 to 8 p.m. along Washington Street. December is its last date on the 2026 listing. Aloft Art Gallery has 2nd Saturday Holiday Art Nights on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12.
The Events That Need an RSVP
Most of the season is drop-in. A few events are held in smaller rooms with limited space:
- Celtic Christmas Concert with Sequoia Tree-O, Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m., at St. James Episcopal Church, the Red Church.
- Gingerbread House Making with Santa, Sunday, Dec. 13, at the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Sonora Lodge #10. Sessions are at noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., and you'll need to reserve through ChristmasTownSonora.org. Last year the lodge hosted at its space at 10 W. Dodge St., which was the fourth year it held the event.
- Tinsel & Tipsy at Nox Coffee, Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Come dressed as your favorite holiday movie character. RSVP required. Last year Nox hosted Holiday Stories & Hot Toddies for adults, and every RSVP spot was taken before the night arrived.
- Santa reads letters to Santa on KAAD-LP Radio, Friday, Dec. 18 starting at 4 p.m. You can listen online or over the air. Last year the letters came from the North Pole mailbox, and the station broadcasts at 103.5 FM.
All of these events are free, thanks to the Christmas Town Sonora sponsors. Since the Nox evening filled up last year, it makes sense to send your RSVPs in November.
Planning to have family in town for Thanksgiving, then hosting more guests in December? We love helping neighbors get the most out of the Mother Lode's holiday season, and we're glad to share what we know about downtown Sonora any time. And if a move is in your plans for the new year, Kristin Frankhauser and the Mother Lode Real Estate Team are a phone call away. Get your free instant home valuation and start the year knowing where you stand.
