Most of the City of Fairfax's holiday calendar happens over ten days. From Friday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 13, the city's 10th Annual Holiday Market sets up at Old Town Square for two weekends. The tree lighting, a Main Street vendor market, a gingerbread contest and the holiday afternoon at Historic Blenheim all fall on those same two weekends.
Because everything is packed so close together, the November dates matter more than they seem to. Some programs fill up, some have application deadlines, and the full Festival of Lights and Carols performance schedule won't be posted until November. If you treat November as the time to sign up, those six December days are much easier to plan.
The First Weekend, Built Around Saturday, Dec. 5
The first Saturday is the busiest day of the season, because two city events share Old Town Square at 10415 North St. on the same afternoon. The Holiday Market is open from noon to 6 p.m. that day. The Festival of Lights and Carols has the same hours. The city's page promises live holiday music, free s'mores, warm cider and children's crafts. The market page doesn't list separate entertainment for that Saturday. It points visitors to the festival's performance schedule.
| Time | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4, 5–8 p.m. | Holiday Market opening night | Old Town Square |
| Sat., Dec. 5, noon | Holiday Market and Festival of Lights and Carols open | Old Town Square |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 3–5 p.m. | Photos with Santa | Old Town Square |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m. | Tree lighting and caroling | Old Town Square |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 6 p.m. | Market and festival close | Old Town Square |
| Sun., Dec. 6, noon–4 p.m. | Fairfax Main St. Market | Main Street, Chain Bridge Rd. to University Dr. |
| Sun., Dec. 6, noon–5 p.m. | Holiday Market | Old Town Square |
The tree lighting comes half an hour before both events close. That leaves a family arriving for the 5:30 ceremony with very little time at the vendor tables afterward. If you're there to shop, plan to go before the Santa line forms at 3 or come back Sunday. Friday night is also an option, since the market runs alone from 5 to 8 p.m.
On Sunday the season moves onto Main Street. The Old Town Fairfax Business Association's Fairfax Main St. Market runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Dec. 6 along Main Street between Chain Bridge Road and University Drive. Vendors sell vintage finds, handmade goods, jewelry, accessories and home goods. The Holiday Market at the square stays open until 5, so from noon to 4 that Sunday you can shop both without moving the car.
The Second Weekend Moves Toward Blenheim Boulevard
The Holiday Market comes back Dec. 11–13 on the same schedule: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, noon to 6 Saturday and noon to 5 Sunday. The city says each weekend brings "a rotating lineup of talented craft vendors," with more than 30 artisans each weekend. Because the vendors change, coming back the second weekend means new booths to shop.
Saturday, Dec. 12, pulls the day toward Blenheim Boulevard. In the morning, The Gingerbread Games has teams building and decorating gingerbread houses at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center, 3740 Blenheim Blvd., from 10 to 10:45 a.m. From noon to 3 p.m., A Historic Holiday at Blenheim at 3610 Blenheim Blvd. offers cookie decorating, crafts, traditional games and activities about how the holidays were celebrated in the past. It is free and doesn't require registration. The Holiday Market is open again at Old Town Square from noon to 6.
On Dec. 12 you can build gingerbread in the morning, spend midday at Blenheim and finish the afternoon at the market. Draper's Steak & Seafood at 3936 Blenheim Blvd. is on the same corridor if the day runs into dinner.
The Deadlines Come Before the Dates
The real planning for those two weekends happens in November. These are the dates on the city's pages when sign-ups open or close:
- Oct. 29 at noon: Registration opens for the Nov. 19 Museum Explorers session. Sign-ups for the Nov. 5 session opened Oct. 15. Both sessions run from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at the Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center, 10209 Main St. They're for ages 2 to 4 with an adult, and each one looks at a single object through crafts, songs and stories. They're free, but registration is required.
- November: The city says the Festival of Lights and Carols performance schedule will be posted in November.
- Nov. 18: Application deadline for The Gingerbread Games. It costs $35 per team, and only the first 12 teams are accepted.
- Dec. 10: Registration opens for Noon Years Eve at the Museum, a free family countdown from 11 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Dec. 31, at 10209 Main St.
The Gingerbread Games deadline is the one to watch. With only 12 teams, applying by Nov. 18 may not be enough, because the cap can fill first.
November's Own Calendar
Before December, Old Town has a few November events of its own, and each one is a separate outing.
The Old Town Hall Performance Series brings iMusical to 3999 University Drive on Friday, Nov. 6, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. The performers make up a musical on the spot from audience suggestions, and admission is free.
The city's 40th Annual Holiday Craft Show fills Fairfax High School, 3501 Lion Run, on Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are sold at the door: $5 for one day or $8 for both, and anyone under 18 gets in free. On that Sunday, free photos with Santa run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the city asks visitors to bring their own camera. That's two weeks before Santa's Dec. 5 appearance at Old Town Square, and likely a calmer room than the square an hour before the tree lighting.
On Saturday, Nov. 28, the Fairfax Funky Flea Market sets up at 4031 University Drive, one block from Main Street, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The business association lists more than 70 outdoor vendors. With the craft show the weekend before and the Holiday Market the weekend after, that makes three straight weekends of local vendors before December gets busy.
Where to Eat Between Events
The restaurants below were on the lineup FFXnow published for Fairfax City Restaurant Week in August 2026, which is the latest local confirmation that they're open.
- Bellissimo Restaurant, 10403 Main St., Italian
- Commonwealth Brewing Co., 10426 Main St., house-brewed beer and food
- The Auld Shebeen, 3971 Chain Bridge Rd., Irish pub and restaurant
- Hamrock's Restaurant, 3950 Chain Bridge Rd. #10, with gluten-free options, wine and afternoon tea
- Patriots Pub & Grill, 10560 Main St., Greek-American fare, wings, burgers and pizza
- Draper's Steak & Seafood, 3936 Blenheim Blvd., steaks and seafood
Afternoon tea at Hamrock's fits well between the Holiday Market and the 5:30 tree lighting on Dec. 5. Commonwealth Brewing and The Auld Shebeen fit Friday evenings, when the market closes at 8.
The newest place on Main Street is SimSim at 9998 Main St. Its website gives a grand-opening date of Sept. 6, 2026. In its October roundup of new restaurants, Northern Virginia Magazine described it as Palestinian and Ukrainian cooking "under one roof, with a 100% halal menu." The menu includes haneeth and mansaf alongside Ukrainian comfort food. Farther out on the corridor, Roll Play Grill is set to bring pho, banh mi, rice bowls and fresh rolls to Fairfax Pointe at 10955 Fairfax Blvd. FFXnow reported a November target but no specific opening day, so it may or may not be open by market season.
Parking for a Busy Saturday
The city's Old Town public parking map shows public lots at Old Town Plaza, Victorian Square and Old Town Square, plus on-street spaces and evening and weekend parking. The map also says time limits or other restrictions may apply. The Old Town Fairfax Business Association says public parking in Old Town is free. Victorian Square has free upper and lower decks, and De Clieu Coffee & Sandwich at 10389 Main St. has an accessible ramp from the Victorian Square entrance to its back door. On Dec. 5, both events open at noon and the tree lighting draws its own crowd at 5:30, so arriving earlier in the afternoon should make a space easier to find.
If you're starting to think about how a home near Old Town would fit your own December routines, from walking to the tree lighting to picking up the car at Victorian Square, Pat Fales and Pam Morgan Associates would be glad to talk through the streets around Old Town Square with you. Contact Us whenever you're ready.
