City Hall lights its tree Friday, December 4. Rowayton lights its trees at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, December 5, and South Norwalk lights its tree at 5:50 p.m. the same evening. The events are run by different organizers, and their times fall into a sequence. Once you know the order, the weekend becomes a route.
The only real conflict comes on Friday night. Saturday has a gap built into it.
Friday Has the One Real Conflict
The City of Norwalk's City Hall Tree Lighting Ceremony starts at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, December 4, outside City Hall at 125 East Avenue. The city lists carolers, hot chocolate and goodie bags for children. Santa and the mayor light the tree at 7:15 p.m. The lighting is free and open to the public.
There is also a ticketed Family Magic Show inside the building at 6:00 p.m., before the outdoor program begins. You enter through City Hall's main entrance, and the city's event listing has the ticket link. If your children want both, arrive before 6:00. Leave the magic show around 6:30 and the evening carries you straight to the lighting at 7:15.
The Rowayton Civic Association holds its second annual Holiday Bike Parade at the same hour, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. Riders are encouraged to decorate their bikes with lights. The association says there will be places to gather and watch all along Lower Rowayton Ave.
The two Friday events start together but end at different times. City Hall's program is listed until 7:30 p.m., and the bike parade runs another hour after that. A family that watches the tree light at 7:15 can still reach Rowayton Ave while the parade is going, if they're willing to see the second half. Riders face the opposite choice. Anyone on a bike in the parade is committed to Rowayton for the night.
Saturday Starts on the Five Mile River
Saturday belongs to Rowayton until late afternoon. The Holiday Stroll runs from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on December 5. The Rowayton Civic Association says this year's version is "bigger and better," with an expanded Holiday Market and a full-day schedule.
The morning is about Santa's arrival by water. He comes by boat to Pinkney Park at 11:00 a.m., and watch parties along the Five Mile River start at 10:30. He stays at the park for about two hours for photos. There's no official photographer, so the association asks families to take their own pictures with their phones. At the park, children can also try the Holiday Bounce House, write a letter to Santa, have milk and cookies, and ride the mechanical reindeer.
Bring an unwrapped toy. The Mike Barbis Toy Drive collects them at both Pinkney Park and the Rowayton Fire Station. The association will also post a link for buying toys for the Carver Foundation, which serves children up to age 13.
The rest of the day centers on shopping and the afternoon:
- Holiday Market at Pinkney Park. Runs into the evening, closing at 7:00 p.m. Vendors will be announced in the days before the event.
- Gardener's Christmas Market. In Pinkney Park next to the Holiday Market, open all day.
- Holiday cocktail contest at the Rowayton Fire House. Tastings run from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. This is the 13th year of a contest that started with eggnog and now covers holiday cocktails generally.
- Holiday beer garden. Runs through the early evening, with post parties continuing on Rowayton Ave.
The afternoon schedule depends on one road closure. Rowayton Ave closes from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. between Witch Lane and McKinley, and the merchants fill the street with decorations and treats. The association points drivers to three places to park: the Witch Lane lot, Rowayton Elementary School and the Rowayton train station. If you arrive after 2:00, the street is set up for walking, and parking at one of those three lots is the practical way in.
Fifty Minutes Between Pinkney Park and Washington Street
The evening is when Saturday's sequence matters. Santa leaves the Rowayton Firehouse on foot at 4:45 p.m. and walks to Pinkney Park, and anyone can walk with him. Rowayton Elementary carolers sing, and the lights come on at 5:00 p.m. for Light Up Rowayton.
Visit Norwalk's 5th Annual Holiday Extravaganza is already underway by then. It runs from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 50 Washington Street in South Norwalk, and admission is free. Its tree lighting comes at 5:50 p.m., 50 minutes after Rowayton's.
Here is how the two evenings line up:
| Time | Rowayton, Pinkney Park and Rowayton Ave | SoNo, 50 Washington Street |
|---|---|---|
| 4:00 p.m. | Stroll continues, road still closed | Holiday Extravaganza opens |
| 4:45 p.m. | Santa walks from the Firehouse to Pinkney Park | Market and entertainment underway |
| 5:00 p.m. | Light Up Rowayton | Roton Middle School Choir |
| 5:45 p.m. | Beer garden and post parties on Rowayton Ave | Holiday characters rappel down the SONO50 building |
| 5:50 p.m. | Tree lighting | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Ladies of Finesse perform | |
| 6:10 p.m. | Santa meet-and-greets begin | |
| 7:00 p.m. | Stroll ends, Rowayton Ave reopens | Event continues until 8:00 p.m. |
Look at the right-hand column after 6:00. SoNo's Santa meet-and-greets don't start until 6:10 p.m., more than an hour after Rowayton's trees light up. A family that sees Light Up Rowayton at 5:00 can still get to Washington Street in time for Santa photos even if they miss the 5:50 lighting. The SoNo event keeps going for nearly two hours after that.
SoNo's evening is built around something Rowayton doesn't have. At 5:45 p.m., holiday characters rappel 150 feet down the SONO50 building, just before the tree lights. Visit Norwalk lists performances by the Roton Middle School Choir, the West Rocks Middle School Choir and the Ladies of Finesse. Carousel rides and a trackless train run through the night.
The outdoor marketplace has more than 25 local vendors. Visit Norwalk's current food and drink list includes Blind Rhino, J's Crab Shack, Grumpy Dumpling, Empanadictas, Ringside Grill, Doc's Lemonade and The Loopy Lemon. The shopping vendors include Britta's Book Nook, Seven16 Permanent Jewelry, Solder & Grove and Kim's Kookie Boutique. Riverbrook Regional YMCA and Nothing Bundt Cakes are listed as exhibitors. Vendor lists for events like this can change before the day, so check the page again before you go.
After the Weekend, the Rest of December Is Smaller
After December 5, the month changes pace. The remaining events are small and indoors, and most need a little planning ahead.
Silvermine Arts Center's Holiday Salon, The Gift of Art, is open now and runs through December 23. The gallery and store are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. That means it's closed Sundays and Mondays, which matters if you're shopping for gifts on the weekend.
Norwalk Public Library has Holiday Crafts for Adults with JoAnn on Tuesday, December 8, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. It's a weeknight evening for grown-ups in the middle of a month that mostly revolves around children.
On Sunday, December 20, the Norwalk Preservation Trust holds its Holiday Open House from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in a decorated historic Colonial home in Norwalk. Tickets cost $25. The trust gives out the home's address only after you book, so you have to commit before you know which house it is.
For a weekend afternoon at the Silvermine Holiday Salon, the Saturdays before the 23rd are your options. For the open house, buy tickets ahead and plan around the 1:00 to 3:00 window.
Our team spends a lot of time in Rowayton, East Norwalk and SoNo, and the first weekend of December is one of the busiest of the year. If you're thinking about what your own Norwalk home could be worth before the spring market, we're glad to talk it through over coffee after the holidays. Jillian Klaff and team offer a personalized market consultation whenever you're ready.
