Around 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, Georgetown Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Pitts and Williamson County Court Judge Steven Snell will flip the switch on the east steps of the historic courthouse at 710 S. Main St. That lights the courthouse, its grounds and the lights around the Square. The Uptown Carolers sing from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and the City says the lights will stay on every evening through Jan. 1.
That means the season downtown runs about five weeks, from Thanksgiving weekend into the new year. The Christmas Stroll is one weekend in the middle of it. For the whole stretch, the Austin Avenue bridges over the San Gabriel River, the direct route from north Georgetown to the Square, stay down to one lane in each direction, and the City's own event page tells people to think about other routes.
The Season, Date by Date
Here's every confirmed 2026 date we found, in order.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Annual Lighting of the Square | Courthouse east steps, 710 S. Main St. | 5:30–6:30 p.m., switch around 6 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Brown Santa photos | Inside the courthouse, enter on Eighth Street | 6:30–8 p.m. |
| Nov. 27–29 | A Wonderful Life | Georgetown Palace Theatre, Springer Stage, 810 S. Austin Ave. | Fri. 7:30 p.m., Sat. 2 and 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Shop Small Saturday and Coffee & Cocoa Crawl | Starts at 505 S. Austin Ave. | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| Dec. 4–6 | 45th Annual Georgetown Christmas Stroll | Historic Downtown Georgetown | Fri. 4–9:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Breakfast with Santa | Georgetown Community Center, 445 E. Morrow St. | 6:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. |
Thanksgiving weekend carries the most events. The lighting, the opening weekend of the Palace show and the Coffee & Cocoa Crawl all land within about 48 hours. The Stroll comes a week later.
Thanksgiving Weekend Fills Up Fast
Brown Santa photos inside the courthouse cost an unwrapped toy or a monetary donation. The City also encourages toy donations to the Georgetown Police Department's Blue Santa program and to Williamson County Brown Santa. The City notes that many stores will be open late that night.
The next morning, the Georgetown Main Street Program runs its 4th Annual Coffee & Cocoa Crawl alongside Small Business Saturday. Tickets are $25, sold in advance, and include a keepsake mug plus samples at downtown businesses. Only 500 are available, and they went on sale Oct. 1. The crawl starts at 10 a.m. at the Downtown Development & Special Event Offices, 505 S. Austin Ave., where the first 300 shoppers get a free canvas tote. Hogaboom Road, Urban Cottage Boutique, The Exchange and Therapie Boutique are among the participating businesses listed so far. The event is co-sponsored by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, Preservation Georgetown and the Downtown Georgetown Association.
At the Georgetown Palace Theatre, A Wonderful Life opens on the Springer Stage that same weekend, two blocks from the courthouse at 810 S. Austin Ave. With performances Friday night, twice on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, you could plan a whole holiday weekend on the Square without making a second trip downtown.
Why the Bridges Change the Trip
Rehabilitation of the Austin Avenue vehicle bridges over the North and South San Gabriel River forks began Oct. 14, 2024. The work includes new decks, concrete repairs, repainting, crash-rated railing, 11-foot lanes, shoulders and drainage improvements. The City's project page puts the affected stretch between West Morrow Street and Second Street, and it still shows an older spring 2026 completion estimate.
That date has since been pushed back. The Williamson County Sun reported in June that the original estimated completion was April 15, 2026, and that the bridge decks had to be removed and poured again. According to that schedule, southbound deck demolition was to start in early June and finish in August, a traffic switch to the northbound side was expected in November, and both bridges were expected to open fully in April 2027. In the Sun's story, Systems Engineering Director Wes Wright told residents, "I do appreciate everybody's patience."
Community Impact's Oct. 6 roadwork roundup lists the project timeline as 2024–27 at a cost of $12.8 million. It says northbound deck work begins once southbound reconstruction is done, but it doesn't confirm the northbound phase has started. That leaves the November traffic switch as a plan, not a confirmed event, and it could happen in the same weeks as the lighting and the Stroll.
The bridge closure also affects people on foot. Pedestrians can't cross on the vehicle bridges during construction, so the City routes them over the Randy Morrow Trail crossing. The planned pedestrian and bicycle bridges next to the roadway, which will connect the north and south sections of the San Gabriel River Trail, aren't scheduled to start until the road work is done.
Street Closures and Parking
On lighting night, Austin Avenue closes between Sixth and Ninth streets from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Main Street between Sixth and Ninth, plus Seventh and Eighth streets between Austin and Church, close from 6 a.m. to about 10 p.m. Rock, Church and Ninth streets stay open. Combined with the one-lane bridges, that means Austin Avenue is both narrowed to the north and closed at the Square itself for that day.
Both event pages list free parking. Here's the list for Stroll weekend, from the Downtown Georgetown Association FAQ:
- The public parking garage at 502 S. Main St., which the FAQ says closes 8 a.m. to noon for the parade route, though the date it gives is from last year's calendar
- The Williamson County parking garage on Rock Street, which the Stroll FAQ lists at Third and Rock and the City's lighting page lists at Fourth and Rock
- The lot at Seventh and Rock streets
- The lot at Eighth and Forest streets
- The City lot on the west side of Austin Avenue at Fifth Street
The Main Street garage opened Nov. 21, 2025 and added 315 downtown parking spaces across four levels above ground and one below. This will be its second holiday season. Accessible parking during the Stroll is at the City lot at 10th and Main and on the east side of the library lot at Eighth and Forest. A placard or license plate designation is required. The FAQ also asks visitors to obey "No Parking" signs on residential streets.
Watch the dates on that FAQ page. It still says the garage closes "Sat 6th" and that the Sixth-and-Main lot closes "December 5–8." Those match the 2025 calendar, when the Stroll ran Dec. 5–7. This year's parade is Saturday, Dec. 5. Check the Downtown Georgetown Association's Facebook page, @GTXChristmasstroll, for corrected closure dates closer to the weekend.
Stroll Weekend, Dec. 4–6
The 45th annual Stroll is themed "Hometown Christmas Stroll: A Season to Gather." The Downtown Georgetown Association puts 2025 attendance at more than 72,000. Each day has its own focus:
- Friday, 4–9:30 p.m. Kickoff celebration with Dancing with the Grinch and an evening concert. The Christmas Marketplace opens with more than 200 artisan and boutique vendors and food trucks.
- Saturday, 10 a.m.–9:30 p.m. The Christmas Parade steps off at 10 a.m. The day also has Santa's Village, Whoo Hair and face painting, a Kids Zone with a rock wall and obstacle courses, Snow in the Park with real falling snow, and a headlining band Saturday night.
- Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Last-chance shopping, family activities and a closing "Hometown Farewell."
Music is split between two stages. The Jingle Bell Stage at Austin Avenue and Seventh Street has live music and the Saturday headliner. The Silver Bell Stage at Main Street and 10th Street features local schools, dance studios, cheer teams and other community performers. Both headliners were still listed as "to be announced." Folding chairs and coolers are allowed, but no glass containers, umbrellas or canopies. Stroll T-shirts are $10 at the DGA booth on the courthouse east stairs on Main Street.
Bethlehem Village, a free reenactment of first-century Bethlehem, sets up in the Keller Williams parking lot at 1000 S. Main St. The FAQ refers visitors to Georgetown Church of the Nazarene for its dates and hours. If your group, school or business wants to march in the parade, there's a change this year. Every application now requires a nonrefundable $25 fee, and applications close Oct. 31 or when the parade fills.
After the Stroll
The season continues after the vendor booths come down. On Saturday, Dec. 19, the Rotary Club of Georgetown–Sun City holds its Breakfast with Santa at the Georgetown Community Center, 445 E. Morrow St., from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The club's listing says it's the 26th year in a row. Visit Georgetown hasn't posted a 2026 date for the Sun City Holiday Home Tours yet, which feature five decorated homes and Glampers. The Square stays lit every evening through Jan. 1, so a quiet weeknight walk around the courthouse is possible well after the crowds are gone.
If you have family coming in for the holidays and want suggestions on the best way in from your part of town, or which nights downtown are calmer, Denise Arndt knows these downtown traditions well and is happy to help. Contact Denise for a personalized consultation.
