Katy's Holiday Season Runs on Two Calendars, and Old Town's Has Changed
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
The first Christmas lights of the season in Katy go on in a water park parking lot. On Friday, November 6, The Light Park opens its drive-through display on the Typhoon Texas lot at 555 Katy Fort Bend Road. That's three weeks before Thanksgiving and 29 days before anyone lights a tree downtown.
After that, the season splits in two. Cinco Ranch lights its tree in November. Old Town lights its tree in December. Each has its own Santa, its own shopping and its own crowd. Downtown also looks different now that Katy Market Day is gone. It ran for 30 years, and its last Old Fashioned Christmas was in December 2024.
The Light Park's 2026 presale vehicle ticket is good for any night of the season, from November 6, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Last year's run went from November 7, 2025 to January 4, 2026, so the 2026 season starts and ends a day earlier on the calendar. The ticket page doesn't list nightly hours, so check The Light Park's Katy page before you load up the car.
A week later, Santa arrives at Katy Mills. Simon's Katy Mills listing puts Santa photos at the Santa Photo Experience from November 13 through December 24. Two special sessions fall during that run, and both are near American Eagle:
Katy Mills offered the same three formats in 2025. If last year's pet photo is on your fridge, you can book the sequel.
LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch runs the first of Katy's two tree lightings. The shopping center's event calendar lists its Annual Tree Lighting on November 20, right after its October events. LaCenterra's listings give the month and day without a year, so the dates below come from the center's current calendar. This year, November 20 falls on a Friday, and it lines up with last year's tree lighting, which was also held the Friday before Thanksgiving. The tree lighting page promises a 50-foot tree, holiday activities, live entertainment and vendors, and says more details are coming. It hasn't posted a start time yet.
The tree lighting is only the start of LaCenterra's season, which keeps going into December:
LaCenterra's events cover most of the season, with something on the calendar from late November through New Year's Eve. Old Town's season is shorter and packed into two Saturdays.
For three decades, December in downtown Katy meant Katy Market Day's Old Fashioned Christmas, a street market hosted by Limited Edition Art & Antiques. Its 2024 event was its last. The Katy Market Day website still carries the announcement:
"Please note that the City of Katy has NOT given us permission to close the streets in 2025. After 30 years of continuous operation we regret to inform the public that this Market will cease to operate in 2025."
This year, the market dates on Historic Town Square come from the City of Katy's Parks & Recreation events calendar. The square is at 904 Avenue C, and the City lists two local-vendor markets there before Christmas:
The second date is the one to plan around. The City's Christmas Tree Lighting is also on Saturday, December 5, on the same square. The market starts at 2 p.m. and runs until 8, so it covers the afternoon and the whole evening around the lighting. The City hasn't posted a time for the tree lighting yet, so you can shop in the afternoon and stay into the evening without guessing when the lights go on.
This puts Old Town's lighting 15 days after LaCenterra's. If your family wants to see both trees lit, there's plenty of time between them.
A week after the tree lighting, things move a few blocks to Katy Heritage Park at 5990 George Bush Drive. The Katy Heritage Society has scheduled two back-to-back events there on Saturday, December 12.
The afternoon starts with the 2nd Annual TubaChristmas from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The Lone Star Symphonic Band presents it with the Katy Heritage Society. Since it's only in its second year, it's still a new addition to the downtown calendar.
Christmas at The Park follows from 6 to 8 p.m. It's a ticketed evening with tours of the historic homes and the Christmas trees, plus Santa, a craft, music and cocoa.
The Christmas hayride is a separate add-on. It runs during the same 6 to 8 p.m. window, rolls through downtown Katy and stops at Southern Dough. Hayride riders still need admission to the park event. If your group wants both, buy both, and book early on this part of the Old Town calendar.
Altogether, Old Town has three events that Saturday, running from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. One week earlier, the square has the market and the tree lighting. Most of downtown Katy's holiday season happens on those two Saturdays.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 6 | The Light Park season opens, runs through Jan 3, 2027 | Typhoon Texas lot, 555 Katy Fort Bend Rd |
| Fri, Nov 13 | Santa photos begin, run through Dec 24 | Katy Mills |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Katy Exchange, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Historic Town Square, 904 Avenue C |
| Fri, Nov 20 | Annual Tree Lighting | LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch |
| Sun, Nov 29 | Pet Photos with Santa, 6 to 7 p.m. | Katy Mills |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Katy Nutcracker Exchange, 2 to 8 p.m., and City Christmas Tree Lighting, time TBA | Historic Town Square |
| Sun, Dec 6 | Caring Santa, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. | Katy Mills |
| Dec 7 to 22 | Holiday Performances | LaCenterra |
| Fri, Dec 11 | Santa's List | LaCenterra |
| Sat, Dec 12 | TubaChristmas, 4 to 5:30 p.m., then Christmas at The Park and hayride, 6 to 8 p.m. | Katy Heritage Park, 5990 George Bush Dr |
| Thu, Dec 31 | Noon Year's | LaCenterra |
Two dates on this table aren't final yet. The City still lists the December 5 tree lighting time as TBA, and LaCenterra hasn't posted hours for November 20. A third event to watch is the Christmas Katy display in Pin Oak Village, where the 2026 schedule is still to be announced, according to Katy Christian Magazine's 2026 holiday lights roundup.
Katy's big parade of the year, the Katy Rice Harvest Festival parade, already took place on October 3. This year, the downtown holiday season centers on the square and Heritage Park.
If you're mapping out the season around a move or a listing, or just want to know which tree lighting is closer to your door, I'm always happy to talk Katy. Kellye Casey keeps a close eye on what's happening around town, from Cinco Ranch to Avenue C. Let's Connect.
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