Line up this year's holiday events by clock time and they nearly all end in the same place. The nightly lighting at Marktplatz finishes at 6:30 p.m. The Christmas parade steps off at 6:30. The city's New Year's Eve countdown ends with a ball drop at 6:30 p.m. The kids' gingerbread contest is over by 7:30. In Fredericksburg the season mostly happens in the early evening, and most of it is free.
The changes for 2026 lean further that way. The gingerbread contest has more than doubled its capacity. The Historic Home Tour dropped its Holiday Market and is just the homes this year. New Year's Eve is still an afternoon event. The first date to watch is Tuesday, Oct. 27, when registration opens.
| Event | Date | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gingerbread contest registration opens | Tue., Oct. 27 | Online | $10 child / $20 family |
| 67th Historic Home Tour | Sat., Nov. 21 | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | $40 |
| Christmas Nights of Lights begins | Tue., Nov. 24 | 5 to 6:30 p.m. nightly | Free |
| Light the Night Christmas Parade | Fri., Dec. 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Free; bleachers $40 |
| Gingerbread House Decorating Contest | Tue., Dec. 8 | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Entry fee above |
| Holiday Movie Night | Sat., Dec. 12 | Doors 5:30, film 6:30 p.m. | $10 ages 6+ |
| New Year's Eve: Countdown to 2027 | Thu., Dec. 31 | 3 to 6:30 p.m. | Free |
| Christmas Nights of Lights ends | Tue., Jan. 5 | 5 to 6:30 p.m. | Free |
Gingerbread Sign-Ups Open October 27
The City of Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation Department and Clear River Ice Cream and Bakery are holding their third annual Gingerbread House Decorating Contest on Tuesday, Dec. 8. In its first two years the contest drew about 30 participants and fit in the John Wm. Klein Room. This year the city is moving it to the Pioneer Pavilion in Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park at 432 Lady Bird Dr., with room for up to 74 gingerbread houses. That's well over twice the old capacity.
The new space also brings a new division. Children ages 5 to 10 still compete in three age brackets: 5 and 6, 7 and 8, and 9 and 10. A new family category now sits beside them. Age-category entries cost $10 and family entries cost $20. All supplies are provided, and outside decorations aren't allowed. Each entry gets 45 minutes of decorating. In the age categories the child works without hands-on help, and family teams can have up to four people working on a house at once. First, second and third place are awarded in every category that night.
Registration opens Tuesday, Oct. 27. The city's announcement says spots are limited and expected to fill quickly, even with the extra room. A contest that outgrew its room in two years can fill fast.
November 21 Is About the Houses This Year
The Gillespie County Historical Society's 67th Historic Home Tour runs Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $40 and include that day's admission to the Pioneer Museum. Tickets are nonrefundable, children don't get a discount, and infants in arms get in free. The Museum and Historic Sanctuary open at 10 a.m., an hour before the homes. There's no set route, so you can visit the houses in any order. According to Visit Fredericksburg's event listing, the tour features eight properties.
The tour is smaller this year, and the Museum's own page says so plainly:
NOTICE: There is NO Holiday Market this year.
The visitor listing still mentions a Holiday Market with artisan vendors. The Pioneer Museum's tour page is the organizer's notice, so go by it if you're planning your Saturday around holiday shopping. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite or by phone at 830-990-8441.
With no market, the day is eight houses and a museum, all done by 5 p.m. That fits the rest of the season.
Six Weeks of 6 O'Clock at Marktplatz
Three days after the Home Tour, Fredericksburg's Christmas Nights of Lights starts its nightly run at Marktplatz on Tuesday, Nov. 24, and keeps going through Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027. Holiday music starts at 5 p.m. At 6 p.m. a 10-minute audio presentation tells the story of the town's German heritage, plays carols and ends with a countdown to the lighting of the Community Christmas Tree and the German Christmas Pyramid. The music ends at 6:30. The city lists it as free.
That's about six weeks of the same 90-minute window, with only two nights off. There's no lighting on Friday, Dec. 4, because of the Light the Night Christmas Parade, and none on Thursday, Dec. 31, because of the city's New Year's Eve event. Any other weeknight, the countdown happens at 6.
The One Night the Clock Runs Later
The Fredericksburg Chamber's Light the Night Christmas Parade is the longest evening of the season, and it still starts at 6:30. The Chamber's parade page sets it for Friday, Dec. 4, on Main Street between Washington and Bowie. It's the Chamber's annual first-Friday-in-December parade, and H-E-B is the presenting sponsor.
The day's schedule:
- 3 to 9 p.m.: Food, drinks and children's activities at Marktplatz
- 6:30 to 7:45 p.m.: The parade on Main Street
- 8 to 9 p.m.: Free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Peppermint Platz in Oktoberfest Halle
Watching from the route is free. Reserved bleacher seats in front of Pioneer Memorial Library cost $40 each, and the weather backup date is Friday, Dec. 11. Even on this late night, the Santa photos are done by 9 p.m.
A Movie Night and a Rink Calendar Still to Come
The second December Saturday has a family movie night. Visit Fredericksburg lists a Holiday Movie Night at Grand Central at Milam on Saturday, Dec. 12. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and The Polar Express starts at 6:30. Admission is $10 for ages 6 and up, and children under 5 get in free.
The Eisbahn ice rink, Heritage School's seasonal fundraiser on Marktplatz, hasn't posted its new season yet. As of mid-October, Heritage School's Eisbahn page still shows its "EISBAHN 2025-26 Calendar." For reference only, last season opened Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. The city listed a $15 all-day pass with skate rental, $10 on Tuesdays, and Heritage School offered a $135 pass good for 10 days. Last season's hours changed from day to day, and the rink closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Those are last year's numbers, not this year's. Check the school's page before you plan a skate day.
New Year's Eve Ends at 6:30 Too
The season ends at the same early hour where it started. The City of Fredericksburg's New Year's Eve: Countdown to 2027 is on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 3 to 6:30 p.m. at Marktplatz in the 100 block of West Main Street. Admission is free. The city lists inflatables, games, music, dance performances and face painting, with food and drinks for sale. The ball drops at 6:30 p.m. to mark the start of 2027.
That's the city's version of midnight, with the ball dropping at the same hour the nightly music usually ends. It also explains why the nightly lighting takes Dec. 31 off: both happen on the same square at the same hour. The Nights of Lights is back on New Year's Day and runs through Jan. 5.
Dates for the Fridge
- Oct. 27: Gingerbread contest registration opens. Spots are limited.
- Nov. 21: Home Tour, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Museum opens at 10. No Holiday Market this year.
- Nov. 24: First nightly countdown at Marktplatz, 6 p.m.
- Dec. 4: Parade at 6:30 p.m. No lighting countdown that night. Rain date Dec. 11.
- Dec. 8: Gingerbread contest at the Pioneer Pavilion, 5:30 p.m.
- Dec. 12: The Polar Express at Grand Central at Milam, 6:30 p.m.
- Dec. 31: Countdown to 2027 ball drop at 6:30 p.m.
- Jan. 5: Last night of Christmas Nights of Lights.
If the Home Tour gets you curious about the old houses you pass every day downtown, the history behind them, how they've been cared for, and what it takes to own one, we're glad to talk about it over coffee any time this season. Reach out to Reata Ranch Realty and Contact Us.
