For most of its history, Light Up Louisville happened the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Downtown's holiday season started that night. That changed in 2023. This year the event is on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 3 to 9 p.m. at Jefferson Square Park, 527 W. Jefferson St. Now the season opens in two steps, a week apart. Downtown's theaters start on Thanksgiving weekend. The city's own kickoff lands on the first weekend of December, which also has a First Friday and two show openings.
If you live downtown, in NuLu or near the river, that changes how you plan the next six weeks. Here's how it breaks down.
Why the City Moved It
WLKY reported the change in September 2023. That year the event moved a week later, from Black Friday to Saturday, Dec. 2. The station quoted Kevin Trager, press secretary for Mayor Craig Greenberg: "Light Up Louisville is a huge team effort, with dozens of employees from Public Works, Facilities, LMPD, and the Mayor's Office working together, including setting up the event the day before it happens. Moving the event to the following weekend allows our employees to enjoy Thanksgiving Day with their families."
The hours got shorter too. In 2022 the event ran 3 to 10 p.m. The 2023 version ran 4 to 9 p.m. This year's listing goes back to a 3 p.m. start and still ends at 9.
The new timing has held. WHAS described 2025 as the third straight year the event fell on the first weekend of December instead of Black Friday. After last year's event on Saturday, Dec. 6, WLKY reported that thousands of people packed downtown and that the Mistletoe Market had grown to include dozens of small businesses.
Thanksgiving Weekend Now Opens With a Play
Black Friday no longer has the tree lighting, but downtown still has something that weekend. Actors Theatre's A Christmas Carol opens Saturday, Nov. 28, in the Pamela Brown Auditorium and runs through Dec. 20. The schedule includes some 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. performances. So a show that used to open the same weekend as Light Up Louisville now gets that weekend to itself.
Paristown may also be open by then. The Fête de Noël page says "opening November 2026" and lists an outdoor rink at 720 Brent St., a gift market on Brent Street, Santa photos and trackless train rides. The page gives a month but no specific opening date. Check that page before you plan Thanksgiving weekend around the rink.
How December 4 and 5 Play Out
The new Saturday sits right after the December First Friday Gallery Hop, so the two events fall on back-to-back nights. Here's the 2026 lineup in order:
- Friday, Dec. 4. Louisville Downtown Partnership's First Friday Gallery Hop brings extended gallery hours, art, music, food and cultural venues. The listing doesn't give exact hours or a route yet.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 3 p.m. Light Up Louisville opens at Jefferson Square Park. The city's event page lists the Mistletoe Market, Frosty's Food Court, live entertainment on two stages, free photos inside Santa's House, free rides on the Jolly Jingle Express trackless train and a holiday video-mapping show projected on Metro Hall. Admission is free.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m. The Lots of Lights Parade steps off.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, evening. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever opens at the Bomhard Theater, 501 W. Main St., and runs through Dec. 20.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m. The Unauthorized Hallmark(ish) Parody Musical plays one night at the Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 p.m. Light Up Louisville ends with a finale show.
That puts a parade, a tree lighting, a theater opening and a touring musical within a few hours on one Saturday, a few blocks apart. Last year WLKY's advance guide listed the Metro Hall video-mapping show at 7:50 p.m. If 2026 uses a similar slot, it will come about ten minutes before the 8 p.m. curtain at the Brown. That's the 2025 timing, though, so check the 2026 schedule once the city posts it.
Where to Eat Between the Parade and the Show
The downtown dining options have changed since last December. Taqueria La Guadalupana opened Oct. 7 at 612 S. Fifth St., according to WDRB. WDRB reports it's open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It's on Fifth Street in the same downtown grid as Jefferson Square Park and the Brown Theatre, so it works for an early dinner before the parade. On Light Up Saturday the kitchen closes at 9, the same hour the event ends.
In NuLu, La Barra is coming to 823 E. Market St., Suite 101, according to the Courier Journal. It's a tequila-focused bar from the owners of Shahar Café and Chica's Cantina. WDRB reported that the owners expect to open in late November or early December. That's a projection, not a date. It could open on the same weekend as Light Up, or it could open after.
What Hasn't Been Posted for 2026 Yet
Several pieces of the holiday schedule are still showing last year's information. If you're planning your parking and errands around these weeks, here's what's still out of date:
- Street closures. Louisville Metro's street closure page still lists the closures for Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. The map on the main event page is also the 2025 version, and part of that page's text still says "December 6th." Last year, WAVE reported that the parade ran east on Jefferson Street from Seventh to Fourth. Treat that as a starting point until the 2026 list is up.
- Christmas Tree Lane. Waterfront Park's latest Christmas Tree Lane listing covers Nov. 21 to Dec. 21, 2025, daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 301 Witherspoon St. No 2026 run has been announced.
- Downtown holiday market and pop-up bars. Louisville Downtown Partnership's holiday events page still shows the 2025 season. Last year the city also listed a separate outdoor shopping and food vendor pop-up at the Plaza on Fourth, between Jefferson and Market streets, alongside Light Up Louisville. Whether it returns in 2026 hasn't been announced.
- Fête de Noël. The month is set for November, but Paristown hasn't posted specific dates.
The Rest of December on the Same Stages
After the first weekend, the holiday shows keep running at the same downtown and Paristown venues. Here's the 2026 calendar for those stages:
| Date | Show | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 28 – Dec. 20 | A Christmas Carol | Actors Theatre, Pamela Brown Auditorium |
| Dec. 5 – 20 | The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | Bomhard Theater, 501 W. Main St. |
| Dec. 5, 8 p.m. | The Unauthorized Hallmark(ish) Parody Musical | Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway |
| Dec. 13, 6:30 p.m. | A Charlie Brown Christmas | Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway |
| Dec. 14, 7 p.m. | Meow Meow: Feline Festive | Old Forester's Paristown Hall, 724 Brent St. |
| Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m. | Cirque Dreams Holidaze | Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway |
The Brown Theatre has three holiday shows between Dec. 5 and Dec. 17. A Christmas Carol at Actors Theatre and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the Bomhard both close on Sunday, Dec. 20.
If you live downtown and your Dec. 5 plans include family coming in, a show at the Brown or a parade-route block you'd rather avoid, I'm happy to help you sort out the logistics. And if this season has you thinking about how close to Jefferson Square or NuLu you want to be next December, reach out to Ethan John Adams and let's set up a quick call. Let's Connect.
