Christmas in the Village runs from Nov. 27 through Christmas Eve, and nearly everything on the brick stretch of Main Street is free and walk-up. The events with ticket prices, registration fees and price increases are at the STAR Bank Performing Arts Center, Traders Point Creamery, SullivanMunce Cultural Center and the Gravy Chase start line. Several of their deadlines arrive before Santa's parade does on Nov. 28.
That gives the season a simple shape. You can handle the Village calendar as it comes, as long as you have a parking plan for one Saturday night. The rest is worth sorting out this month.
Main Street Asks Almost Nothing Of You In Advance
The Zionsville Chamber of Commerce runs Christmas in the Village as a string of weekend afternoons and Thursday evenings. Main Street Zionsville lists the full program, beginning with Small Business Weekend, Nov. 27 through 29.
| Date | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting | 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. | Main Street to Main and Pine |
| Sun., Nov. 29, then Dec. 5–6, 12–13, 19–20 | Santa House Selfies | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Corner of Cedar and Main |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Open-Air Maker's Market | 9 a.m. to noon | Main Street |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Ladies Night | 5 to 9 p.m. | Village shops and restaurants |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Christmas Crawl, ages 21 and up | 5 to 9 p.m. | Village shops and restaurants |
Santa and Mrs. Claus hold seven afternoons at the Santa House. Families take the photos with their own phones or cameras, and Chamber volunteers are on hand to help. During Ladies Night, participating businesses run specials from 5 to 9 p.m. The Christmas Crawl keeps the same hours, is limited to guests 21 and older, and holds an ugly sweater contest at 8 p.m. at participating locations.
Two Village events are exceptions to the walk-up rule, and both fall on Saturday, Dec. 5. Main Street Zionsville lists the Zionsville Showchoir Holiday Home Tour and the Tri Kappa Santa Breakfast as ticketed. The home tour, once known as Carol of Homes, has traditionally sent Zionsville Community High School show choir students to sing inside decorated private homes. As of late September, neither the tour nor the breakfast had released ticket details. If either is on your list, keep an eye on the Main Street Zionsville events page through November.
The One Village Night That Needs A Plan
Parade night is the only Main Street event where arriving at the last minute costs you something. According to the Chamber, the parade leaves Eagle Elementary at 5 p.m. and finishes at Old National Bank around 6 p.m. Right afterward, Santa and Mrs. Claus light the town tree at Main and Pine Streets, 100 W. Pine St., and then pose for photos. All of it is free.
Parking fills up across the Village that evening. A few details make it easier:
- The largest public lot sits at the northwest corner of Main Street and Sycamore Road, with its entrance on First Street.
- The lot at the southwest corner of Main and Pine closes for the tree lighting, so don't count on it.
- Lions Park and nearby side streets take the overflow, and most of those spots are a short walk from the route.
It's an outdoor evening in late November, so dress for standing along the curb for an hour.
The Ticketed Half Starts On Thanksgiving Morning
The one registration event that actually starts on Main Street happens two days before the parade. The Boys & Girls Club of Boone County holds the Gravy Chase on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, at 8:30 a.m. in historic downtown, with proceeds going to its youth programs. The club lists 2.2-mile and 4.0-mile walk/run options. The RunSignup registration page labels the shorter one a 2-mile entry, puts the start at Main and Cedar, and offers family pricing. Its prices went up after Oct. 31, so check the page for the current rate before you sign up the whole household.
The rest of the ticketed calendar, in order:
- Thursday, Nov. 19. SullivanMunce Cultural Center hosts the opening party for its Teeny Tiny Art Market from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-members. This is the one SullivanMunce event this season with a ticket price.
- Nov. 20 through Dec. 19. The market itself shows original artwork no bigger than 6 by 6 inches at SullivanMunce, 225 W. Hawthorne St. Admission is free. The center is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., so Saturday visits end early.
- Saturday, Dec. 12. The advance price ends for Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding Center's Afternoon with Santa. More on that below.
- Dec. 11–13 and Dec. 18–20. Two different Nutcracker productions share one stage.
Two Nutcrackers, Two Weekends, One Stage
The STAR Bank Performing Arts Center hosts two full productions of The Nutcracker on consecutive weekends. Both run the same four shows: Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. What sets them apart is the company, the ticket prices and one accessibility feature.
| Central Indiana Dance Ensemble | Metropolitan Youth Ballet | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Dec. 11–13 | Dec. 18–20 |
| Adult ticket | $30 | $30 |
| Other tickets | Students $20 | Children, seniors and military $25 |
| Per-ticket fee | $3.25 | $2.60 |
| Note | Both 2 p.m. shows are relaxed performances | Four performances |
The Central Indiana Dance Ensemble labels both of its Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m. shows as relaxed performances. That matters for families with young children or anyone who would rather not sit through a formal theater setting. CIDE's ticketing page also notes that prices can vary by show. Metropolitan Youth Ballet closes the season's run the weekend before Christmas.
The calendar around those two weekends is busy too. Zionsville Community High School holds its orchestra concert Dec. 1, band concert Dec. 3 and choral concert Dec. 8, all at 7 p.m. on the same stage. The CIDE weekend also opens one day after Ladies Night.
Dec. 13 Has Two Santas And A Walk-Through Bethlehem
Sunday, Dec. 13, is the season's most crowded day away from Main Street. From noon to 4 p.m., Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding Center presents An Afternoon with Santa at Traders Point Creamery, 9101 Moore Road. Visit Indiana's listing prices admission at $25 from Nov. 1 through Dec. 12 and $30 at the door. Children 3 and under get in free. Along with Santa, the afternoon includes cookie and ornament decorating, face painting and a hot chocolate bar. Registration goes through the organizer's Eventbrite page.
The Santa House at Cedar and Main is also open that day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., so the two visits overlap for three hours on opposite sides of town. Later that evening, Zionsville Presbyterian Church presents Back to Bethlehem, a walk-through telling of the Christmas story followed by a holiday marketplace, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. A week earlier, on Sunday, Dec. 6, the same church hosts the David Ackerman Christmas Concert from 7 to 9 p.m., with proceeds going to the Zionsville Food Pantry.
Winter Moved Onto The Bricks
Main Street's December role is bigger than it used to be. A few winters ago, the Town's Winterfest centered on Mulberry Fields. The Town of Zionsville announced an outdoor real-ice rink there with seasonal programming from Dec. 9, 2022, through Jan. 2, 2023. The following November, Current in Zionsville reported that the rink would not return. That season's maker's market ran on Main and Pine Streets from 9 a.m. to noon. By the 2024–25 season, Current reported that Winterfest included an outdoor market, luminary walks and fireside nights at Lincoln Park.
This year's anchor is the Dec. 5 Open-Air Maker's Market, which Zionsville Parks & Recreation runs as part of Winterfest. It brings local makers and artists, food trucks, seasonal music and carolers to the brick street from 9 a.m. to noon. The market shares the morning with the Santa breakfast, the home tour and an afternoon at the Santa House. Saturday, Dec. 5 has more on it than any other Main Street day of the season. Any other Winterfest dates for this winter will appear on the Town's Winterfest page.
Apart from the Dec. 5 home tour and Santa breakfast, the Village calendar needs nothing more than showing up. The Nutcracker seats, the Creamery Santa price and the Nov. 19 art party are the decisions to make this month.
If your holiday plans include having family in town or settling into a new place before the season starts, Lee Skiles is glad to talk through Zionsville, from parade-route parking to neighborhood questions. Get your free home valuation, or reach out any time you want a local guide to answer questions.
