What time does the Southlake Town Square tree light this year? With less than four weeks to go, the city's official schedule doesn't say. The Home for the Holidays schedule of events lists "TBA!" for both stages, Rustin & Family Park and Frank Edgar Cornish, IV Park.
Almost everything else in Southlake's November already has a fixed time. The craft fair has its hours. A library cookie workshop has its room number. Even a Thanksgiving brunch on the square has its hours posted. The evening at the top of the season has a date, an address and two free parking garages, and not much else so far. That is enough to plan around if you build the month from what has been set.
The Big Night Has a Date and a Garage, Not a Clock
Visit Southlake lists Home for the Holidays for Saturday, November 21, 2026, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 1400 E. Southlake Blvd. Admission is free. Parking in Southlake Town Square is free as well, including both garages:
- East Garage: 1451 Federal Way
- West Garage: 351 State Street
The listing promises the tree lighting, photos with Santa, a three-lane snow hill and performances by local school groups on stage. It also describes the event as "hosted annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving," which is why it falls on November 21 this year, five days before the holiday. The city's Christmas Tree Lighting page adds one more detail for this year: a fireworks show after the lighting.
The lighting time is still missing. Last year's gives the best reference point. Southlake Style reported that the 2025 tree lit at "6 p.m. sharp" on November 22. That was last year's clock, and the 2026 time hasn't been posted. Families timing a drive, a dinner reservation or a young child's bedtime around the lighting can treat 6 p.m. as a guess until the schedule page changes.
The entertainment page shows the usual setup for both stages. The Southlake Community Band, a concert band of more than 70 adult amateur musicians, plays in Family Park. Southlake school choirs and several local dance academies and schools perform in Frank Edgar Cornish, IV Park. That page has no year on it, so it describes the event's usual format more than a confirmed 2026 lineup. The performer times will appear on the schedule page once it's filled in.
The Smaller Events Already Have Their Hours
Everything before November 21 is set. In date order, here is November in Southlake as of the week this publishes:
Thursday, November 5, noon to 2 p.m. A Fall Cookie Decorating Workshop, listed on the Southlake library calendar, held at the Southlake Training Center, 307 Parkwood Drive rather than the library itself.
Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, November 8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 33rd annual Southlake Carroll Craft Fair at Carroll Senior High School, 1501 W. Southlake Blvd. Community Impact lists more than 170 vendors selling clothing, jewelry, food and more. Admission is free, and all proceeds benefit Project Graduation.
Sunday, November 8, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. TEDx Southlake 2026 at The Westin Dallas Southlake, 1200 E. SH 114. The day includes 20 curated talks on leadership, health and technology, plus lunch and networking. Tickets were listed at $175.
Saturday, November 14, 1 to 2 p.m. The Wonder Lab at the Southlake library, 1400 Main Street, Suite 130.
Saturday, November 21, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Home for the Holidays at Town Square, with the stage schedule still to come.
TEDx and the second day of the craft fair both fall on Sunday, November 8, with overlapping hours. Anyone hoping to do both will find Saturday the easier day for the fair. Its Saturday hours run an hour longer at each end than Sunday's.
Some of Last Season's Pages Are Still Up
Search for "Southlake holiday lights" or "Santa in Southlake" right now and you'll likely land on last season's information.
The Holiday of Lights page still shows a run of "November 21 – January 3, 2026" at McPherson Park, open daily from 5 to 10 p.m. The run ends in January 2026, so those dates belong to the 2025–26 season. As of late October, the page hasn't posted dates for this winter's run.
The Santa's Village listing works the same way. It shows December 6, 2025, 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Rustin Pavilion, and marks that event as passed. The event map linked from this year's tree-lighting page is also a 2025 file. Use it for a general sense of the square, not for this year's layout.
This explains why the November 21 listing matters more than usual. Of the city's holiday pages, it's one of the few that already prints 2026 next to its date. Anything else in the season that shows a date without a year, or with a January 2026 end date, should wait until the city updates it.
Planning the 21st Around What Is Fixed
Here is a plan that only uses what has been posted:
- Pick a garage before you leave. The East Garage at 1451 Federal Way and the West Garage at 351 State Street are both free that evening.
- Get there early for the snow hill and Santa photos. Both are part of the free programming, and the event opens at 4:30 p.m. with hours of daylight left before a lighting that, based on last year, likely comes after dark.
- Check the schedule page the week of the event. That's where the 2026 lighting time and stage times will show up, including when your child's choir or dance studio performs.
- Stay for the fireworks. The city's tree-lighting page lists them right after the ceremony.
For coffee beforehand, the square has a new option this year. Southlake Style reported that Ascension Coffee opened its first Southlake café on Friday, October 9, at 100 State St., in the space that used to be Corner Bakery. Community Impact noted that the café scheduled a grand-opening celebration for October 23, and its menu includes meals alongside espresso. The tree lighting will be its first holiday season on the square.
For dinner, Hudson House opened September 14 at 1131 E. Southlake Blvd. in Park Village, on the same boulevard as the Town Square address. Community Impact describes a menu with burgers, sushi and a raw bar. Two other announced restaurants won't be ready this season. Maman's café at 1161 E. Southlake Blvd., also in Park Village, is projected to open in early 2027, according to Southlake Style. Lupe Tortilla, going into the former Buca di Beppo space at 2701 E. State Highway 114, is also targeting early 2027, per another Southlake Style report.
After the Tree, the Square Keeps Its Own Calendar
Once the tree is lit, the Town Square merchants take over the schedule. The Southlake Town Square events page lists two dates after the lighting. Neither shows a year, but both weekdays match the 2026 calendar, so check the listings again before you book:
- Thursday, November 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A Thanksgiving brunch at Ferah Tex-Med Kitchen.
- Saturday, December 5, 9 a.m. to noon. Holly Jolly Sip & Shop, a ticketed morning on the square with tickets released in the fall.
The square's run of new tenants isn't finished either. Southlake Style has reported that Reformation is coming to 213 Grand Ave. E., forecast for fall 2026, and that On Running is preparing a 6,000-square-foot store between Alo and Sunglass Hut. Neither has a posted opening day, so whether either is open by the December 5 shopping morning depends on announcements that haven't come yet.
If you'd like a hand putting together a Southlake holiday weekend for visiting family, or want a local read on what's opening around Town Square this winter, Ritz Group is happy to share what we know. Contact us anytime this season.
