Downtown Rochester Holiday Events 2026: Festival of Trees, Lagniappe, and the Kris Kringle Market

Downtown Rochester's official holiday season for 2026 starts with the Holiday Expo on Monday, November 9, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Royal Park Hotel, and runs through the Kris Kringle Market on the first weekend of December. The Rochester Downtown Development Authority hosts the season, and the full lineup is published on its official website at downtownrochestermi.com.

The Festival of Trees follows on November 20 through 22, with a preview party on Friday evening and public hours on Saturday and Sunday, when Santa visits and children's crafts are part of the event. The festival is a fundraiser for the Big, Bright Light Show, the annual light display on downtown storefronts that runs from November 24 through January 17, 2027, and this site has a separate guide to that show at https://areyouclosing.com/blog/big-bright-light-show-rochester-2026/.

The season's public kickoff event, Lagniappe, takes place Monday, November 23, with strolling carolers, Santa, and fireworks in downtown Rochester. The same week the Holiday Window Contest runs from November 23 through December 4, when visitors vote by text for their favorite storefront displays and winners are announced at the Kris Kringle Market.

The shopping calendar includes Plaid Friday on November 27 and Small Business Saturday on November 28, and the season finishes with the Kris Kringle Market on Friday, December 4, from 4 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, December 5. The development authority describes the market as a European-style open-air Christmas market with specialty foods, fresh greens and wreaths, and handcrafted gifts.

For families with young children, the season is gentle: the Festival of Trees offers Santa and crafts in an indoor setting, Lagniappe brings fireworks and carolers to the downtown, and the Kris Kringle Market is concentrated in one walkable area with the shops of Main and University nearby. The authority's Holiday Happenings page collects the full schedule as dates approach, and that page is the place to check for any additions or changes.

Sources: Rochester Downtown Development Authority official website (downtownrochestermi.com), Holiday Happenings and 2026 Events pages. Information verified October 6, 2026.