At 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, the Summit Fire Department will bring Santa to the Village Green at 356 Broad Street, and Mayor Fagan will light the city's holiday tree. The ice skating in the Elm Street parking lot starts four hours earlier. Skates are free, sessions run every half hour, and you don't need to preregister. The next morning, Summit Downtown, Inc. kicks off its own season with Small Business Saturday, the first Carriages and Carolers, the first gift card giveaway and the start of the HillTop Elf scavenger hunt.
So the holiday season in Summit starts with two full days in a row. It ends the same way. Saturday, Dec. 19 has the last carriage rides, the date Summit Downtown, Inc. penciled in for Celebrate in Summit, and a Summit Chorale concert that night. Sunday, Dec. 20 is the farmers market's last day of the year and the last day of a holiday pop-up on Springfield Avenue. The weeks in between follow a set schedule of Fridays and Saturdays. If you know where the busy days fall, you can still catch most of the season on short notice.
The Opening Pair Is Run by Two Different Organizers
Friday and Saturday are run by two different groups. Miracle on Elm Street is the City of Summit's event, sponsored by the Summit PAL, and runs 1 to 5:30 p.m. Along with skating, it has bonfires, hot drinks, cookie decorating and performers on a main stage on the Village Green. After the tree lighting, you can get photos with Santa. The city posted the 5 p.m. lighting time in a separate community events notice, and the Department of Community Programs takes questions at 908-277-2932.
Saturday belongs to Summit Downtown, Inc. Small Business Saturday runs during each participating store's own hours. The first Carriages and Carolers and the first Summit VISA Gift Card Giveaway both run 1 to 4 p.m.
Thanksgiving week has its own deadlines before any of that starts. TAPinto Summit reported that Aubrey's Corner at 527 Morris Ave. is selling holiday takeout packages from executive chef Michael Feinberg. They come in sizes for eight to 10 or 12 to 15 people and include Noni's Lasagna and French onion soup with the traditional dishes. Orders are due Friday, Nov. 20, the day after this post goes up. Winberie's at 2 Kent Place Blvd. is serving a Thanksgiving buffet on Nov. 26 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and you need a reservation.
The Middle Weeks Repeat, So You Can Choose Your Week
Once the opening weekend is over, downtown settles into a weekly schedule. SDI repeats two events on the same days and hours each week:
| Date | What's running downtown | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday, Carriages and Carolers, gift card giveaway, elf hunt begins | Carriages and giveaway 1–4 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Summit VISA Gift Card Giveaway | 1–4 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Carriages and Carolers | 1–4 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Summit VISA Gift Card Giveaway | 1–4 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Carriages and Carolers | 1–4 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Summit VISA Gift Card Giveaway | 1–4 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Final Carriages and Carolers | 1–4 p.m. |
The carriage rides are free horse-and-wagon rides that board at Lyric Park, at the corner of Bank Street and Beechwood Road. SDI says to use 17 Beechwood Road in your GPS. The rides go until 4 p.m., but the line closes by 3:30 and may close earlier so the horse can leave on time. Each week brings strolling brass musicians, Mr. Socks spinning DJ hits and Summit Street Sounds musicians playing holiday standards. SDI notes the program is subject to change and plans to post this year's performer lineup Thanksgiving week. Last year, people waiting in line got free hot chocolate from Zappia's, according to SDI's season recap on TAPinto.
Lyric Park is a short walk from several of the shops in TAPinto's Nov. 3 holiday roundup. The Red Balloon at 386 Springfield Ave. has sold children's clothing and gifts in Summit for more than four decades. Maison 53 at 340 Springfield Ave. carries European-inspired home décor, jewelry and entertaining pieces, and Loblolly Curated Home & Gift is at 42 Maple Street. The same article lists some newer downtown names. Glow Storytime at 18 Bank St. runs interactive classes for infants and preschoolers and was founded by pediatric speech-language pathologist Lauren Hudacek. Drench Pilates is at 19 Beechwood Road, and Manhattan Wellness is at 467 Springfield Ave.
The Fire Department's toy drive also runs through these middle weeks. The Summit Fire Department and PBA are taking new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots through Tuesday, Dec. 15, at the firehouse at 281 Broad Street and at partner drop-off sites listed in the city's notice.
One Sunday Moves the Season to the Arboretum
Sunday, Dec. 6 is the one date that takes the holiday season away from downtown. Reeves-Reed Arboretum holds its Holiday Open House from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for members and nonmembers alike, and children under 12 get in free. The day includes:
- A Sip & Shop Holiday Market with boutique vendors and a complimentary holiday cocktail
- A Festival of Trees decorated by area businesses and organizations, with voting for a favorite
- A Woodland Winter Story Walk, Candy Cane Lane and a winter craft for kids
- Carolers, plus a raffle for a lifetime family membership to the Arboretum
The Santa sessions are the first thing to go each year. Cookies, Cocoa & Photos with Santa at historic Wisner House runs in 30-minute slots and costs $35 per pose for members and $40 for nonmembers. Every slot is already listed as sold out. The rest of the open house is still available, and you can register on the Arboretum's site.
Dec. 19 and 20 Bring Several Things to an End at Once
The closing weekend is almost as full as the opening one. On Saturday, Dec. 19:
- The last Carriages and Carolers runs 1 to 4 p.m. at Lyric Park.
- Celebrate in Summit is on SDI's 2026 schedule for that day, though SDI called the schedule tentative when it released it in February. Last year's version, on Dec. 20, 2025, featured a live ice carving at The Promenade and crafts with the Winter Princesses from the downtown business Soirée NJ.
- The Summit Chorale performs "A Baroque Christmas" at 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church Summit, 561 Springfield Avenue, according to the Union County events calendar. Tickets are $25 plus fees online, or you can pay at the door.
On Sunday, Dec. 20, the Summit Farmers Market holds its last session of 2026. Its season started on April 19, and it runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Park & Shop Lot #1, at DeForest Avenue and Woodland Avenue. That same Sunday is the last day of The Cashmere Sale, the seasonal shop inside The Wine List at 417 Springfield Ave. If you're shopping for gifts at either one, you can stop at both on one Sunday morning that weekend.
The Elf Hunt Runs Past the Holidays
The HillTop Elf scavenger hunt is the only piece of the season that keeps going into the new year. It starts Nov. 28 and runs through Jan. 5, 2027. Elves are hidden in more than 90 downtown businesses or their front windows. You can pick up a form at any participating business or download one, and no purchase is necessary. Completed forms are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 5. The drawing is Friday, Jan. 8, with a $500 Summit VISA Gift Card for the winner and $100 cards for five runners-up. Those gift cards are accepted at more than 150 Summit businesses.
SDI received more than 60 entries last season, and many of them found every elf. In the same TAPinto recap, one participating family put it this way:
"about 70% of the businesses we looked for elves were new to me!"
Because the hunt keeps going after the carriages and the market are done, you can still fill in your form on the quiet days between Christmas and Jan. 5, as long as it's turned in by 5 p.m. that Tuesday.
At Best Jersey Burbs, we put this calendar together because our team spends these same Saturdays downtown. If you're planning a move around the holidays and want to talk timing on any of these weekends, schedule your free consultation, and we'll fit it around your plans.
