Delaware County's holiday season runs for 45 days, from November 20 through January 3. Its community tree lightings take up three of those days. Downtown Delaware, Powell, Sunbury and Orange Township all hold their main holiday gatherings between Friday, December 4 and Sunday, December 6, 2026. Two of them overlap on Saturday evening, and the last two run into each other on Sunday. The light displays leave room for many evenings out, but the community events allow only a few.
| Day | Event | Where | Key time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | First Friday Tree Lighting | William and Sandusky Streets, Delaware | Tree lit at 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Holidays in Powell | Village Green Park | Tree lit at 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Christmas on the Square | Town Hall, 51 E. Cherry St., Sunbury | Parade 5:30 p.m., tree lit at 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Orange Township Holiday Event | North Orange Park, 7560 Gooding Blvd. | 4:30–6:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Light the Night Christmas Parade | Mingo Park to Wilmer Street, Delaware | Listed at 6 p.m. |
The Lights Come On Two Weeks Earlier
The displays start well before the tree lightings. Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium opens Friday, November 20, and runs through January 3, 2027. It stays open noon to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and noon to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Wildlights admission comes with regular zoo admission or a Columbus Zoo membership, so members don't need a separate holiday ticket. The zoo's current rate page lists non-Franklin County admission starting at $27.95 for ages 3 to 9 and $34.95 for ages 10 to 59, with parking at $12.
Butch Bando's Fantasy of Lights runs the same dates, November 20 through January 3. A ticket covers one vehicle and costs $20 Monday through Thursday or $30 Friday through Sunday and on specified holidays. At those prices, a weeknight drive-through costs a third less than a weekend one.
Both displays open on the Friday before Thanksgiving and stay open into the new year, so either one fits on any free night. The tree lightings are the only events with a fixed slot, so it makes sense to put the first weekend of December on the calendar before booking a zoo night or a drive-through.
Friday Belongs to Downtown Delaware
Main Street Delaware's Home for the Holidays opens the weekend with the First Friday Tree Lighting on December 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. The evening includes a main stage with local music groups and community vendors. At 7:30 p.m., remarks and a countdown lead into the lighting of the tree at the corner of William and Sandusky Streets.
The rest of downtown runs on the same evening. According to Main Street Delaware's Christmas in Downtown schedule, the free skating rink behind the Delaware Welcome Center at 20 E. William Street is open 5 to 9 p.m., provided by Snappy's Automotive and The Mason Foundation. Carriage rides run 6 to 9 p.m. at $2 per person for ages 6 and older. Walk-in visits with Santa at the Welcome Center are free and include one print and one digital photo, though the Friday time was still listed as TBD.
Friday is the one night of the weekend with no competing tree lighting anywhere in the county, which makes it the easiest of the three to plan.
Saturday Is Where the Choices Get Hard
On Saturday, December 5, three communities hold events at overlapping times. Downtown Delaware has events from late morning into the afternoon, and Powell and Sunbury both run through the evening.
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dash for Dasher in downtown Delaware.
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Santa at the Delaware Welcome Center: walk-ins from 11 to noon, then by appointment from noon to 3.
- 1 to 5 p.m. Skating at the Welcome Center.
- 3:30 p.m. The Great Gingerbread Build-Off at COhatch, 18 E. William Street, now in its second year.
- 4 to 7 p.m. Holidays in Powell at Village Green Park, with the tree lighting at 6.
- 4 to 8 p.m. Christmas on the Square at Sunbury Town Hall, with a lighted parade at 5:30 and the tree lighting at 7.
Powell's three hours fall entirely within Sunbury's four, and Sunbury's 5:30 parade starts while Powell's evening is underway. Powell lights its tree an hour before Sunbury does.
The two evenings have different programs. The City of Powell plans an iceless rink, a bonfire with free s'mores, photos with Santa, performances and roaming entertainment, and the event is sponsored by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The city's 2026 event lineup also mentions carolers and food trucks.
The Sunbury Big Walnut Area Chamber of Commerce lists a free evening on the square presented by the Eagles. It includes skating, ornament decorating, a donut-eating contest, ice sculpting, performances, and visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Reaching both Powell and Sunbury in one evening means leaving one of them early, and families joining the Gingerbread Build-Off downtown will be choosing among three places that afternoon.
Sunday Ends With Two Events at the Same Hour
Sunday, December 6, has the tightest overlap of the weekend. Orange Township's Holiday Event runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at North Orange Park, 7560 Gooding Blvd. The township's Fall 2026 newsletter lists free hot chocolate and cookies, a tree lighting, train rides, and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Guests are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy for Delaware People In Need, and Santa's mailbox will be there for letters. The township's event page also lists Olentangy Schools performances and an appearance by the Grinch.
Main Street Delaware's Home for the Holidays page lists the Light the Night Christmas Parade at 6 p.m. that evening. It steps off from Mingo Park and travels down Sandusky Street to Wilmer Street. That's half an hour before Orange Township's event ends. The organization's Christmas in Downtown page still lists the parade time as TBD, so check Main Street Delaware closer to the date before planning the evening around 6 p.m. Skating at the Welcome Center runs 1 to 5 p.m. that afternoon, ahead of both events.
What Changed From Last Year
Most of the weekend repeats the same format as last year, with one day's shift on the calendar. Last year's Light the Night parade took place on December 7, 2025, at 6 p.m. on the same Mingo Park to Wilmer Street route. This year it is on December 6, still the first Sunday of the month. Wildlights moved the same way. Last year it ran from November 21, 2025 through January 4, 2026, according to the zoo's announcement for its 37th season.
The new features this year are at the zoo. Wildlights lists three additions for 2026:
- Starlight Safari: seven oversized animal sculptures, one for each region of the zoo, each lit with thousands of points of light.
- Bricktopia: An Array of WILD Builds: LEGO creations by OhioLUG, a Recognized LEGO Fan Community, displayed inside the Naomi Coyle Dempsey Quest for Enlightenment Interpretive Center.
- Starlight Constellation Quest: sponsored by Disney on Ice presents Magic in the Stars.
Last season's additions included the Animated Pixel Passage, the Global Traditions Plaza and new Conservation Lake shows. For traffic, the zoo's Wildlights guest page describes both entrances open, directional signage and additional staff. A weeknight visit avoids the Friday and Saturday crowds, and the zoo stays open until 9 p.m. on those nights.
The Weekends on Either Side
With the first weekend of December set, the rest of the season can be planned around it:
- Friday, November 20: Wildlights and Butch Bando's Fantasy of Lights both open.
- Friday, December 11: Downtown Delaware's $2 carriage rides return for a second night.
- Saturday, December 12: The Delaware County Historical Society runs Holiday "Trolley" Tours at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. The boarding location is still TBD.
- Sunday, January 3, 2027: Last night for both Wildlights and Fantasy of Lights.
The zoo and Fantasy of Lights stay open for the rest of the season, so plan around December 4–6 first.
If you're hosting family that weekend or trying to fit Powell, Sunbury and downtown Delaware into the same three days, I'm happy to help you think through the schedule. Anthony Rose Homes is a Central Ohio business, and I'll be out at these events too. Let's Connect.
