It's Jolly Holiday Time

Your 2025 guide to Plano’s best holiday lights and seasonal events

Plano knows how to do the holidays right. Each year, the city lights up with more than 50 festive happenings, from twinkling light displays and live performances to artisan markets and family parades. Whether you’re here for a day or the whole season, there’s plenty happening in Plano to keep your spirits bright.

Festive Events

Lights at Legacy
November 23
Kick off the holidays at The Shops at Legacy East, where free train rides, live entertainment, toy soldier stilt walkers, and balloon artists will bring the fun. Enjoy complimentary bites and sips from local restaurants before the tree lighting ceremony at 6:30 pm. Snap a photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus for $30, with 50% of the proceeds benefitting My Possibilities.

Dickens in Downtown Plano
December 6
Historic Downtown Plano transforms into a vintage holiday village for this free annual celebration. Expect vendors, live music, a snow globe, and family-friendly activities, along with late-night shopping and the city’s official tree lighting.

Step back in time for Dickens in Downtown Plano.Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

Plano Holiday Parade
December 13
The beloved community parade marches through downtown with festive floats, marching bands, drill teams, and Santa himself. Arrive early to grab a good viewing spot for this long-standing Plano tradition.

Holiday Lights

Lights on the Farm
November 28-December 23
Take a magical quarter-mile stroll through more than a million lights at the Heritage Farmstead Museum. Meet Santa, sip cocoa, toast s’mores, and enjoy themed nights like Frozen Adventure and Grinch Night.

Lights on the Farm Plano Meet Santa at Lights on the Farm.Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

Make way for the Plano Holiday Parade.

Deerfield Holiday Lights
December 1-30
The Deerfield neighborhood’s famous light displays are a Plano must-see. Nearly every home joins in with dazzling decorations, synchronized music, and glowing holiday spirit for a free experience unlike any other.

Holiday Productions

The Gift of Christmas
December 5-14
At Prestonwood Baptist Church, this multimedia spectacular features a cast of nearly 1,000, a live orchestra, flying angels, live camels, and stunning special effects. It’s a Plano holiday institution that often gains national attention.

Prestonwood Baptist Church The Gift of Christmas No, this isn't New York — it's Prestonwood Baptist Church.Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
December 19-21
Listen (and watch) as the classic holiday film comes to life with this stage adaptation told through voices and sound effects, presented by Repertory Company Theatre and performing at the Courtyard Theatre.

Home for the Holidays with the Plano Symphony Orchestra
December 21
This year’s performance features celebrated vocalist Charles Billingsley, one of Christian music’s most distinctive artists with 24 solo albums and performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Joining the Plano Symphony Orchestra is the award-winning Plano West Senior High School Choir, under the direction of Sarah Council.

Holiday Shopping

‘Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market
November 6-9
The Junior League of Collin County’s annual fundraiser brings together more than 125 merchants offering decor, fashion, gourmet treats, and unique gifts at the Plano Event Center. All proceeds from the event benefit the local projects and programs of the Junior League of Collin County.

Plano Holiday Market
November 22-23
This free market at Carpenter Park Recreation Center highlights handmade crafts, home decor, jewelry, and small-batch foods — a great stop for thoughtful, locally made gifts.

Christmas Shopping Days Vendor Market
December 6-7
Find the perfect present at this community market filled with local artisans, festive eats, and plenty of small-business holiday cheer.

Legacy West
Luxury shopping, festive photo ops, and holiday sparkle define Legacy West this time of year. Look for seasonal pop-ups, live music, and more as you check off your list in style.

Downtown Plano Arts District
Shop small in Plano’s walkable historic district, home to indie boutiques, galleries, and cafes. December’s Mistletoe Market is the perfect time to find handcrafted gifts from local makers.

Plan your full festive itinerary at VisitPlano.com.

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Park patriotism

State Fair of Texas marks America's 250th with flyover, music, and more

Canned food display at the State Fair of Texas

Photo by Kevin Brown

There will be patriotic displays everywhere you look at the 2026 State Fair of Texas.

As if all the food, entertainment, and discounts the State Fair of Texas is offering in 2026 wasn't enough, they will also continue the celebration of America's 250th birthday with a variety of patriotic attractions, exhibits, and experiences.

Red, white, and blue will be woven throughout Fair Park during the annual extravaganza, running September 25-October 18 this year, thanks to the State Fair's commemorative theme, “Stars, Stripes, and Howdies." That will be especially evident opening weekend, September 25-27, according to a news release.

At the annual Opening Day Ceremony, which takes place at 6:45 pm on the Hall of State steps on September 25, there will be a special America 250 flyover after the national anthem concludes.

The flyover will consist of a B-52 Stratofortress, two F-35 Lightning IIs, and an A-10 Thunderbolt II. Following the flyover, future servicemembers of the U.S. Air Force will be sworn in with the Oath of Enlistment.

Additionally, an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter and other military assets will be on display near the Hall of State the full weekend.

Finally, The United States Army 1st Cavalry Band will put on a special performance every two hours from 2-8 pm on Sunday, September 27 on the all-new ZiegenBock Stage at The Old Mill.

Visitors can also celebrate patriotism through several different types of exhibitions taking place the full run of the fair.

At D.A.R. House will be "Revolutionary Women: The Role of Women and Girls in the American Revolution," featuring display panels and artifacts that tell the stories of service, rebellion, and hardship of the mostly overlooked roles of women and girls in the American Revolution.

At the Music Hall at Fair Park, Broadway Dallas will present free daily screenings of Compagnia de' Colombari's Whitman on Walls!, featuring 50 artists performing Walt Whitman's iconic poem, "Song of Myself."

The Creative Arts building will host “United We Can,” a special display featuring hundreds of canned jars themed to each state, all arranged in a specific way to create an American Flag.

There will also be opportunities to visit the permanent Texas Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, located across from the Music Hall and a visit from the Freedom250 Mobile Education Truck, which covers various aspects of American history.

As always, active-duty military, retired military, veterans, and first responders enjoy $5 off admission any day of the State Fair.

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