Adirondack Holiday Festival | Glens Falls

Friday, December 5, 2025 5:30 PM
Sunday, December 7, 2025 5:00 PM

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Adirondack Holiday Festival Brings a Weekend of Cheer to Glens Falls

Glens Falls Adirondack Holiday Festival 2025

The Glens Falls Collaborative is kicking off December with a full weekend of holiday magic — three days of music, lights, Santa sightings, local shopping, arts, and family fun.

While the event is billed as the Adirondack Holiday Festival, the heart of the celebration is unmistakably Glens Falls and the Southern Adirondacks, where community spirit shines brightest this time of year.

From lights in City Park to crafts at The Hyde to artisan markets at The Queensbury Hotel, this weekend offers something festive for every kind of holiday explorer. Here’s your guide to enjoying the event to its fullest.

Friday: tree lighting & downtown celebrations

Friday, December 5
5:30–8 pm • City Park & Downtown Glens Falls

Downtown Glens Falls transforms into a winter celebration zone on Friday evening, starting with live holiday music in City Park from Big Show Entertainment (5:30–7 pm).

At 5:55 pm, Santa Claus and Glens Falls Mayor Collins make a grand entrance by fire truck — always a crowd-pleaser for kids and parents alike. Just minutes later, at 6 pm, City Park glows to life with the annual Holiday Tree Lighting, joined by Santa, Rudolph, Clarice, and local families.

6:15–8 pm, Glen Street becomes the center of free holiday activities:

Visit with Santa, Rudolph & Clarice near Crandall Public Library and Arrow Bank
Free goodie bags for kids (donated by Arrow Bank)
An on-site photographer to capture your child’s visit with Santa
Balloon twists by Magic Mike
Horse-drawn wagon rides (boarding at the alley to Elm Street Parking Lot)
Elf on the Shelf visits in Crandall Public Library’s Community Room
Caroling by the Candy Cane Quartet
Performances by Witch Way Wanderers & Bolton Dance Academy
Downtown businesses and restaurants open late, offering specials

Don’t miss the Santa Letter Mailbox — available Friday near Santa, Saturday at The Ed, and all month long in Glens Falls City Hall.

Saturday: family fun at The Hyde & Hometown Holidays

Saturday is packed with family programming across two major hubs.

Festivities at The Hyde Collection

Organized by the Glens Falls Collaborative
161 Warren Street

10 am & 1 pm: Family craft sessions
11:30 am: The Grinch screening with popcorn
1–3 pm: Visit with Santa (registration required at glensfallscollaborative.com)

Hometown Holidays at The Ed

"The Ed" is the downtown Market and Events Center, a multi-purpose venue named in honor of the late former Mayor Ed Bartholomew. It is a centerpiece of the downtown revitalization project and features a weekly farmers market, commercial kitchen, market-rate apartments, and space for community gatherings, concerts, and other events.

Celebrate community creativity, live entertainment, and local vendors — all under one warm, festive roof:

1 pm: Tree decorating by eight area nonprofits
1:30–3:30 pm: Regional Radio Group live remote (Pete & Dan)
2–3 pm: Bolton Dance Academy performance
2–5 pm: Glens Falls Farmers Market vendors
2:30–4:30 pm: Reggie’s Red Hot Feetwarmers performing as The Dixie Santas

Plus, from 1–5 pm, enjoy:

Hot chocolate & cookies
Food trucks
Kids’ games & crafts
Santa letter-writing station
Face painting
Photo booth

Sunday: the LARAC Winter Arts Festival

10 am – 4 pm • The Queensbury Hotel

The weekend wraps with one of the Southern Adirondacks’ most anticipated annual artisan markets. The LARAC Winter Arts Festival hosts 50+ artists, filling the Queensbury Hotel with handmade gifts, jewelry, ceramics, paintings, holiday décor, textiles, and more. A perfect opportunity to shop local and check off your holiday list.

For more information, visit the Glens Falls Collaborative website.