The 70-foot tree in Market Street's Central Park lights tonight, the ice rink opens tomorrow, and the doves light up at Town Green Park on Saturday. By Sunday evening, most of the season's headline events in Town Center will already have happened. So what is left for a Friday in mid-December?
Starting in 2026, there's a lot left. The Woodlands Township has added a vendor market and a Friday night music-and-fireworks series to Holiday on The Waterway. That gives The Waterway a weekly schedule that keeps going after opening weekend. Plan the next four days as one block. Then plan December around three Fridays.
Four days, five openings
The season's opening events all fall between tonight and Sunday, and they share the same few blocks of Lake Robbins Drive. That makes them easy to combine and easy to underestimate.
Thursday, November 19: Market Street in Lights. Hello Woodlands reports that the 19th annual tree lighting begins at 5:30 p.m. in Central Park. Visit The Woodlands President Nick Wolda and Market Street General Manager Noemi Gonzalez will emcee. The JoiLux Band plays holiday songs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Anna, Elsa, Olaf, The Grinch, Buddy the Elf and others will walk the street along with balloon artists, face painters and a stilt walker, and H-E-B is providing water and cookies. Tonight's lighting starts the three-minute synchronized show, with more than 25,000 lights, a spray of "snow" and confetti. After tonight it repeats every hour on the half hour from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The show runs nightly through December 31, according to Visit The Woodlands.
Friday, November 20: the ice rink and the Junior League market. The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center opens for the season tomorrow, and the Township's "Skate into the Season" opening event and ribbon cutting runs from 6 to 9 p.m. The same day, the Junior League of The Woodlands opens its Dashing Through The Snow Holiday Market at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center. Shopping hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The advance-ticket deadline of November 15 has passed, so general admission is now $20 at the door.
Saturday, November 21: Lighting of the Doves and the Waterway lights. The Township's Lighting of the Doves Festival runs from 3 to 8 p.m. at Town Green Park, 2099 Lake Robbins Drive. Cold Shot performs at 5 p.m., and ice carvers work from 6:20 to 7 p.m. The ceremonial lighting, Santa's arrival and fireworks all happen at 7 p.m. Crafts, balloon art and airbrush tattoos are free while supplies last. The snow slides and play areas require a $5 wristband. That evening, Holiday on The Waterway opens with more than one million lights along the paths and bridges near 31 Waterway Square Place. Entergy is this year's sponsor, and the display is free.
Sunday, November 22. The Junior League market's last day runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
That covers the four days that open the season. What's different this year is the schedule that follows them.
What the Waterway didn't have last year
The Township's 2025 listing for Holiday on The Waterway described the free light display, swan and pedal-boat rides, and paddling. For food, a Township newsletter from late November 2025 listed DonutNV, French Corner and Galexy Concessions on select days near the South Plaza. Outside of opening weekend, a December visit meant walking the lights and finding whatever vendors happened to be there that night.
Two additions for 2026 change that.
The Market at Holiday on The Waterway is billed as "New This Year!" on the official site. Vendors sell gifts, seasonal goods and holiday treats from 5 to 9 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays, November 21 through December 19, and the market is closed on Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, so the market is open twelve nights. That's one opening Saturday, then the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, then three full Thursday-to-Saturday weekends in December.
Waterway Winter Nights is a new free event from The Woodlands Township Parks & Recreation at Waterway Square, on Fridays December 4, 11 and 18 from 7 to 9 p.m. Each night has live music, a mix of popular hits and holiday favorites, plus food and drinks from on-site vendors including Sorriso Modern Italian Kitchen. At 8:55 p.m., Visit The Woodlands sponsors a seven-minute fireworks display over The Waterway, weather permitting. The organizers suggest bringing lawn chairs and blankets.
Last year, fireworks were part of the Lighting of the Doves on opening Saturday. This year, The Waterway also has fireworks on three ordinary Friday nights in December.
Why the December Fridays matter
The two new events overlap. Every Winter Nights Friday is also a Market night, and all of it happens next to the light trail. On December 4, 11 and 18, one evening on The Waterway can include all of this:
| Time | What's happening on The Waterway |
|---|---|
| 5 p.m. | The Market opens, and the million-light trail is already lit |
| 7 p.m. | Waterway Winter Nights music begins at Waterway Square |
| 8:55 p.m. | Seven-minute fireworks over The Waterway, weather permitting |
| 9 p.m. | The Market and the music wrap up |
The rest of the week has a simpler pattern. On Thursdays and Saturdays in December, the Market is open alongside the lights but there is no stage or fireworks. Sunday through Wednesday, The Waterway has the lights and the swan-boat rentals Visit The Woodlands mentions. Market Street's hourly tree show runs every night of the week.
The schedule also winds down in a set order. The last Winter Nights is Friday, December 18, and the Market's last night is Saturday, December 19. Market Street in Lights ends December 31. Holiday on The Waterway runs through January 3, and the ice rink stays open through Monday, January 18, 2027, the season's last date. Holiday guests who arrive the week of Christmas will see the lights and can skate, but the Market and the Friday fireworks will be over.
The rink anchors every visit
The ice rink is the one attraction open for the whole season, and it's within walking distance of the light trail. It's indoors, in the permanent 21,000-square-foot facility at 2005 Lake Robbins Drive beside The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The location and indoor setup are the same as last season, but admission went up by a dollar. It's $16 for ages 6 and up and $8 for ages 5 and under, compared with $15 and $7 in 2025. Admission includes skate rental and a two-hour slot, with tax added. Helmet and walker rentals are $10 each.
The rink's admission page lists first and last session times, so these hours show when sessions start, not when the building opens and closes:
- Monday through Thursday, 4 to 6:30 p.m.
- Friday, 4 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sunday, 1 to 6 p.m.
- School breaks and holidays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, 4 to 6:30 p.m.
- Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- New Year's Day, 1 to 6 p.m.
Fridays have the latest skate sessions of the week, so on the three Winter Nights Fridays you can skate first, then walk to Waterway Square for the music and the 8:55 p.m. fireworks.
Parking for the busy nights
Opening Saturday and the December Fridays will bring the most cars to Town Center. For Holiday on The Waterway, the official visitor information lists three nearby options and one place to avoid:
- Town Center Garage, 2005 Lake Robbins Drive
- Waterway Square Garage, 1505 Lake Robbins Drive
- Orange Lot, 2204 Timberloch Place
- Not Market Street, which the organizers ask visitors to avoid for Waterway parking
On Lighting of the Doves day, parking is free in Town Center lots and garages, and accessible parking is in the Green Lot. The free Town Center Trolley stops at The Woodlands Mall, Market Street, Waterway Square and Hughes Landing. You can park once and ride between the tree, the lights and dinner.
If you'd like a Holiday on The Waterway map and brochure on your phone, the Township's 2026 version marks the featured light displays and activity locations.
If a few December nights along The Waterway have you thinking about how your own home would show in the new year, Eve Kneller would be glad to help you plan before the spring market starts. Request your free CMA and consultation, and we can review your home's value and a listing timeline over coffee before the holidays.
