Where does a Belton December actually happen? Most people would point to the courthouse square, where the tree gets lit and the Lighted Christmas Parade rolls on the first Saturday of the month. The 2026 calendar shows a longer route. The season starts at the square on December 4 and its last public event is on December 29 at The Landing at Creekside Park, a small park on South East Street along Nolan Creek. Most of what opened downtown this year sits on the same street between those two ends.
The season, in order
Here's the calendar as published so far. Every date is a 2026 listing from the organizer.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 4, 4–5 p.m. | Sugar Shack Candy Store ribbon cutting | 219 S. East St., Suite A |
| Thu., Nov. 12 and Fri., Nov. 13, 7 p.m. | Very Mary Hardin-Baylor Christmas | Baugh Performance Hall, 810 Main St. |
| Sat., Nov. 21, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Belton Market Days Holiday Fall Market | Downtown Belton |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 6 p.m. | Christmas movie on the Square and tree lighting | Courthouse square |
| Sat., Dec. 5, noon–7 p.m. | Christmas on the Chisholm Trail market and Winter Village | Downtown Belton |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 6 p.m. | Lighted Christmas Parade | Downtown Belton |
| Fri., Dec. 18 and Tue., Dec. 29 | Family, Fishin' & Fun | The Landing at Creekside Park, S. East St. |
Three of the seven entries have an East Street address. The table doesn't show the businesses that opened on that street since spring, and those are where the time between the events goes.
November warms up away from the square
The first big ticket of the season is at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, not downtown. Very Mary Hardin-Baylor Christmas runs two nights, November 12 and 13, both at 7 p.m. in Baugh Performance Hall at 810 Main St. UMHB describes it as a concert featuring the Concert Choir and Wind Ensemble, with a carol sing-along, student and alumni artwork on display, and a food-pantry collection. Bring a canned good along with your ticket.
Eight days later, downtown takes over. The Downtown Belton Business Alliance calendar lists Belton Market Days' Holiday Fall Market for Saturday, November 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. That's two weeks before the big December weekend, so it works well for gift shopping without the parade crowds.
Before either of those, South East Street gets a new storefront. The Belton Chamber lists a grand-opening ribbon cutting for Sugar Shack Candy Store on Wednesday, November 4, from 4 to 5 p.m. at 219 S. East St., Suite A. A candy shop opening a month ahead of Christmas on the Chisholm Trail puts one more stop on the stretch of East Street that runs toward the creek.
The north end: the square and the Katy
Christmas on the Chisholm Trail runs December 4 and 5, according to the City of Belton events page. Friday at 6 p.m. brings a Christmas movie on the Square and the annual tree lighting. Saturday's market runs noon to 7 p.m. with more than 100 vendor booths, a food court, local restaurants and businesses, music and performances, and the Winter Village kid zone. Santa takes pictures near Winter Village from noon to 5:30 p.m., and the Lighted Christmas Parade starts at 6 p.m.
One planning note on the parade. The route map linked from the city's 2026 listing is the file labeled 2025. If you usually save a spot on a particular curb, check the city page again closer to December 5 in case an updated map goes up.
Around the square, a few long-standing stops are part of that Saturday. Lindy Lu's on the Square, a consignment shop, is at 110 E. Central Ave. The Crow & Cactus Co. is a block over at 122 N. Pearl St. On Central Avenue, Hellyeah! has a Belton Chamber listing at 206 E. Central Ave. describing dinner, weekend brunch, and entertainment in its courtyard. The Belton Journal covered its arrival in May with a planned ribbon cutting.
A little farther along East Street is the pair of buildings that now anchors this end of it. In 2022, KWTX reported that construction was underway at the old Belton MK&T Depot, at East Street and First Avenue, to turn it into a commercial complex with restaurants, bars, shopping, and an outdoor lounging area. The investors planned to renovate The Katy, an old grain-storage building right next door, after that. See Belton now describes the renovated MKT Depot and Katy as home to 10 new businesses.
The middle stretch: what opened in 2026
This is the part of the season the city calendar leaves out. Between the tree lighting and the creek, East Street picked up several new tenants this year:
- Whimsy Art Cafe, 203 N. East St. The Belton Journal reported its opening in the August 6 issue. It serves crafts instead of coffee, from a rotating menu of beginner-friendly projects like drawing, painting, and air-dry clay, with new projects every week. Its own page still lists the North East Street address.
- Blackbird Books & Spirits, 203 N. East St. See Belton lists it as a bookstore, bar, and venue inside the Katy.
- Nic & Ned's Scoop Shop, Katy Commons. The Temple ice cream parlor opened a Belton location inside the downtown Katy Commons building on East Street, the Belton Journal reported on May 14.
- The Cottage Vintage and Artisanal Shoppe, 106 N. East St. It opened downtown in May, according to the Belton Journal, and keeps Wednesday through Sunday hours.
- Sugar Shack Candy Store, 219 S. East St., Suite A. It's the newest stop, with its grand opening set for November 4.
Put those addresses in order and they run from 106 N. East St. near the square, through the Katy at 203, and across to the south side at 219 S. East St. That spread is why a Saturday that once ended when the parade cleared now has more places to stop along the way. During Christmas on the Chisholm Trail weekend, an art table, an ice cream counter, a bookstore bar, and a vintage shop are all within the same downtown walk as the vendor booths.
The south end: trout in Nolan Creek
Once the parade weekend is over, the next public event moves down East Street to the water. The city's annual Family, Fishin' & Fun event is set for Friday, December 18, and Tuesday, December 29. For both dates, the city stocks Nolan Creek with rainbow trout through the Texas Parks & Wildlife Rainbow Trout Program. It's free, bait is provided while supplies last, and no fishing license is required during the event.
The December event is held at The Landing at Creekside Park, a 2.8-acre spot along Nolan Creek. The city lists its address simply as S. East Street, with hours from 8 a.m. to dusk. The city hasn't posted start times for either date yet. Check its page the week before.
The dates are worth a second look. December 18 is the Friday before Christmas week, and December 29 is a Tuesday between Christmas and New Year's. Neither date competes with the square's big weekend, which puts the creek in charge of the back half of the month the same way the square has the first weekend.
Planning a December that uses the whole street
The 2026 calendar breaks into three sections along East Street:
- Early December at the north end. Tree lighting Friday, December 4, at 6 p.m., then the market from noon and the parade at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 5. The Katy and the North East Street shops are close to the square for breaks between Santa photos and the parade.
- Weekdays and weekends in between. Whimsy's weekly projects, The Cottage's Wednesday through Sunday hours, and the new candy counter at 219 S. East St. fill the weeks when the square is quiet.
- Late December at the south end. Rods and bait at The Landing on December 18 and 29.
Before December, mark November 12 or 13 for the UMHB concert and November 21 for the Holiday Fall Market, and you'll have a holiday calendar with something on it nearly every week from early November to the end of the year.
If you're planning December around downtown Belton and the new spots along East Street, I'd love to swap notes on our favorite stops. And if all this foot traffic near the square has you wondering what your own Belton home is worth this season, Amy Kirk can run an instant home valuation or set up a free consult on whatever schedule suits your holidays.
