November 5, 2026
"Come down. Bring your umbrella. We're always open in Waxhaw." That was Nicole Virricchio, owner of 88A Boutique, talking to WSOC on October 9. Earlier that day the Town of Waxhaw had canceled Autumn Treasures, which had been set for Saturday, October 10, because of the weather forecast.
The Town said the festival would not be rescheduled. It pointed to the number of people involved and the work needed to coordinate the event, and said Sunday wasn't an option either. That means downtown's biggest fall day never happened. The next large gatherings in the historic core are three holiday weekends between November 21 and December 13, and each one works differently.
Autumn Treasures used to be bigger. The Town's event page says the festival was cut to one day after a Board of Commissioners vote on June 24, 2025. The 2026 plan was a single Saturday downtown, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. So the fall season had already been reduced to one day, and then that day was lost to the forecast.
People who work downtown explained why that matters. Markie Henry, a former owner of the Waxhaw Tap House, told WSOC: "I know we depend on those big days to bring in the crowds. Everyone wants to stop in and stop in the shops as well as be on the street." Town officials said they shared "the disappointment of our vendors, staff, volunteers, downtown businesses and everyone who helps make this event possible."
Those big days have moved to the holiday calendar. One weekend is run by the Town, one by the downtown merchants' association and one by the Museum of the Waxhaws and the Town together. Here they are in order.
The tree lighting is the anchor, but the day starts almost ten hours earlier. The Downtown Waxhaw Association's November 2026 calendar lists three things that Saturday.
The afternoon is packed. The Town's tree lighting page lists photos with Santa at the tree, Anna and Elsa plus the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who meeting kids on W N Main Street, and holiday music at the Community Corner starting at 4 p.m. The Rotary Club of Weddington and Waxhaw and local Girl Scout troops run a reindeer food and crafts table. There's also a Children's Entrepreneur Market where young makers sell handmade gifts. All of the activities are free. Food trucks and market purchases cost money, and vendors will sell hot chocolate and sweets.
After the lighting, the Town invites people to stay downtown to shop and eat under the new lights. That makes this the first evening since the canceled festival when the Town is actively sending a crowd to the storefronts.
Plan around the street closures. The Town is closing N. Church Street between McDonald and 75, McDonald Street between 16 and Church, W. N. Main between 16 and Broad, and E. N. Main between N. Providence and 16. It suggests parking in the gravel lot on North Broome Street.
The Thanksgiving weekend belongs to the merchants. The Downtown Waxhaw Association has made Small Business Saturday a three-day event from November 27 to 29, with giveaways and an Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunt.
The hunt runs Saturday, November 28. Twenty Scout Elves will be hidden inside downtown shops and businesses. Pick up a bingo card at a participating business, find the elves as you walk, and bring a finished card to the Duncan McDonald House at 115 McDonald Street between noon and 6 p.m. for a treat. All weekend, participating businesses will also hand out limited-edition Downtown Waxhaw tote bags and "Sip Local" coasters.
The hunt is designed to get people through shop doors, since you can only fill in a card by going inside. Henry described that same kind of foot traffic when he talked about what festival days bring. Families who came for the tree lighting a week earlier will be back in the same storefronts, this time with a reason to go inside.
The season ends with back-to-back days at opposite ends of downtown.
Saturday, December 12. The Museum of the Waxhaws holds Old Waxhaw Christmas from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free. Historical interpreters bring the past to life around the exhibits. Sunny Days Markets runs a vendor market with local food, handmade crafts, gifts and holiday treats. It's the daytime, gift-shopping half of the weekend, and it has free entry.
Sunday, December 13. The Town's Christmas Parade steps off downtown at 3 p.m. School marching bands march alongside floats and entries from more than 70 businesses and community members, and Santa makes an appearance. Announcers cover the whole route. The Town says the parade "draws a large crowd each year" and asks people to arrive early and expect delays.
Parade day comes with the strictest rules of the season.
| Parade day item | Detail |
|---|---|
| 2:30 p.m. | Route closes to inbound traffic. Outbound traffic can still leave. |
| 2:45 p.m. | Route closes to all vehicles |
| 5:30 p.m. | Route reopens |
| Along the route | Parking no longer available |
| Standard parking | Waxhaw Downtown Park, 301 Givens Street; 521 N. Broome Street |
| ADA parking | N. Church Street between Price Street and McDonald Street; the lot next to the Waxhaw Woman's Club |
| ADA closing | When full, or at 2:45 p.m. |
The Town gives the no-parking rule as a safety measure for guests and participants. Practically, a lot of parade-goers will start the afternoon at Waxhaw Downtown Park on Givens Street. That's the Town's park with an interactive stream, nature playgrounds, a pump track, an amphitheatre, walking paths and picnic pods, so kids have something to do before 3 p.m.
Most people just show up for the season, but businesses, school groups and community organizations face a deadline. Parade registration closes November 30, the day after the merchants' weekend ends. For anyone planning a float, that's a little less than three weeks after this post goes up.
The other date is November 21. That day you can go from a morning 5K to the farmers market to a 5:45 p.m. tree lighting without leaving the downtown area. It's the first of the three weekends that now carry downtown's busiest days of the year.
At Sally Awad, we keep up with the Waxhaw calendar because it shapes how a downtown address feels from week to week, from parade-day road closures on N. Church Street to the walk from Givens Street to the tree. If you'd like to talk about where in Waxhaw fits the way you spend weekends like these, Request a Private Luxury Consultation.
Ten years into her real estate career, Sally remains just as committed to her clients as she did when she first earned her license. She thoroughly enjoys partnering with clients to realize their dream of homeownership, genuinely striving to have each and every client feel valued, heard, and understood throughout their home-buying journey.
