Andover's Holiday Season Moves Around Town. Here's Where It Lands Each Weekend.
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
Andover's 2026 holiday events start in a church hall in Ballardvale and end in a school auditorium on Shawsheen Road. In between, they spend a Sunday afternoon on Main Street and a whole weekend on Central Street, then fill December weeknights around Old Shawsheen School and The Park. Each stop gets its own building and its own block, so where you go depends on the week.
The weekend events start the Saturday before Thanksgiving, away from downtown. Voices of Hope holds its Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ballardvale United Church, 23 Clark Road. The Town of Andover's November calendar lists more than 30 crafters.
It's the only event on this calendar south of downtown. If you live in Ballardvale, it's a short trip. For everyone else, it's a reason to drive to Clark Road before the rest of the calendar pulls you toward the center of town.
Eight days later the season moves to the center of town. The Andover Firefighters Santa Parade steps off on Sunday, November 29, at 1 p.m. on Main Street, according to the parade's official site. The Andover Fireman's Relief Association, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit social welfare organization, organizes it.
The parade is built for the community. The same site posts a 2026 participant form and a 2026 sponsorship letter and asks community groups and local businesses to join the lineup. A group that wants to march still has a few weeks to send in paperwork.
The 2026 route isn't on the parade site yet. When the Town listed the 2024 parade, the route started at the Town Hall complex and ran along Whittier Street, Elm Street and Main Street before ending at Punchard Avenue. It's a reasonable guide to where people tend to line up, but check this year's route before you claim a curb.
The first weekend of December is the only one when two separate holiday events sit next door to each other on the same street.
Saturday, December 5, noon to 6 p.m. The Fourth Annual Andover Holiday Market fills South Church of Andover at 41 Central Street. The Town calendar listing calls it a "European-style Market" held both indoors and outdoors, with artisans, specialty food, a beer and wine garden, hot cocoa, cider and coffee, live music, kids' activities, a raffle and visits from Santa. The suggested donation is $2 per person or $10 per family, and it's optional. SNAP is accepted by eligible food vendors.
This market matters more than a typical holiday fair because of what it funds. It's a fundraiser for the Andover Farmers Market, and proceeds go to the market's operations and its food justice efforts. The market's regular 2026 season ran on Saturdays from June 20 to October 17, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The December 5 Holiday Market is the only date on its calendar after that. If you missed the market this summer, or miss it now, this is the one winter Saturday it comes back. The Andover Farmers Market site posts the vendor list.
Sunday, December 6, 3 to 5 p.m. The next afternoon, the New England Classic Singers perform "Bach to Bach" at Christ Church, 33 Central Street. The program pairs J.S. Bach's "Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft," BWV 50, with his Magnificat in D, BWV 243, followed by seasonal carols. The soloists are soprano Susan Consoli, alto Carrie Cheron, tenor Fausto Miro and bass Dana Whiteside.
The two addresses are 41 and 33 Central Street. Saturday is for shopping and Sunday is for music, and both are on the same short stretch. It's the easiest weekend of the season to plan around.
After that first weekend, most of the calendar moves to weeknights and away from Main Street. Most of these events are sized for families with kids, and most happen in two places: Old Shawsheen School at 18 Magnolia Avenue and The Park at Chestnut and Bartlet streets.
| Date | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Dec. 8 | Gingerbread House Decorating Party | 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. | Old Shawsheen School, 18 Magnolia Ave. |
| Thursday, Dec. 10 | Downtown Holiday Shop and Dine Stroll | 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. | Downtown Andover |
| Wednesday, Dec. 16 | Flashlight Candy Cane Hunt | 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. | The Park, 36 Bartlet St. |
| Thursday, Dec. 17 | Hooray for the Holidays! | 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. | Old Shawsheen School, 18 Magnolia Ave. |
The gingerbread party is the easiest of these to just show up to. The Town listing says the houses come already assembled, with frosting and candy supplied, and families take their finished house home at the end of the night.
The Flashlight Candy Cane Hunt runs on the Wednesday after that. The listing describes hundreds of candy canes hidden around The Park, hot cocoa before the search, and a few candy canes marked with a prize-winning ribbon. It starts at 5 p.m., after dark in mid-December, so bring flashlights.
Hooray for the Holidays! is the exception on this list. It's a weekday morning event, 10 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, December 17, with handprint wreaths, paper snowflakes and age-appropriate games. It suits parents of children who aren't in school yet more than anyone working a standard day.
The one downtown event in this stretch is the Downtown Holiday Shop and Dine Stroll on Thursday, December 10, from 5 to 8 p.m. The Town's listing has the date and hours, and it says only "More information to come!" Participating businesses and any specials should be posted closer to the night.
The stroll comes two days after the gingerbread party and six days before the candy cane hunt. A family that wants a weeknight event every week through mid-December can manage it without repeating a venue more than once.
The calendar's last stop is the J. Everett Collins Center Auditorium, 100 Shawsheen Road. Dance Prism Ballet brings its 44th-season production of "The Nutcracker" there for three performances:
The listing describes a fully staged professional production with Tchaikovsky's score, falling snow and a Christmas tree that grows onstage. After every performance, audience members can meet Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy for a free photo, with no VIP ticket or extra purchase required. Tickets are sold through Dance Prism.
The Nutcracker comes four weeks after the Ballardvale craft fair and is the only event on the calendar with multiple performances to choose from. If your family's December fills up early, it's the safest event to pick a date for in advance.
Two events many residents look for each December aren't on the 2026 calendar yet.
The first is Holiday Happenings. In 2025, Andover News reported that the event was held on Friday, December 12, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Robb Center and Cormier Youth Center. No 2026 date, time or venue has been announced, and the Town hasn't posted a 2026 tree lighting either.
The second is the public menorah lighting. The Town's 2025 listing put it on December 15, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Gazebo at The Park. The 2026 date hasn't been posted.
Both are worth checking on the Town of Andover calendar as December gets closer. If either lands near The Park, it will add to the weeknights already planned there.
For anyone keeping a fridge calendar, here's the 2026 schedule as currently posted:
If your own December includes hosting family for a few of these weekends, or wondering how a different part of Andover would change your routine, the team at O'Connell & Company Real Estate is glad to talk it through. We follow this calendar as closely as the market, and we're happy to share what we know about any corner of town. Contact Us.
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