"YES, the lines are very long all over our neighborhood." That warning is the Deerfield neighborhood's own, in the visitor tips posted on Visit Plano's Deerfield Holiday Lights listing. Anyone who has idled down Archgate on a December Saturday knows it's true. Deerfield's season runs December 1 through 30 again this year.
In 2026, though, Plano's first big lights go on 11 days earlier and across town. Lights on the Farmstead at Heritage Farmstead Museum opens Friday, November 20, which is eight days earlier than its November 28 opening last year. Thanksgiving falls on November 26, so Plano's holiday season now has an opening weekend before the turkey. The city's two big light experiences also work on nearly opposite rules, so picking a weekend means picking a format, too.
November 20 to 22 is now the opening weekend
The Farmstead's new start date puts it on a weekend that was already filling up. Here's what lands in those three days, according to Visit Plano's 2026 Holiday Event Guide and the individual event listings.
- Friday, Nov. 20: Lights on the Farmstead opening night, themed "Opening Night with Mickey and Minnie."
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Galaxy Night at the Farmstead. The John Paul II High School Christmas Bazaar holds its 14th year with more than 160 vendors. The free Plano Holiday Market opens at Carpenter Park Recreation Center, 6701 Coit Road, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 22: The Plano Holiday Market's second day runs noon to 5 p.m. That evening is Lights at Legacy East at The Shops at Legacy East, 5741 Legacy Drive, from 4 to 7 p.m.
The Carpenter Park market sells handmade goods, baked items and gifts from local seniors. Its 2026 hours start an hour later each day than in 2025, when Saturday opened at 9 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. If you used to arrive at opening, adjust.
Lights at Legacy East is free with an Eventbrite RSVP. Live entertainment runs on the main stage from 4 to 6:30 p.m., and the tree lighting is at 6:30. Santa photos cost $30 from 4 to 6:15 p.m., first come, first served, off Bishop Road next to Truluck's. The organizers ask guests to park in the Legacy East, Legacy North or Legacy Tower garages. The sponsors are the City of Plano, UBS Financial Services and Kite Realty. The 2026 tree lighting falls one day earlier on the calendar than last year's, which was Sunday, November 23.
If you want to shop before any of that, ‘Neath the Wreath, the Junior League of Collin County's 31st annual gift market, runs November 12 through 15 at the Plano Event Center, with a Ladies Night Out preview on November 11. The Plano West Mighty Wolf Band's Snowflake Bazaar is November 14 and 15 at Plano West Senior High.
Two light shows with opposite rules
The Farmstead and Deerfield both have big light counts. Visit Plano says more than a million for Deerfield, and the museum says more than one million for the Farmstead. Past that, almost nothing about the two works the same way.
Lights on the Farmstead: ticketed, on foot, cashless
- Where: Heritage Farmstead Museum, 1900 W. 15th St., on a quarter-mile path through the 4-acre historic farm.
- What's on the path: 11 illuminated displays over 20 feet tall, a 30-foot Christmas tree, 10 animated displays and seven interactive photo spots.
- Tickets: $15 for adults 13 and up and $12 for ages 3 to 12, military and seniors 65 and up, bought in advance plus a service fee. Tickets cost more at the door, and the museum says the event often sells out.
- Payment: Cashless this year, at the gate and inside, so bring a card or mobile pay.
- Hours: Last entry is 9 p.m., and the farm closes at 9:30.
- Food: Hot cocoa, s'mores, donuts, popcorn, water and soda only, with no outside food or drink. The museum suggests eating dinner somewhere else first. Santa photos are $10 for two to four pictures taken on your own phone by one of Santa's elves.
- Parking: A limited lot is at the Starbucks on Custer Road south of 15th Street, entered from Custer. Overflow parking is at Pickleball Kingdom, 1301 Custer Rd., Suite 200, where a free shuttle runs from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The museum asks visitors not to park at Chase Bank, on Pitman Drive or in the Pitman Creek neighborhood.
Deerfield Holiday Lights: free, by car, December only
- Where: Northwest Plano between Preston Road and Coit Road. Visit Plano says the neighborhood has drawn holiday crowds for more than 20 years.
- Hours: December 1 to 30, 7 to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 7 to 11 p.m. on weekends, though most homes turn their lights on at dark.
- Entrances: The Legacy Drive entrances at Colonnade and Archgate have the longest lines. The neighborhood's tips point to back entrances off Quincy, including Bettye Haun Drive, Tweedsgate and Ivanhoe, and to Adrian and Sundance off Ohio.
- Timing: Weekend lines can last hours, so the neighborhood recommends weeknights.
- House rules: Don't stop and get out of the car, don't block alleys, keep car music at a reasonable volume, and plan around the fact that there are no public restrooms. If you walk, the neighborhood asks you to park at the far north end near Quincy Road, not near the clubhouse.
Both events end up making the same request from opposite directions. The Farmstead asks you to leave your car off Pitman Creek's streets, and Deerfield asks you to stay inside your car on its streets.
Use the theme nights to pick your Farmstead date
The Farmstead now runs from November 20 to December 30, so you have plenty of nights to choose from. The theme nights are the easiest way to narrow it down.
| Date | Farmstead theme night |
|---|---|
| Nov. 20 | Opening Night with Mickey and Minnie |
| Nov. 21 | Galaxy Night |
| Nov. 27 | Pup-tastic Night with Bluey |
| Nov. 28 | Superhero Night |
| Dec. 4 | Toy Story Night |
| Dec. 10 | Red, White, & Lights, 21 and up |
| Dec. 11 | Royal Night |
| Dec. 18 to 22 | Frozen, Wicked, Grinch, Ugly Sweater with Grinch, Pajama |
| Dec. 30 | New Year's Eve Party |
Bluey and Superhero nights fall on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, which makes them the obvious picks for hosts with young guests in town. On those same two days, Chamberlain Ballet's The Nutcracker plays the Eisemann Center in Richardson. Shows are November 27 at 7 p.m. and November 28 and 29 at 2 p.m., tickets run $25 to $114.50, and New York City Ballet's Tyler Angle and India Bradley are the guest artists. A 2 p.m. matinee and a 7 p.m. Farmstead entry fit in one day without rushing.
December stacks up downtown
Once Deerfield turns on December 1, the season's center shifts to Historic Downtown Plano, where two Saturdays in a row carry most of it.
Saturday, Dec. 5: Dickens
Dickens in Downtown Plano runs from 5 to 10 p.m. across the Downtown Plano Arts District and Haggard Park, 1021 E. 15th St. It's free. The tree lighting is at 7, and "The Polar Express" is read aloud at the Interurban Railway Museum at 6:30 and 7:30. Other draws include a snow slide, a Children's Entrepreneur Market, Christmas Tree Row, a Coffee and Cocoa Walk, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and photos with "The Mean One." That's one calendar day earlier than last year's Dickens on December 6. The next day, December 6, the free Holiday Market at Legacy Hall welcomes dogs. Shopping Days Christmas Edition fills the Plano Event Center on December 5 and 6.
If you know downtown from the first Saturday art walk, December 5 is also a first Saturday, so Dickens and the art walk share the night.
Saturday, Dec. 12: a race in the morning, a parade at 2
The Gingerbread Lane 5K and 10K moved from November 30 last year to December 12. The 1-mile, 5K and 10K start at 9 a.m., and the Kids Dash starts at 8:55, all at Red Tail Pavilion in Oak Point Park. Finishers get holiday cookies, milk and medals, and there's a costume contest.
At 2 p.m., the 2026 Red, White, and Merry Plano Holiday Parade steps off downtown with an America's 250th theme. The Rotary Clubs of Plano co-organize it, and it's free. The route starts on 19th Street at M Avenue, heads west on 19th, south on K Avenue, east on 15th, and north on M Avenue to finish at 18th Street. If weather cancels the parade, the notice goes up on the event listing the morning of December 12. The theme also lines up with the Farmstead's 21-and-up Red, White, & Lights night two days earlier.
Sunday, Dec. 13: two markets
The free Downtown Plano Holiday Market brings local vendors to Historic Downtown Plano. In the far north, Santa's Sleighin' Holiday Event and Market runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Boardwalk at Granite Park, 5880 State Highway 121, with holiday activities starting at noon. Santa, Frosty and a Snow Princess are on the bill. Visit Plano's Downtown Plano Holiday Bucket List runs November 2 through December 31 and counts Dickens and the parade as stops.
The last stretch belongs to the stages
The week before Christmas brings the indoor programs. The Plano Symphony Orchestra's Home for the Holidays moved to Sunday, December 20, with performances at 5 and 8:30 p.m. at Robinson Fine Arts Center, 1800 Alma Drive, featuring the Plano West Senior High School Choir. Last year's concert was December 21, and this year adds a second performance. Repertory Company Theatre stages Irving Berlin's White Christmas at the Courtyard Theatre, 1509 H Avenue, December 18 to 20, with tickets at $40 for adults and $20 for youth. A Tuna Christmas plays Art Centre Theatre, 1400 Summit Ave., Suite E, on weekends from December 4 to 20, with $20 tickets plus fees.
Deerfield and the Farmstead both keep going through all of it. Deerfield's lights stay on through December 30, and the Farmstead ends that night with its New Year's Eve Party.
If you're hosting family over the holidays who are thinking about moving to Plano, a Deerfield weeknight drive or a Farmstead theme night is a good way to show them the city. Katie Chu Group can plan the rest of their visit around those nights, from which parts of Plano to see to how our relocation support works. Schedule a consultation, and we'll fit it around your holiday calendar.
