Hawley Winterfest 2026: Dates, the New Friday-Night Parade, and a First-Timer's Weekend Plan

Hawley Winterfest is the Downtown Hawley Partnership's holiday weekend in downtown Hawley, the small borough near the northeastern end of Lake Wallenpaupack. It has been running since 1999 (2024 was the 26th edition), and in 2026 it takes over Main Avenue, Bingham Park, Church Street and the Hawley Hub from Friday, December 11 through Sunday, December 13. Walking the festival is free; a few events, like the Friday concert, are ticketed.

This guide pulls together what the organizers and venues have announced for 2026 so far, fills in the rest from how the 2025 weekend ran, and turns it into a simple plan for a first visit. Where a 2026 detail has not been published yet, we say so, because Winterfest schedules are usually finalized in late November. [poconomountains.com Winterfest page; Downtown Hawley Partnership announcement, 2026-10-12; Tri-County Independent, 2024-12-10]

Hawley Winterfest 2026 at a glance

Dates: Friday, December 11 to Sunday, December 13, 2026. Friday is the community kickoff; Saturday and Sunday carry the craft and artisan market and most daytime events. Where: downtown Hawley, mainly Main Avenue, Bingham Park, the Hawley Hub at 318 Main Avenue, Church Street, and the Ritz Company Playhouse at 512 Keystone Street. Organizer: the Downtown Hawley Partnership (DHP), which posts the final schedule on its website and social media. [poconomountains.com Winterfest page, checked 2026-10-19]

The big change for 2026 is the parade. On October 12 the DHP announced a new Hawley Winterfest Victorian Christmas Parade, a lighted night parade on Friday, December 11. Lineup starts at 5pm near the Lutheran and Methodist churches and the parade steps off at 6pm, with floats, decorated vehicles and marchers encouraged to use plenty of Christmas lights. The DHP calls it its first lighted night parade. Some regional event calendars still list the traditional Saturday 11am Santa parade from Spring Street along Main Avenue to Bingham Park; as of October 19 the organizer's own announcement points to Friday night, so check with the DHP before planning your weekend around a Saturday parade. [Downtown Hawley Partnership, 2026-10-12; poconomountains.com; discovernepa.com and waynecountypa.net listings]

What happens over the weekend

Friday, December 11: community events through the day, the new lighted parade at 6pm, and the Winterfest signature concert. The 2026 performer has not been announced; in 2025 it was the Arcadia Chorale at Hawley United Methodist Church at 8pm, with $20 tickets at the door or in advance through the DHP. The Settlers Inn and The Ledges Hotel both include two Friday concert tickets in their 2026 Winterfest packages. [Settlers Inn and Ledges Hotel package pages, checked 2026-10-19; WVIA and The River Reporter, 2025-12]

Saturday and Sunday, December 12 and 13: the artisan and craft market (in 2025 it filled two floors of the Hawley Hub), horse-and-carriage rides on Church Street, and the Ritz Company Playhouse's annual Christmas show at 2:30pm on both days, plus a jazz concert at the Ritz on Saturday, December 12. In 2025 the weekend also had a Saturday-morning cookie walk from 9am to 12:30pm with more than 35 kinds of cookies, a Sunday handbell concert, and a Winterfest brunch with live harp music at The Settlers Inn on both mornings. [ritzplayhouse.com, checked 2026-10-19; The River Reporter, 2025-12-09; WVIA, 2025-12-11]

Bingham Park is the family hub. In 2025 volunteers ran s'mores, Santa's workshop and gift wrapping there, and the park had a working ice skating rink for the first time in two years after several warm Decembers, so treat skating as a bonus that depends on the weather rather than a promise. [WNEP, 2025-12-13]

A first-timer's weekend plan

Friday: arrive by mid-afternoon, check in, and eat an early dinner downtown, since restaurants fill up before the parade. Glass Wine Bar Kitchen at The Ledges Hotel and the restaurant at The Settlers Inn are both a short walk from Main Avenue. Find a spot along the parade route by about 5:45pm for the 6pm step-off, then head to the concert if you have tickets.

Saturday: start early with coffee and pastries at Cocoon Coffee House & Bakery in the restored 1880 Hawley Silk Mill, where you can also browse the Looking Glass Gallery. If the cookie walk returns, go when it opens; then work through the artisan market at the Hawley Hub, take a carriage ride on Church Street, and catch the Ritz Company Playhouse Christmas show at 2:30pm. Use the late afternoon for the Hawley Antique Exchange on Bellemonte Avenue, and finish with dinner at Wallenpaupack Brewing Co. on Welwood Avenue or a casual meal at the Hawley Diner on Main Avenue.

Sunday: book the Winterfest brunch at The Settlers Inn if it returns, make a last pass through the market, and stop at the Hawley Public Library on Main Avenue, which hosted local authors during Winterfest 2025. On the way home, detour a few minutes to the Lake Wallenpaupack overlook for a view of the lake in its winter state; the water is drawn down after Labor Day each year, so expect wide shorelines rather than summer views.

Where to stay for Winterfest

Hawley's room count is small and Winterfest is the busiest December weekend in town, so book early. The two historic hotels at the edge of downtown both sell 2026 Winterfest packages for arrivals on December 11 or 12: two Friday concert tickets, two horse-and-carriage ride tickets, your choice of room and a $50 dining credit. At The Settlers Inn the package is listed at $799 for two nights in a queen room or $899 in a king, with a daily breakfast credit; check The Ledges Hotel's booking page for its current rate. [bookings.thesettlersinn.com and bookings.ledgeshotel.com Winterfest offers, checked 2026-10-19]

If those are full, our Places to Stay guide covers what stays open through the winter, from Hawley motels to lakeside resorts about 10 to 15 minutes away. Everything in this guide that has a listing in our directory is linked below.

Weather, parking and practical tips

Dress for real winter. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for Hawley put the average December high at 38°F and the low at 20°F, with about 9 inches of snow over the month, and the Friday parade is after dark. Warm boots matter more than anything else, especially if you plan to stand along the route or skate. [NOAA NCEI climate normals, Hawley 1 E]

Downtown streets fill quickly on Saturday, so arrive early and expect to walk a few blocks; the festival footprint is compact and easy to cover on foot. Several 2026 details, including daily hours, the concert lineup and whether the cookie walk and rink return, were not yet published as of October 19, so check the Downtown Hawley Partnership's updates the week before you go.

Make it a longer December trip

Winterfest pairs well with other December outings nearby. The Stourbridge Line's Santa Christmas Tree Express runs from Honesdale Station, about 10 miles from Hawley, on select dates from November 27 to December 24, 2026, with a ride to a Christmas venue to meet Santa and pick out a tree. Ski Big Bear at Masthope Mountain usually opens in mid-December, and Promised Land State Park is open all winter for walks and, once snow and ice allow, cross-country skiing and ice fishing. Our Lake Wallenpaupack weather guide explains what to expect month by month, and the events calendar lists the rest of the holiday season. [Stourbridge Line schedule via spotatrain.com, updated 2026-10-08; ski-bigbear.com; DCNR]