Muskoka's towns don't start the holiday season together. Bracebridge goes first and has a Friday night in November to itself. Huntsville takes the following Friday. Then on Saturday, November 28, three separate events land on the same calendar square. Port Carling's parade and Huntsville's holiday market overlap in the evening. Gravenhurst's parade shares the date, with its start time still to be announced. For anyone who lives here year-round, the next month builds toward that one Saturday.
The season technically starts tonight, Thursday, October 29, a few kilometers outside Huntsville.
The last three nights of fall
Sandhill Nursery's Fall Forest of Light has been running since September 24 and closes Saturday, October 31. It's open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only, 7 to 10 p.m., so tonight, Friday and Saturday are the last chances. Expect themed pumpkin trails and haunted trails, and buy tickets in advance through the Explore Huntsville event listing.
On Friday, October 30, the Muskoka Discovery Centre in Gravenhurst is hosting a Halloween dance party. It has costume prizes, music by the Downbeat DJ and a cash bar. The door prizes include a Wenonah sightseeing cruise for four in the 2027 season, according to the Muskoka Lakes Chamber of Commerce calendar.
After that weekend the calendar goes quiet for about two weeks. Then the holiday events start, one town at a time.
The full November sequence
| Date | Town | Event | Time | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov. 12 to Wed, Dec. 23 | Bracebridge | MA&C Holiday Market, 63 Manitoba St. | Opening night Nov. 20, 6 to 8 p.m. | Muskoka Arts & Crafts |
| Sat & Sun, Nov. 14 to 15 | Bala | Pratt's Garden Centre Christmas Market, 3323 Hwy 169 | Not listed | Pratt's Garden Centre |
| Fri, Nov. 20 | Bracebridge | Festival of Lights: Moonlight Shopping Party & Street Festival | 6 to 9 p.m. | Town of Bracebridge listing |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | Huntsville | Community Tree Lighting, River Mill Park | 5 to 7 p.m., tree lit at 6 | Downtown Huntsville BIA |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | Huntsville | Santa Claus Parade, Main Street | 7 p.m. | Rotary Club of North Muskoka |
| Sat, Nov. 28 | Huntsville | Muskoka Market: Huntsville Holiday Edition, Main Street | 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Downtown Huntsville BIA |
| Sat, Nov. 28 | Gravenhurst | 73rd Santa Claus Parade | Time to be announced | Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce |
| Sat, Nov. 28 | Port Carling | Christmas Parade | 6:30 to 8 p.m. | Port Carling Lions Club |
The order matters. The early events, the long-running market in Bracebridge and the weekend market in Bala, are things to drop in on. The two Friday nights are each built around one big downtown evening. The Saturday at the end is where the overlap happens.
Bala and Bracebridge go first
Pratt's Garden Centre holds its annual Christmas Market on November 14 and 15 at 3323 Highway 169 in Bala. The Chamber listing mentions vendors, free photos with Santa, complimentary hot chocolate and cider, and a pet-friendly policy. It's a two-day weekend market, so it's the one November event you can fit around everything else.
In Bracebridge, Muskoka Arts & Crafts opens its Annual Holiday Market on November 12 at MA&C on Main, 63 Manitoba Street. Some calendars still show an earlier closing date, but MA&C's own market page runs the exhibition through December 23. It features handmade gifts from local artists and makers and invites visitors to stop by through November and December to see what's new.
The market has been open for about a week when its opening night happens. MA&C scheduled that celebration for Friday, November 20, from 6 to 8 p.m., to match Bracebridge's Festival of Lights. The reception is free but needs an RSVP, because MA&C is planning food, drinks and seating around the head count.
That Friday is Bracebridge's big night. According to the Town of Bracebridge festivals page, the Festival of Lights: Moonlight Shopping Party & Street Festival runs from 6 to 9 p.m. downtown. The list includes fireworks, holiday window reveals, live entertainment, carols, kids' crafts, local vendors, Elf on the Shelf hide and seek, Santa, and the lighting of festive displays throughout downtown. The town is also asking for volunteers for the evening through the same page.
MA&C's opening runs 6 to 8 and the street festival runs 6 to 9, so one walk down Manitoba Street covers both. No other town in this calendar has an event on November 20, which makes it the easiest night of the month to plan.
The Rotary Club of Bracebridge Muskoka Lakes Santa Claus Parade is the one Bracebridge event without a 2026 date yet. The town page lists it as "2026 Date TBD." The Rotary club's parade page is the place to watch for the announcement.
Huntsville's Friday has a new starting point
A week later, Huntsville runs its Friday the way Bracebridge did, with one difference worth knowing before you park.
The Downtown Huntsville BIA has moved the Community Tree Lighting to River Mill Park, which it calls a new location for 2026. The ceremony runs 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, November 27, and the tree is lit at 6. The Santa Claus Parade follows at 7 p.m. on Main Street, according to the BIA's tree lighting and parade page.
That gives you an hour between the lighting and the parade. If you went to past tree lightings at the old spot, plan for River Mill Park this year and then the move to Main Street before 7.
The Rotary Club of North Muskoka organizes the parade, and this year's theme is "Creating Christmas Memories." The BIA hasn't published a detailed route beyond Main Street, so float entrants and anyone planning a viewing spot should check the BIA page closer to the date.
Huntsville's Friday also starts a two-day weekend downtown. The next morning, Main Street hosts the town's holiday market, the same day two other towns hold their parades.
Saturday, November 28, three towns at once
Huntsville, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Downtown Huntsville BIA hosts its 6th Annual Muskoka Market: Huntsville Holiday Edition on Main Street. The BIA's market page is the place to check for vendor details as they're posted. At nine hours, it's the longest window of the day.
Gravenhurst, time to be announced. The 73rd Gravenhurst Santa Claus Parade is set for the same Saturday, per its 2026 event listing. The Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce organizes the town's annual parade, and it's the place to watch for the start time and route.
Port Carling, 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Port Carling Lions Club runs the Christmas Parade, with the Port Carling Community Centre at 3 Bailey Street as the listed venue, according to the Muskoka Lakes Chamber event page.
Put together, Saturday shapes up like this:
- Daytime goes to Huntsville. It's the only one of the three with a confirmed daytime window, so a morning or early afternoon on Main Street doesn't cost you a parade.
- The evening means picking one town. Port Carling's parade runs 6:30 to 8, Huntsville's market stays open until 8, and Gravenhurst hasn't published a time. Once that time is out, Saturday evening becomes a choice between towns.
- Huntsville families get two nights in a row. With the parade on Friday and the market on Saturday, Huntsville is the one town where you can do both without competing with yourself.
What comes after the 28th
The overlap ends with November. In Bracebridge, Santa's Village runs Santafest on weekends throughout December, per the town's event listings. The MA&C Holiday Market at 63 Manitoba Street stays open until December 23, so anyone who misses the November 20 opening still has more than three weeks of December to shop there.
Two dates are still open as of publication: the Bracebridge Rotary parade date and the Gravenhurst parade start time. Both organizers' pages are linked above, and either announcement could change how the end of November lines up.
If family is coming up for parade weekend and the conversation turns to what your Muskoka home is worth this season, Brandon Tait and the Tait Realty team can give you a clear, local answer before the holiday rush starts. Get Your Instant Home Valuation, then enjoy River Mill Park, Main Street or Bailey Street on the night that suits you best.
