Blodgett Pet & Garden Center sits at 1222 Janesville Avenue. The BASE Building sits at 1233 Janesville Avenue. Their street numbers are eleven apart, and in 2026 the two buildings open and peak Fort Atkinson's holiday shopping season. The first gathering is this Friday and Saturday at Blodgett. The busiest comes three weeks later, when the BASE Building is one of four stops on the Dec. 5 Holiday Market. The next day the season moves downtown to Main Street for the lighted parade.
So most of the season's plans run through a single stretch of road. The sections below follow the calendar in order, starting this weekend.
This weekend, at 1222 Janesville Avenue
The Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce calendar lists Blodgett's Holiday Open House for Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14. The listing doesn't give separate open house hours. The garden center's own site lists regular hours of 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Before a Saturday-afternoon stop, check Blodgett's site to see whether the event keeps those hours.
The rest of the weekend is spread around town on the same calendar:
- Saturday, Nov. 14: the Friends of the Library Book Sale in the Rogers Room, a Fall Volunteer Day, and Hannibal Buress
- Sunday, Nov. 15: the Jefferson County Wedding Expo and the Jeffrey Wagner Chamber Concert
For anyone shopping for gifts, the open house starts the season. Everything after it on the calendar builds toward the first weekend of December.
The three weeks in between
The stretch from mid-November to Dec. 5 is quieter but not empty. Here is how the Chamber calendar lays it out, plus the one long-running show that spans the whole season.
| Date | What's listed | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 13 to 14 | Holiday Open House at Blodgett Pet & Garden Center | Season opener, 1222 Janesville Ave. |
| Nov. 21 | Winter Porch Pot & Wreath Workshop | Decorating the front step |
| Nov. 21 | Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland | Holiday show, same Saturday |
| Nov. 21 to 22 | Witches' Ball, Jefferson County Cancer Coalition | Same weekend as the workshop |
| Nov. 26 to 28 | Library closed for Thanksgiving | Plan library visits around it |
| Nov. 27 | Travis Larson at Koshkonong Mounds Friendsgiving Party | Day-after-Thanksgiving night out |
| Dec. 5 | Fort Atkinson Holiday Market and Shop Hop | Four venues, including 1233 Janesville Ave. |
| Dec. 6 | Annual Lighted Holiday Parade | Downtown |
| Through Dec. 20 | A Christmas Story at Fireside Theatre | Runs underneath all of it |
The Nov. 21 wreath workshop does practical work for the season. A porch pot or wreath put up that weekend will be in place for the Saturday market and the Sunday parade two weeks later.
Saturday, Dec. 5, back on Janesville Avenue
Market day brings the season back to the block where it started. According to the Fort Atkinson Club's event page, the Holiday Market runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 5, with markets in several indoor buildings across downtown, including the Club Community Center. The Club describes the day this way:
"Explore downtown Fort Atkinson as local venues open their doors to a festive shopping experience featuring more than 100 vendors, local artisans, handmade crafts, unique holiday gifts, delicious baked goods, and seasonal treats."
A Vendorbound listing for the Shop Hop names the four venues:
- Fort Atkinson Club
- First Congregational United Church of Christ
- BASE Building
- RiverStone Event Center
Berry Good Donuts lists its spot for the day as outside the BASE Building at 1233 Janesville Avenue, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It also says entry and transportation are free for guests. The Club's wording on transportation is slightly softer. It says free shuttles are "typically available" between the participating venues. For updates on the shuttle, the Club points readers to the Fort Atkinson Farmers Market Facebook page.
The Janesville Avenue stop is easy to plan around. Anyone who visited Blodgett in November already knows that block, and a donut truck parked outside the BASE Building works as a morning start before the shuttle loop. The market closes at 3 p.m., so a full loop of all four venues is easiest with a morning start.
Sunday, Dec. 6, the season moves to Main Street
The Chamber calendar lists the Annual Lighted Holiday Parade for Sunday, Dec. 6. That puts the shopping on Saturday and the parade on Sunday, with neither event competing with the other for the same afternoon.
Last year's parade gives a sense of the shape. The Daily Jefferson County Union reported the 2025 parade on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 4:30 p.m. In its 2025 holiday weekend preview, the paper said the parade started at Milwaukee Avenue, went north on Main Street and ended on Madison Avenue just past Adams Street.
Last year's weekend also had a Friday piece on the bike path. The Fort Atkinson Beautification Council ran the Fort Polar Path light displays between the Rotary Pavilion and Lions Park from Nov. 1, 2025, through Jan. 3, 2026. Its Magic on the Polar Path night, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, from 4 to 6:30 p.m., had Santa and Mrs. Claus, live animals, carolers, hot chocolate and cookies. The Council's page is the place to check for this season's lights.
Fireside runs underneath the whole season
Fireside Theatre's 2026 production of A Christmas Story is the one event that covers the full stretch. Fireside lists the run as Oct. 29 through Dec. 20, so it opened before Blodgett's open house and closes two weeks after the parade. The show is a musical about Ralphie's quest for a Red Ryder air rifle. The schedule includes Saturday matinees and evening shows, and the posted ticket and package prices are $88.78 and $99.99 with taxes and fees included.
The Dec. 5 and 6 weekend makes an easy pairing. A Saturday matinee on market day or a seat on parade weekend covers both events without a second trip out, and anyone hosting family over Thanksgiving has the rest of the run, through Dec. 20, after that.
If you'd like to walk the Holiday Market with someone who knows Fort Atkinson's downtown, or to talk about a move that lines up with the holidays, Ashley Nelson is happy to help. Let's Connect.
