Whitewater's 2026 holiday season starts a month before the Parade of Lights, and it follows a clear route. November happens indoors, mostly along West Main Street and at the campus performance halls. On the evening of Friday, Dec. 4, the parade carries the season down to Cravath Lakefront Park. For the rest of December, the park hosts a series of evening events, and most of them are built around a meal.
That route changes how to plan your calendar. A November evening means a gallery, a workshop table or a theater seat. A December evening at Cravath usually runs from 5 to 7 p.m. and comes with food, so it can take the place of cooking that night.
November lives indoors, a few blocks from downtown
The first stretch of the season starts on Thursday, Nov. 5, when the Whitewater Arts Alliance opens Artist Family Extraordinaire at its Cultural Arts Center, 402 W. Main St. The show runs through Nov. 29 and features five artists: Charlotte Fung Miller, Ben Bohnsack, Chris Miller, Kimbirdlee and Matt Miller. That same Thursday evening, the Whitewater Public Library hosts Handmade for the Holidays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. It's a make-and-take session with a new project each week.
The rest of the month adds dates around those two starting points:
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m.: Hotel California: The Original Eagles Tribute at the Young Performing Arts Center. The lobby opens at 6 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m.: The UW-Whitewater University/Community Band plays at the Young, according to the university's events calendar.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Ben Bohnsack's Block Print Workshop runs 9 a.m. to noon at 402 W. Main St. It costs $35, with materials included. The exhibition's public reception follows from 1 to 4 p.m. That night, Hannibal Buress performs at the Young at 7 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 19, 5 to 7 p.m.: Rhonda Kolander's Mr. Snowman Acrylic Workshop at the Cultural Arts Center, $35.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m.: Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland at the Young. It's the venue's holiday show for the season.
- Monday, Nov. 30, 6 to 7 p.m.: Storytime with Soldiers at the library, with the Wisconsin Army National Guard, stories, snacks and crafts.
Saturday, Nov. 14 is the fullest day of the month. You could spend the morning printing blocks, come back to the same building for the reception in the afternoon, and head to the Young that evening. Nov. 21 gives the month its first holiday-themed show, almost two weeks before the parade.
Dec. 4 moves the season to the lakefront
The Parade of Lights steps off at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4. It starts downtown and ends at Cravath Lakefront Park, according to Discover Whitewater's Christmas at Cravath page. The page describes the downtown side of the evening this way:
"The first Friday of December each year, the people of Whitewater, WI bundle up and head downtown to experience the magic of the season-- lighted snowflakes on the lampposts, fresh greenery in the flower boxes, cocoa at many local businesses (who's windows are decorated for the season!), and the beloved Parade of Lights full of candy canes and lighted floats."
The parade's endpoint matters. The light display at Cravath is switched on when the parade finishes, and it stays lit from Dec. 4, 2026, through Jan. 4, 2027. The parade route ends where the next month of events takes place. The City of Whitewater Parks & Recreation and Downtown Whitewater plan the December lineup together, and every event on it is held at the park, its Park Building or the Whitewater Aquatic & Fitness Center.
One planning note on parade night: Downtown Whitewater's own events page still shows the 2025 celebration, which had the parade on Dec. 5. Use Dec. 4 for 2026, the date on the 2026 Christmas at Cravath schedule.
After the parade, December at Cravath runs from 5 to 7
Lined up together, the Cravath schedule looks less like a list of kids' events and more like a set of weeknight dinners. Here's the 2026 lineup from the Christmas at Cravath page:
| Date | Event | Time | Where | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Breakfast for Dinner with Santa | 5 to 7 p.m. | Cravath Lakefront Park | Donations for the holiday lights |
| Wed., Dec. 9 | Decorate Cookies & Milk with Santa | 5 to 7 p.m. | Cravath Lakefront Park Building | Not listed |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Swim with Santa | 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. | Whitewater Aquatic & Fitness Center | Not listed |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Parents Night Out | 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Whitewater Aquatic & Fitness Center | $20 per child, registration required |
| Tue., Dec. 15 | Pinatas, Tamales, & Carols | 5 to 7 p.m. | Cravath Lakefront Park Building | Not listed |
| Dec. 17 | Real Reindeer for Christmas | 5 to 7 p.m. | Cravath Lakefront Park | Not listed |
| Dec. 17 | Chili Cook-Off | 5 to 7 p.m. | Cravath Lakefront Park Building | $5 a bowl or $10 for a Stevie Mug |
Four of these evenings involve food. Breakfast for Dinner serves pancakes, sausage and other breakfast favorites, with Santa there for photos and wish lists. There's no ticket price. The organizers ask for donations to support the Christmas at Cravath lights. At the cookie night on Dec. 9, you can decorate cookies, drink milk from Katzman Family Farms, make crafts and walk through the lit park afterward. The Dec. 15 evening has tamales in its name. The Chili Cook-Off on Dec. 17 is billed as an evening "without having to make dinner." It has up to 10 chili entries to taste, a vote for your favorite and no registration.
The 5-to-7 window helps people with workday schedules. You can get there after work, eat, walk under the lights while they're on, and be home at a normal hour. Dec. 17 is the busiest night on the list, with live reindeer outside in the park and the chili competition inside the Park Building during the same two hours. That makes it the easiest single evening to plan if you want to see the season at its fullest.
Dec. 12 is two plans in one building
Saturday, Dec. 12 is the one date that moves away from the lakefront, and it's built for two groups at the same address. Swim with Santa runs 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Whitewater Aquatic & Fitness Center. Parents Night Out starts at the same time in the same building and goes until 8:30 p.m. Kids get holiday movies, pizza, snacks, crafts and games. The listing suggests parents use the time to shop, dine or relax. Space is limited, registration is required, and it costs $20 per child.
The same Saturday afternoon, the Whitewater Arts Alliance holds the opening reception for its 2026 Members' Show from 1 to 4 p.m. at 402 W. Main St. The show itself runs Dec. 3 through 27. You can go to the gallery reception in the afternoon, drop the kids off at the aquatic center at 4:30, and spend the evening downtown.
Main Street stays in the mix after the parade
The season's center moves to the lakefront in December, but the Main Street and campus venues from November stay busy. The Members' Show keeps the Cultural Arts Center open with new work through Dec. 27. On Tuesday, Dec. 8, UW-Whitewater's Holiday Jazz Concert plays at 7:30 p.m. at the Greenhill Center of the Arts, according to the university calendar. The 7:30 start sits outside the park's 5-to-7 window, so it can share an evening with a stop at the lights. The library also stays on the calendar, with a Homeschool Music & Art Discovery Class on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 2:30 to 3 p.m.
The lights at Cravath stay on through Jan. 4, 2027, well after the last scheduled event on Dec. 17. So the last two weeks of December belong to the light display alone. You can walk through the park on any evening during the holiday break, including the nights relatives are in town.
If your family has a favorite stop on this calendar, from the block print table at 402 W. Main to the chili line at the Park Building, I'd love to hear about it. And if a move is on your calendar for the new year, whether you're listing a Whitewater home or looking for one near the park, Ashley Nelson can help you plan the timing around the season you already have. Let's Connect.
