This year's new floating display on Symphony Lake at Koka Booth Amphitheatre is 164 feet long, big enough that it has to be installed by crane with a 15-person crew. It's one of more than 40 lantern groupings, and delivering the materials for them took 45 tractor-trailers. The NC Chinese Lantern Festival opens its eleventh year on Saturday, November 21. That same afternoon, Fenton counts down to light its tree on the other side of town.
Cary's holiday season works that way all the way through. The big nights come in pairs, on different sides of town. Downtown has one new advantage this year that it didn't have last December: two new parking decks that are free to the public.
November 21: Fenton and Koka Booth on the same Saturday
Light the Square runs 3 to 7 p.m. at Fenton. The plan includes a Christmas market, holiday photo spots, a children's area with crafts and games, outdoor skating and a live stage show starting at 6 p.m. The night ends with a community countdown to light the tree in Fenton Square. Fenton's Makers Market runs that same day, with pop-up booths from Triangle artisans.
Over at Koka Booth, opening night starts the festival's run through January 10, 2027. The displays are all new this year. The themes are Chinese culture, mythical creatures, nature and interactive pieces.
The two events run on different hours, and that's what makes one evening possible. Fenton winds down at 7 p.m. The lantern festival's regular gates open at 6 p.m., and the last arrival is 9 p.m.
| Light the Square at Fenton | Lantern Festival at Koka Booth | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours on Nov 21 | 3 to 7 p.m., stage show at 6 p.m. | Twilight gates 4:30 p.m.; evening gates 6 p.m., arrive by 9 p.m. |
| Highlights | Christmas market, kids' area, skating, tree countdown | Any Night, Twilight Session or Evening Session tickets |
| Parking | Surface lots plus Blue, Green and Orange decks | About 1,500 free spaces; preferred parking $10 in advance, $15 that night |
| Runs after opening night | Skating through February 7 | Nightly 6 to 10 p.m. through January 10, closed Christmas Day |
Two ticket details make a difference if you're thinking about going to Koka Booth on opening night. The Sunday through Thursday discounts for military, seniors 55 and older and college students don't apply on Fridays, Saturdays or holidays. Evening Session prices also go up if you buy on the day of the event. The Twilight Session gets you in at 4:30 p.m. for the "Golden Hour," with smaller crowds. The festival asks Twilight guests to arrive by 5:30 p.m.
If you'd rather catch the lanterns on a quieter night, there's a sensory-friendly night on Tuesday, December 1. It has lower-volume music, fewer people, no strobe or flashing lights, and a quiet area.
December 5: the same split, with downtown as the anchor
Two weeks later the pattern repeats, and this time downtown hosts the bigger half. The Tree Lighting Celebration at Downtown Cary Park is free and runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 327 S. Academy St. Here's the day's schedule, ending with the 6 p.m. ceremony.
- 9 a.m. to noon: Cary Farmers Holiday Market on East Park Street
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Photos with Santa at The Gathering House
- Noon to 8 p.m.: Holiday Vendor Market on S. Academy Street
- 2 to 6 p.m.: Reindeer Games at Park Street Arena, plus a snowball fight area and face painting at The Nest Pavilion
- 3 to 5:15 p.m.: Community performances at the Great Lawn Pavilion
- 6 p.m.: Cary's official Tree Lighting Ceremony on Frantz Square Lawn
Academy Street from Park Street to Dry Avenue is closed 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. that day. Downtown's other December traditions start the same day. The Gifting Tree Project begins December 5, and the Gingerbread House Competition runs December 5 through 13, according to the Town's Heart of the Holidays page. The downtown decorations are up by then, too. They stay up from November 25 through January 4, and the Town posts an interactive map of where each display is.
Fenton runs its own event that Saturday. It's showing Elf on its outdoor movie screen all day on December 5, next to the rink, so skaters can watch while they skate. Families who spent November 21 at Fenton might lean downtown on December 5, and the other way around. The two days line up so each side of town gets one main night.
Downtown's 521 free deck spaces
Parking is what's different about downtown's half of the season this year. The Cedar Street Parking Deck was open by the Town's March 23, 2026 announcement. It adds 296 free public spaces. The Academy Street Parking Deck at 206 S. Academy St. opened to the public the weekend of the Pimento Cheese Festival in April. It's a four-level, 467-space deck, and 225 of those spaces are free and public. The public levels include seven ADA-accessible spaces and 20 EV charging stations, spread across the first three floors. The upper levels are for residents and are behind an internal gate.
Together that's 521 free public spaces that weren't part of the downtown holiday season a year ago. The Town's downtown parking page lists both decks as open and free.
You get into the Academy Street deck from Academy Street and East Chatham Street, using the new Waddell Plaza Lane. Keep that in mind for December 5, when part of Academy Street is closed. It matters even more a week later.
December 12: the parade runs past both deck entrances
The 47th Cary Jaycees Christmas Parade runs Saturday, December 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. It starts at East Chatham and Ward streets, follows East Chatham to South Academy, and ends at Dry Avenue in front of the Cary Arts Center.
The Jaycees list these closures from 1 to 4 p.m.:
- E. Chatham Street, from S. Academy to the traffic circle by Urban Park
- S. Academy Street, between E. Chatham and Dry Avenue
- East and West Circle Drive
- E. Cedar Street, between N. Walker Street and Ward Street
- Ward Street and Hunter Street
- Dry Avenue, from S. Harrison Avenue to S. Academy Street
Traffic on East Chatham and South Academy is limited to parade participants from 12:30 to 1 p.m., and the roads close at 1 p.m. The Jaycees say there's no designated parade parking. You can park in any Town of Cary public parking area, but not on East Chatham or South Academy along the route. Both streets that lead to Waddell Plaza Lane are on the parade route. If you're driving in that afternoon, use the 12:30 cutoff to plan when you arrive and when you leave. If you have kids, the Jaycees' rules for the parade say candy is handed out by walkers on the sidewalk, not thrown from floats.
The weeknights between the Saturdays
The Saturdays draw the crowds, but most of the season happens on weeknights. Fenton's Skate the Square season runs November 6 through February 7. Mondays are "Cheapskates," with lower-priced tickets that include skate rental. Tuesdays are "Blades and Badges," with special rates for veterans, military members, first responders, healthcare workers, teachers and social workers. Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. are "Little Fentonians" family time. Sports & Social becomes the Tinsel Tavern pop-up from November 12 through December 27.
Here's what's on the calendar between and after the big Saturdays:
- Saturday, November 28: Santa mini photo sessions at Fenton
- Tuesday, December 1: Sensory-friendly night at the Lantern Festival, plus Santa Paws pet photos at Fenton
- Monday, December 7: The Town's Hanukkah Menorah Lighting
- Tuesday, December 8: Santa Paws at Fenton again
- Wednesday, December 9: Fenton's Menorah Lighting
- Thursday, December 10: Fenton's second Makers Market
- Thursday, December 31: Sports & Social's New Year's Eve Bash
Cary has lanterns of its own, too. The Town's GLOW workshop series runs through January 9. This season it added floral lantern, rattan flower, papermaking and LED matrix workshops, according to the Town's November BUD newsletter. The lanterns made in those workshops will be carried in a parade on January 16, six days after the Koka Booth festival closes.
If you're mapping out your Cary holiday weekends and want to talk about which parts of town fit how your family likes to spend them, I'm happy to help. Matt Polinchak and the Live Raleigh team know the deck entrances, side streets and walking routes between these events. Let's connect and schedule a free consultation.
