Fishers will light its tree on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. That's eight days earlier than last year. Jingle Bell Junction stayed in the second week of December, so for the first time the kickoff and the weeklong celebration sit ten days apart. During that gap the holiday calendar moves away from the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater to two other buildings in town.
Eight Days Earlier, Same Stage
In 2025 the tree lighting and Jingle Bell Junction ran as one block. The City of Fishers announced last year's season with Night Lights on Friday, Dec. 5, and Jingle Bell Junction running Dec. 5 through Dec. 14 in a heated, clear tent at the amphitheater, with an event each evening. That was the Junction's first year.
The 2026 Jingle Bell Junction schedule from Fishers Parks splits the two apart. The Hamilton East Public Library's November 2026 through January 2027 Discover Guide lists the same dates: Community Tree Lighting on Friday, Nov. 27, and Jingle Bell Junction Dec. 8 to 13.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Night Lights tree lighting | Friday, Dec. 5 | Friday, Nov. 27 |
| Jingle Bell Junction | Dec. 5 to 14 | Dec. 8 to 13 |
| Days between kickoff and first Junction night | None | Ten |
Last year the season opened on the same night as the Junction. This year it opens on a holiday weekend and then pauses.
Friday the 27th Shares the Night
The kickoff itself looks like last year's. Night Lights runs 5 to 7 p.m. at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater, 6 Municipal Drive. GBC Bank presents it, and it's free with no registration. Fishers Parks lists live music, fire pits, igloo seating, live ice carving, reindeer and Fishers AgriPark animals, food trucks, photo spots and holiday light displays through downtown. Santa and Mayor Scott Fadness light the tree from the AMP stage, and the city says it starts "promptly at 6:30 p.m."
What's new is everything else booked for that weekend. The Fishers Event Center at 11000 Stockdale Street has an event on each of the three days after Thanksgiving:
- Friday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m.: Triumph: The Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded Tour, one hour after Night Lights ends
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 8 p.m.: The 90S R&B EXPERIENCE with Joe
- Sunday, Nov. 29, 4 p.m.: Indy Fuel vs. Bloomington Bison
The tree lighting finishes at 7 p.m. and Triumph starts at 8 p.m., so someone could do both on Friday. From that night on, Fishers runs two holiday calendars side by side, a free one downtown and a ticketed one on Stockdale Street.
The Union at Fishers District adds one more stop. Flower Child was set to open there Oct. 27 at 9344 Union Place Drive, according to Current in Fishers. Current says it's the chain's 47th location and its second in Indiana, with a 3,500-square-foot space and covered outdoor dining. Current also describes The Union as part of a growing mixed-use area off 116th Street and I-69, and this will be its first holiday season with Flower Child as a tenant.
The Ten Days Without a Tent
From Saturday, Nov. 28 through Monday, Dec. 7, nothing is scheduled at the amphitheater. The Fishers Parks page lists Night Lights and then jumps straight to Dec. 8. The Event Center and the Fishers branch of the Hamilton East Public Library fill most of that stretch.
At the library. The Discover Guide lists a Circle City Ringers Holiday Concert at the Fishers branch on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 2 p.m. It's marked as needing registration. The branch's holiday music actually begins before the tree lighting: the same guide lists a Fishers Community Chorus Holiday Concert on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2 to 3 p.m., also with registration.
At the Event Center. The Indy Fuel play the Toledo Walleye on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. Counting the Nov. 29 game, that's two Sunday-afternoon home games on either side of the gap.
The city doesn't list programmed events downtown in those days. The Night Lights description mentions holiday light displays through downtown, but the 2026 page doesn't give separate nightly hours or an end date. In 2025 the city said the light display around the amphitheater and the Fishers Municipal Complex opened daily at dusk through December. The Fishers Parks page is the place to check for this year's schedule.
Six Nights at 10 Municipal Drive
When Jingle Bell Junction opens Tuesday, Dec. 8, it runs six nights, four fewer than last year's ten-day run. Every event is at 10 Municipal Drive.
- Tuesday, Dec. 8: Santa's Workshop, 4 to 8 p.m. Free drop-in woodshop projects led by staff from the Fishers Parks Maker Playground.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9: DIY Gift Supplies + Karoling Karaoke, 5 to 9 p.m. Free, with supplies provided.
- Thursday, Dec. 10: Reindeer Games, kids' bingo and holiday movie trivia, 5 to 10 p.m. Free.
- Friday, Dec. 11: Community Jazz Improv + Jazz Lounge, 6 to 10 p.m. Free.
- Saturday, Dec. 12: Cookies With Characters, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., $10 per person at the resident price with registration required. Winter Market + Mixology Class runs 6 to 10 p.m. Market entry is free, and the mixology classes cost extra and need registration.
- Sunday, Dec. 13: Holiday Thrift-A-Thon, noon to 5 p.m. Free entry.
The library and the Event Center keep going during the Junction week, so two nights overlap. The library's Winter Holiday Crafts runs at the Fishers branch Wednesday, Dec. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m., the same night as Karoling Karaoke. On Saturday, Dec. 12, the Indy Fuel host the Bloomington Bison at 7 p.m., the same hour the Winter Market opens. That Saturday is the most crowded day of the season. It has a morning ticketed event at the Junction, an evening market and classes, and a hockey game, all on the same date.
After the Tent Comes Down
The week after the Junction is quieter and smaller in scale. From Monday, Dec. 14 through Friday, Dec. 18, the Fishers library branch runs drop-in Card Decorating for ages 5 and up.
Then the Event Center hosts a new holiday production. The Arrival plays Saturday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. Larry in Fishers describes it as a new Christmas production that tells the Nativity story through live music, aerial acts, dance, movement arts and visual effects.
Put together, the Fishers holiday season runs from Nov. 21 to Dec. 19, almost a full month. Last year's city-run portion lasted ten days. The amphitheater handles the two ends, the opening night and the six-night Junction. The Event Center and the library cover the gap between them, and they're the only ones still going once the Junction closes.
If you're weighing a move within Fishers or a nearby suburb and want to know how a neighborhood fits into a calendar like this one, from walking distance to Municipal Drive to the drive to Stockdale Street, Amanda Johnson Property Group is happy to talk through it with you. Let's Connect.
