Last December, the Rincon Christmas Market opened at Freedom Park on Dec. 12. It stayed open on weekends into the new year, held a New Year's Eve night on Wednesday, Dec. 31, and closed on Jan. 3.
This year the last market night is Saturday, Dec. 5. That's a full week before last year's market even opened. The City of Rincon's announcement lists four nights at Freedom Park: Nov. 27–28 and Dec. 4–5, 2026. Rincon's holiday season now runs from Thanksgiving weekend through the first Saturday of December. If you plan your weekends around last year's schedule, you'll miss it.
Same park, different calendar
Here's how the two years compare, using the City's own releases.
2025 Christmas Market | 2026 Christmas Market | |
|---|---|---|
First night | Friday, Dec. 12 | Friday, Nov. 27 |
Last night | Saturday, Jan. 3 | Saturday, Dec. 5 |
Schedule | Weekends, plus Wednesday, Dec. 31 | Two Friday–Saturday weekends |
Hours | Not listed in the City release | Fridays 6–10 p.m., Saturdays noon–9 p.m. |
Tree lighting | Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m., Veterans Park | Nov. 27, 6 p.m., Veterans Park |
Lions parade | Saturday, Dec. 6 | Saturday, Dec. 5 |
Headline extras | Elf Obstacle Course, cornhole tournament, ice skating | Holiday Hijinks circus, live nativity, indoor marketplace, ice skating |
The 2025 tree lighting and parade dates come from the Savannah Morning News holiday roundup from last November. It listed the Veterans Park lighting at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 5 and the parade on Dec. 6, starting at Rincon Elementary School. Last year, the tree lighting and parade came a week before the market opened. This year, the tree lighting opens the market and the parade kicks off its final day.
Last year's admission was $3, and ice skating cost $8 per person. The City says this year's entertainment schedules and event updates will go out through its website and social media channels. Check those before you head over with the kids.
Thanksgiving weekend is now opening weekend
The season starts on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. The City's Christmas Tree Lighting is at 6 p.m. at Veterans Park. After that, the Christmas Market opens at Freedom Park and runs until 10 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 28, the market is open from noon to 9 p.m.
That puts opening weekend right when a lot of houses are still full of Thanksgiving company. If you're hosting family, the tree lighting and a few hours at Freedom Park make an easy plan for the night after the big meal. You won't need to drive into Savannah.
Here's what the City says will be at the market this year:
- A curated indoor Christmas marketplace with local artisans, boutiques and specialty vendors
- The Holiday Hijinks Live Circus Show, a holiday-themed circus with acrobatic acts and comedy
- A live nativity with live animals, including a camel and a donkey
- Ice skating on the market's rink
- Santa and friends, including Cop-A-Claus and the Grinch, for photos
- Snowball Showdown and other family activities
- Food and holiday treats from participating vendors
The circus, the live nativity and the indoor marketplace are all missing from last year's City announcement. That one featured holiday games, live music, Santa visits, the Elf Obstacle Course, a cornhole tournament, vendors and food trucks. Skating is the one big attraction on both lists. Last year's release called it one of the market's most popular features.
The City also took applications from retail, food truck and dessert vendors through its event page.
Saturday, Dec. 5 stacks three events into one day
With fewer market nights, the biggest day of the season is now the last one. Three separate events, each run by a different group, land on the same Saturday. The morning ones overlap, and the market picks up as the parade wraps.
- 9 a.m. to noon: Rincon Community Market at First Baptist Church Rincon, 201 E. 6th St. The market meets at the church, but Rincon Community Market manages it, not the church.
- 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.: parade staging at Rincon Elementary School, 1703 Fort Howard Road, for the 46th Annual Rincon Lions Christmas Parade.
- 10 a.m.: the parade steps off. According to the Noon Lions Club's parade registration form, it heads west on Fort Howard Road, turns left onto Lisa Street, crosses Highway 21 and ends at Freedom Park.
- Noon to 9 p.m.: the Christmas Market's last day at Freedom Park. The City's release says it opens after the parade.
The parade ends at Freedom Park, right where the market opens a couple of hours later. You can watch along Fort Howard Road or Lisa Street, then follow the parade to the park and stay into the evening.
The morning takes a little more planning. The Community Market opens at 9 a.m. at First Baptist on East 6th Street, the same hour that floats and bands are staging at Rincon Elementary. If you want to shop for produce and gifts before the parade, go early in that 9-to-noon window.
The night before, Friday, Dec. 4, is the market's last Friday, open from 6 to 10 p.m. For anyone who wants skating or the circus without the parade-day crowd, that's the last chance this year.
What's left on the calendar, before and after
Once Dec. 5 is over, Rincon's December slows way down, and the smaller events round out the month. Here's the full list, starting with what comes before Thanksgiving.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Staying Alive 70's 5K at City Club Golf Course, 1 Clubhouse Dr. Registration opens at 7 a.m., the race starts at 8 a.m., and it's $5 to enter. Details are on the City's 5K page.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Rincon Community Market, 9 a.m. to noon at First Baptist Church Rincon. It's the last market Saturday before Thanksgiving.
- Sunday, Dec. 13: "Rise Up! A New Light A-Coming," Jerusalem Lutheran Church's annual Christmas cantata, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 2966 Ebenezer Road. The church choir performs and admission is free, according to the Effingham County Chamber listing.
- Saturday, Dec. 19: Rincon Community Market, 9 a.m. to noon. It's the last market of 2026. The Rincon Community Market schedule runs February through December on the first and third Saturdays, with no markets in July or August because of the heat.
Dec. 19 is the date to circle if you're shopping for last-minute local gifts. The Christmas Market wraps up two weeks earlier, and the Dec. 19 date is the Community Market's final Saturday before Christmas.
Why Freedom Park keeps getting the big nights
Freedom Park hosts both market weekends and the parade's finish. Two of this year's four market nights also follow a separate event. On Nov. 27, the market opens after the tree lighting at Veterans Park. On Dec. 5, it opens after a parade that ends at Freedom Park itself.
The park's central role has been in the plans for a while. Rincon's 2024 comprehensive plan includes expanding Freedom Park and other community gathering spaces in its work program. This year's market shows how the City is already using the park as the place where Rincon's holiday events end up.
For this season, that comes down to two weekends at Freedom Park, Nov. 27–28 and Dec. 4–5. After Dec. 5, the Christmas Market is done until next year.
Want help mapping out a Thanksgiving weekend with family in town, or picking the best spot on Fort Howard Road for the parade? That's the fun part of my job, and I'm always glad to share what I know. Reach out to Lisa Ortiz, The Rockin' REALTOR®. Let's Connect, and I'll see you at Freedom Park.
