For 2026, the City of Summit and Summit Downtown, Inc. have set up Thanksgiving weekend so each day leads into the next. Thursday's free meal is on Morris Avenue, Friday's tree lighting is on the Village Green, Saturday's shopping spreads along Springfield Avenue, and Sunday's farmers market is at DeForest and Woodland.
The handoff keeps going after the weekend, too. The carriage rides return on December Saturdays, the farmers market wraps up on December 20, and a scavenger hunt keeps people visiting downtown storefronts until January 5, 2027. The weekend is just the first leg, and planning it as a sequence gets more out of it than picking one event.
Four days in four parts of town
Thursday, November 26: the Community Center
The weekend starts on Thanksgiving Day, away from the shopping blocks. The city's Community Thanksgiving Meal runs from noon to 2 p.m. at the Community Center, 100 Morris Avenue. The city lists a catered meal, open gym activities, a family movie, and arts and crafts.
It's free and open to all community members, and you don't need to pre-register. Seniors and individuals with disabilities can schedule transportation by calling 908-277-2932 or emailing the city's community programs office.
The noon-to-2 window is early enough that it can be a Thanksgiving in its own right, or a midday stop for households whose own dinner comes later.
Friday, November 27: Elm Street and the Village Green
On Friday the action moves to the center of town. Miracle on Elm Street runs from 1 to 5:30 p.m. in the Elm Street parking lot and on the Village Green at 356 Broad Street. The city lists ice skating, music and entertainment, cookie decorating, and photos with Santa. The tree lighting is at 5 p.m.
The timing matters. Five o'clock in late November is right around dusk, and the event keeps going for half an hour after the lights come on. Families who arrive at 4:30 can catch the lighting without spending the whole afternoon in a parking lot. Families who come at 1 p.m. for skating can stay through the lighting and finish there.
Saturday, November 28: Springfield Avenue and Lyric Park
On Saturday the weekend moves into the storefronts. Summit Downtown, Inc.'s Small Business Saturday offers free parking all day, along with in-store events, live music around downtown, the first day of the horse and wagon rides for Carriages & Carolers, and the start of the HillTop Elf Scavenger Hunt.
Four businesses have already posted offers for the day:
| Business | Address | Small Business Saturday offer |
|---|---|---|
| Patricia & Paul | 310 Springfield Avenue | 10% off at $50, 15% off at $75, 20% off at $125 or more; runs Black Friday and Saturday |
| Pizza Vita | 7 Union Place | Two Plain Jane pizzas for $20, all day and night |
| StretchLab | 412–414 Springfield Avenue | 15% off a 5-pack, rising to as much as 30% off a 20-pack |
| Walk Well Shoes | 413 Springfield Avenue | 30% off men's and women's boots, November 28 only |
Summit Downtown says the full list of participating businesses goes up Thanksgiving week, and the promotions are subject to daily updates. Three of the four early offers are on the same stretch of Springfield Avenue, and Pizza Vita is a short walk away on Union Place. That makes for a compact loop on a day when you don't have to watch the meter.
Sunday, November 29: DeForest and Woodland
The weekend ends at the Summit Farmers Market, in the lot at the corner of DeForest Avenue and Woodland Avenue, open Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The season opened April 19 and runs through December 20. That makes Thanksgiving Sunday one of the last four market days of 2026, followed only by December 6, 13 and 20.
That changes how the Sunday stop works. A week after Thanksgiving, the market has three Sundays left in the year. If a market vendor is part of your holiday table or gift list, Thanksgiving weekend is when there are still several Sundays to work with.
After the weekend, the season runs weekly
Once the weekend is over, the outdoor events thin out and settle into a weekly pattern of carriage Saturdays and market Sundays. Summit Downtown lists Carriages & Carolers for four Saturdays: November 28, December 5, December 12 and December 19. This year's performance lineup is due the week of Thanksgiving.
In last year's format, the free horse and wagon rides ran from 1 to 4 p.m. and boarded at Lyric Park, at the corner of Bank Street and Beechwood Road. Summit Downtown gave 17 Beechwood Road as the GPS address. The line closed by 3:30 p.m. and sometimes earlier so the horse could leave on time. The music included strolling brass musicians, DJ Mr. Socks, and Street Sounds musicians playing holiday standards. All of it was listed as subject to change, so check the updated page before you plan around the 2026 hours.
Here is what the calendar looks like after Thanksgiving weekend:
| Date | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 5–6 | Carriages & Carolers | Farmers market |
| Dec. 12–13 | Carriages & Carolers | Farmers market |
| Dec. 19–20 | Carriages & Carolers, final Saturday | Farmers market, final day of the season |
| Dec. 21 onward | No carriage Saturdays listed | Market closed for the year |
December 19 and 20 is the last weekend for both the carriage rides and the farmers market. The rides end six days before Christmas and the market ends five days before. That's the weekend to plan for anyone hosting out-of-town family later in the month, because the outdoor events will be over by the time most guests arrive.
The one event that runs into January
The weekly pattern ends in mid-December. The HillTop Elf Scavenger Hunt keeps going. It starts on Small Business Saturday and runs from November 28 through January 5, 2027. Summit Downtown describes it this way on the event page:
"The HillTop Elves are hidden in about 100 different downtown Summit businesses or in the storefront windows! Shoppers and their families are urged to wander downtown in search of these mischievous elves!"
Here's how it works:
- Pick up a form at any participating business, or download it from the Summit Downtown event page, which also links to a map of participating locations.
- Find elves and write down the business where you spotted each one. The participating businesses are listed on the form. No purchase is necessary, and the more elves you find, the better your chance to win.
- Turn in your completed form by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2027.
- The drawing is Friday, January 8, 2027. Winners are notified by email or phone.
The grand prize is a $500 Summit VISA Gift Card, and five runners-up each win a $100 gift card. Summit Downtown says Summit VISA Gift Cards are accepted at more than 150 Summit businesses.
The hunt sends families into about 100 storefronts over the holidays, and the prize can only be spent at Summit businesses. With roughly 100 locations, it's also realistic to fill in the form over several trips: one on Small Business Saturday, a few during December's carriage Saturdays, and one more during the quiet week between Christmas and New Year's, before the January 5 deadline.
What to have ready before the 26th
Three things help with planning:
- Saturday, November 28 is the day Summit Downtown has announced free all-day parking. That also makes it the easiest day to pick up elf hunt forms at several businesses in one trip.
- The Small Business Saturday business list, the Carriages & Carolers lineup, and the elf hunt page all say more details will be posted Thanksgiving week.
- Both the city and Summit Downtown ask visitors to check the Summit Downtown website and social media before attending events it runs, for schedule changes and updates.
One date comes sooner. The Summit Free Market is this Saturday, November 14, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Transfer Station, 40 New Providence Avenue. Visitors can browse donated items for free, and a resident permit is required to enter the facility.
If your household is planning a move around the holidays, Summit's season runs on a set calendar, from the November 27 tree lighting to the January 5 elf hunt deadline. For a read on how those weeks fit your own plans, The Isoldi Collection is glad to talk it through. Request a Private Market Consultation.
