Avon is gearing up for its annual holiday kickoff, with a Tree Lighting Festival scheduled for Dec. 5 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Avon Aquatic Facility. The event will feature a petting zoo, fairy tale characters, a gingerbread house contest, and a special Santa visit set aside for children with special needs and their families.
A post on the City of Avon, Ohio Facebook page lists the tree lighting itself at 6 p.m. The venue, 36265 Detroit Road, has hosted the festival in recent years, and the flyer notes additional parking will be available at UH Avon Health Center, 1997 Healthway Drive, with shuttle buses running every 10 minutes from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. to ferry attendees between the two locations.
A Packed Lineup of Holiday Activities
Beyond the main event, the flyer promises a full slate of family activities: storytime with Mrs. Claus, crafts, music and entertainment, hot chocolate, and pizza. A Ride With Santa winner parade is set for 5 p.m., rounding out an evening built around two signature contests — the gingerbread house contest and the Ride With Santa contest.
The gingerbread house and Ride With Santa contests have appeared in coverage of Avon’s holiday festivals over several years. In its report on the 2021 festival, cleveland.com noted that the gingerbread contest drew many participants and was popular with attendees. That report also documented that year’s Ride With Santa winners, and the contest appeared in coverage of the 2025 festival.
Special Santa Visit for Children With Special Needs
The flyer also highlights a dedicated Santa visit for children with special needs and their families, with sign-up available through a link posted on the flyer. Organizers described a private, calm and comfortable Santa visit for children with special needs at the 2025 festival, according to morningjournal.com. In 2024, the accommodation took the form of reserved time from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Avon Police Department Community Room, per thevillagernewspaper.com.
Accessibility Information
Separately, Avon Parks & Recreation asks that reasonable accommodation requests be submitted 14-21 days before a program or event and says sensory bags are available at the Aquatic Facility, events and other programming. This general policy does not specify which accommodations or sensory resources will be available during this outdoor festival.
This year's festival is presented by the French Creek Foundation, Wealth Health, LLC, and the City of Avon, according to the flyer. The French Creek Foundation's website is listed as the source for ongoing information and updates on the event.
How This Year Compares to Past Festivals
The 2025 festival ran from 3 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 6, with the tree lighting at 5 p.m. and free shuttles running from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m., per morningjournal.com.
The current flyer identifies the Dec. 5 date as 2026, so residents planning to attend should watch the French Creek Foundation's website for confirmation and any updates as the date approaches.
