Dallas Park and Recreation is inviting the public back to City Park for Holiday Village, a family-friendly evening of candlelight, carolers and holiday cheer in 2026. The gathering doubles as a birthday party of sorts: 2026 marks 150 years since the city established its park system.
The department, in partnership with the Old City Park Conservancy, is celebrating what organizers describe as a long-standing tradition of candlelight at the park, according to TicketSignup. The event listing notes the candlelight tradition at City Park has been celebrated for more than fifty years, and organizers say they are excited to bring the experience back for 2026. Visitors can expect musical performances, artisan vendors, historic-home tours, children's activities and a visit with Old St. Nick, per the same listing.
In a post on X, the Dallas Park and Recreation Department
framed the night as a dual celebration, writing that “the most wonderful time of year is just around the corner…and we're not just talking the holidays. It's also our birthday!” The department invited followers to “join us for candlelight, carolers, vendors, history and holiday magic at Holiday Village at City Park.”
A Park System Dating Back to 1876
The city's park system traces back to 1876, when Dallas acquired 10 acres of land next to Browder Springs and named it City Park, according to the Dallas Park and Recreation Department's own history page. That founding parcel makes City Park the city's first and oldest public park, and this year's Holiday Village arrives as the department marks a century and a half since that original acquisition.
Holiday Village is billed as family-friendly, blending the cherished Candlelight traditions of years past with newer Park and Recreation programming. A listing from Mommy Poppins describes the event the same way, noting it mixes beloved holiday customs with fresh activities, and places the celebration at 1515 S Harwood St.
What's Planned for the Evening
Attendees can look forward to live music, carolers, a festive artisan market and a special visit from St. Nick, in addition to children's activities. Those offerings echo last year's event: Holiday Village ran December 13 and 14, 2025, starting at 5 p.m., according to Preservation Dallas. For that 2025 edition, Preservation Dallas partnered with the Dallas Park and Recreation Department, with sponsorship from the Old City Park Conservancy — a slightly different arrangement of partners than this year's event, which lists the Conservancy itself as the department's partner.
The 2025 listing described the same mix of musical performances, artisan vendors, historic-home tours, children's activities and a visit with Old St. Nick that organizers are promoting again this year. The candlelight tradition at City Park has roots that predate even that event: a 2018 listing for Dallas Heritage Village's Candlelight, its 47th annual installment at the time, described costumed interpreters bringing pioneer and Victorian-era Texas to life, according to CultureMap Dallas.
Tickets and Sponsorships
General admission categories cover ages 13 and up and children age 12 and under. General ticket sales end December 12, 2026, at 8:59 p.m. Central time. The event also offers sponsorship opportunities.
Dallas Park and Recreation has said the event supports its mission to spread holiday joy and cheer across the community. With the department's 150th anniversary spanning 1876 to 2026, Holiday Village gives Dallas families a chance to mark both a civic milestone and a decades-old holiday ritual at the same historic patch of ground where the city's park system began.
