Broadway in Saratoga Springs will shut down for live entertainment and turn into a Victorian-era winter wonderland Thursday, Dec. 3, as the city's Victorian Streetwalk celebrates its 40th year. The free, family-friendly evening runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and features carolers, decorated storefronts, visitors in Victorian attire, and appearances from Santa and Mrs. Claus.
According to saratogaspringsdowntown.com, the event transforms Broadway into a winter wonderland for its milestone anniversary. The night actually gets moving before the official start time: a Santa Parade kicks off at 5:50 p.m. at the intersection of Church Street and Broadway, according to saratoga.com's event itinerary. Broadway itself will be closed to vehicle traffic for live entertainment from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., per the same schedule.
Tree Lighting Anchors the Evening
The Streetwalk's centerpiece moment comes at 6 p.m., when a tree-lighting ceremony takes place in front of Putnam Market, the itinerary notes. This year's tree is a 28-foot balsam fir donated by Canopy of Saratoga for the Downtown Business Association to decorate, the organization says on its website. As first reported by NEWS10 ABC, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available for photos at Santa's cottage throughout the evening, with additional photo opportunities continuing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 20.
Local artists, choirs and dancers are set to perform at multiple spots downtown, including the City Hall steps, the post office on Broadway, and inside Adirondack Trust Co., per NEWS10 ABC's reporting. Local businesses will also be handing out hot chocolate, mini cinnamon sugar doughnuts and Adirondack kettle corn to keep attendees warm as they stroll.
Four Decades on Broadway, With Some Debate Over the First Year
Exactly when the Streetwalk began depends on who you ask. The Downtown Business Association's own history says the event started in 1985, while a 2011 report from The Saratogian puts the inaugural night on Dec. 1, 1986. That same Saratogian account describes founder Martha Margolis designing the event as a non-shopping open house meant to showcase the diversity of Broadway's independent businesses, and reports that the first Streetwalk drew somewhere between 500 and 1,000 people. By 2010, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people were flocking to Broadway for the event, according to that report.
The celebration has evolved in other ways too. The Downtown Business Association says it expanded the Streetwalk from a single night into a full weekend-long event starting in 2021, when the tree lighting was held on Dec. 2 that year. Last year's 39th edition still led with the traditional tree-lighting ceremony to open the holiday season, according to CBS6 Albany.
Festival of Trees and Toys for Toga Run Alongside
Just steps away, the Saratoga Springs City Center will be hosting the 31st annual Festival of Trees, a fundraiser put on by Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties. The festival showcases more than 250 decorated trees, wreaths and other holiday items, with raffle baskets and gift items available for purchase, saratogaspringsdowntown.com reports. Special $5 admission applies during the Streetwalk, and the festival's Victorian Stroll Evening on Dec. 3 runs from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with free entry for children under 10 and a chance for kids to chat with Santa from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for a suggested $5 donation, according to saratoga.com.
Toys for Toga will also set up a table in front of G. Willikers Toys during the Streetwalk, continuing a charitable tradition that has grown substantially in recent years. In 2025, the effort collected more than 5,500 toys and donated more than $18,000 to children across Saratoga County, the Downtown Business Association reports.
