Winston-Salem's Holiday Season Piles Onto Salem Square's December Saturdays

At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, the front door of the Single Brothers' House at 600 S. Main St. opens for the first Saturday of Home Moravian Church's Candle Tea. Old Salem's St. Nick is in the historic hat shop down the street, and the Wachovia Historical Society's Moravian Market fills Salem Square. By late afternoon the Winston-Salem Ambassadors Holiday Parade is moving along Fourth and Liberty streets, and it has to be finished by 6:30 p.m. so the City can light the tree in Corpening Plaza.

One week later it happens again, with a different lineup in the same few blocks. Winston-Salem's holiday calendar runs from mid-November into January. Its two busiest days are Dec. 5 and Dec. 12, and both are centered on Salem Square. If you plan the season around those two Saturdays and treat everything else as lead-up, you'll catch most of what matters.

November is the warm-up, and it has deadlines

The first lights come on at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons. The Tanglewood Festival of Lights runs Nov. 13, 2026, through Jan. 1, 2027, from 6 to 11 p.m. every night. Family vehicles pay $20 cash or $23 by card Monday through Thursday, and $25 cash or $28 by card Friday through Sunday. On four discount nights, Nov. 16, 17, 23 and 24, the family rate drops to $10 cash or $13 card. Those are two Mondays and two Tuesdays, so they're the cheapest weeknight drive of the season. The Festival of Lights Gift Shop in the Red Barn holds a presale on Nov. 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 21 has two free events in different parts of town. The Holiday Market & Christmas Tree Lighting at 500 W 5th runs noon to 7 p.m. with more than 40 artisan vendors, food and beer trucks, a s'mores area and live music, and the tree lighting is at 6 p.m. The roads around the building close from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The same afternoon, the Reynolda Village Holiday Stroll brings carolers, carriage rides and Santa to 2201 Reynolda Road from 1 to 5 p.m.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving is when the focus moves to Salem. Old Salem's Christmas Kick-Off on Nov. 28 runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with hands-on activities, historic building tours and traditional Moravian Christmas music around the district. It's the first of Old Salem's Christmas Salem Saturdays, which continue every Saturday until Christmas.

Two dates matter before any of that. Parade registration for floats and groups closes at midnight on Friday, Nov. 6, and the Ambassadors may close it early. Old Salem's holiday general admission tickets go on sale online Nov. 11.

December 5, from morning to tree lighting

This is the busier of the two Saturdays, because the downtown parade lands on the same day as Salem's own programming. Here's the day in order:

1. 10 a.m. Old Salem's St. Nick and the Moravian Market opens and runs until 4 p.m. St. Nick takes visitors and photos in the historic hat shop, and the Moravian Market brings craft vendors from the Wachovia region to Salem Square.
2. 10:30 a.m. Candle Tea opens at the Single Brothers' House and stays open until 7:30 p.m.
3. Late afternoon. The Ambassadors Holiday Parade travels Fourth and Liberty streets. One organizer page gives a 5 p.m. start. Check it closer to the day, since the parade's main 2026 page doesn't list a time.
4. By 6:30 p.m. The parade has to be finished so the City's tree lighting in Corpening Plaza can go ahead.
5. 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Old Salem's Joy of Christmas Evening Tours start every 15 minutes from the Boys' School at 3 East Academy St.

The 6:30 deadline is what shapes the parade. The Ambassadors have capped entries at 75 this year because of space limits and the City's need to clear the route for the tree lighting, and no late entries will be accepted. That means a shorter parade with a firm end time. If you stay downtown after the last float, you're already in place for the lighting.

The parade is free. The Go-To Winston-Salem newsletter announced in its Oct. 13 issue that a member of its own team will be grand marshal for this year's parade.

December 6 and 12 move the action to both sides of the square

The Sunday in between belongs to Wake Forest. The university's annual Lovefeast is Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. in Wait Chapel. Doors open at 6 p.m., the prelude starts at 6:20, and seating is first come, first seated. A livestream is also available.

Dec. 12 returns to Salem Square, this time spread across both sides of it. The Moravian Music Foundation's fifth annual ChristmasFest runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Salem College's Elberson Fine Arts Center, 430 Leaders Ave., and at the Archie K. Davis Center, 457 S. Church St. It's free, no ticket is needed, and it goes on rain or shine. The foundation suggests using the Leaders Avenue address for parking directions. Old Salem's Christmas page treats the day as a partnership and calls it "a full day of music, history, and holiday cheer" on both sides of the square. Its own ChristmasFest activities run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and need the standard holiday admission ticket.

Candle Tea runs its second Saturday that day, 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. In the evening, An Enchanted Christmas at Reynolda runs 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Reynolda House. It repeats on Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Dec. 12 is the easier Saturday for a full day in Salem. Nothing downtown competes with it, and the free ChristmasFest buildings give you somewhere to warm up between Old Salem's historic buildings.

Which events need tickets and which don't

Some of these events sell out and some are walk-up. Here's how each one works for 2026:

Candle Tea's limit comes from the building itself. Groups of 30 go in every 15 minutes, and Home Moravian's Candle Tea page says admission is "strictly limited by the Fire Code." Reservations opened Sept. 8, and the church expects tickets to sell out, though it says walk-ups can generally be admitted after a short wait. Tickets are non-refundable, and the church asks you to arrive 15 minutes before your time. The full tour takes about an hour and 45 minutes. It includes carol singing in the Saal with the 1787 pipe organ, a candle-making demonstration, coffee and sugar cake in the historic kitchen, the Putz and the Nativity.

Old Salem works the other way. Its Saturday tickets don't need to be bought ahead and don't sell out. You can buy them at the Visitor Center, Winkler Bakery or the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. Old Salem and MESDA members get every Saturday's activities included, plus 20% off retail at Winkler Bakery, the MESDA gift shop and the Visitor Center on featured days.

Know this before you plan a Salem Saturday

Candle Tea and Old Salem are separate organizations, even though Candle Tea happens inside an Old Salem building. Tours of Old Salem, including its own tour of the Single Brothers' House, are booked through Old Salem at 336-721-7350. The two use different unloading spots, so if you're dropping off older relatives, find out which one you need before you go.

The Single Brothers' House is a designated historic building with no elevator. There are steps at both entrances and three steep flights of stairs inside, and strollers stay in the entrance room until the tour ends. Old Salem's Joy of Christmas tours are partly outdoors, cover uneven streets and stairs, and last about an hour.

Weather matters too. Candle Tea follows the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools weather policy for its morning school sessions. If bad weather is forecast for either Saturday, ticket holders will hear about their options by email and on Candle Tea's website and social media. ChristmasFest goes on rain or shine.

If you're mapping out your family's December around Old Salem, or wondering what a holiday season near Salem Square would be like if you lived closer, the team at Pilot Group Real Estate is happy to talk it through. And if you already own a home in Winston-Salem and want to know what it's worth before the new year, request your free home valuation.