Three Tree Lightings, Three Nights, Three Places: Charles County's Holiday Calendar So Far

As of the last week of October, most of Charles County's 2026 holiday season already has dates. Nearly all of them come from community organizations. A hospital foundation, a town government, a fair board, a community theater and the volunteers behind a small-town festival have posted firm dates and times. The retail side in Waldorf, where most of the county's shopping is, is still working from last year's patterns.

The dates also bunch up. Three official tree lightings fall on three nights in a row, Friday, December 4 through Sunday, December 6, in two towns. The county's largest holiday market fills the following weekend. Anyone planning December around these events is really planning two weekends.

Friday to Sunday, December 4 to 6

The run opens indoors. On Friday, December 4, at 5:30 p.m., UM Charles Regional Medical Center holds its annual Christmas Tree of Life illumination in the main lobby of the La Plata hospital. PNC Bank presents the event. Lights on the tree are bought in honor of someone who has touched the buyer's life, and this year's proceeds go to the hospital's Interventional Radiology Lab. The hospital has posted a 2026 registration form, and questions go to 301-609-4319.

On Saturday, December 5, the lighting moves to Indian Head. The Indian Head Christmas Festival runs from 5 to 9 p.m. at Village Green Park, 100 Walter Thomas Road. Organizers confirmed the evening's order on October 16:

1. Tree lighting at 5 p.m.
2. Rides from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
3. Fireworks at about 8:15 p.m.

The festival also has s'mores, games, bounce houses, hay rides, crafts, a Holiday Shop with work by local artists, and a caroling competition. Voice of Indian Head is sponsoring it for the second year in a row. The schedule has shifted a little since 2025. The Dorf's holiday guide lists last year's festival as Saturday, December 6, from 4 to 9 p.m., so this year's version starts an hour later.

On Sunday, December 6, the lighting goes back to La Plata. The Town's Olde Tyme Holiday Gathering runs from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Town Hall circle, 305 Queen Anne St. The Dorf describes it as La Plata's official tree lighting, with music, kids' activities, refreshments, horse-drawn carriage rides from Suttler Post Farm and a visit from Santa.

The three nights don't overlap. The hospital lighting is a short indoor event early Friday evening. Indian Head is a full Saturday night that ends with fireworks after 8. La Plata is a Sunday afternoon that wraps up by 6. One household could attend all three without rushing from one to the next.

The second weekend belongs to the fairgrounds

Next comes the event the first weekend leads up to. The 14th Annual Kris Kringle Christmas Market runs December 11 to 13, 2026, at the Charles County Fairgrounds, 8440 Fairgrounds Rd. in La Plata.

• Friday, December 11: 4 to 8 p.m., with the official tree lighting and Santa's arrival at 5 p.m.
• Saturday, December 12: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with fireworks at 6 p.m.
• Sunday, December 13: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Charles County Fair Board started the market in 2013 and models it on Germany's Christmas markets. More than 180 local artisans sell there. The weekend also includes strolling carolers, local school choruses and bands, a living nativity, a cookie contest, a model train display and a lighted holiday path. The Historic McConchie School House is decorated and open for tours, and the Fair's Digges Farm Museum is open for viewing. Fresh holiday greens gathered from local yards and fields are sold courtesy of Cardinal Creek Plant Farm's Garden Center. Santa stays on site during all market hours.

Admission is $5 for adults, and children 10 and under get in free. The fee supports the Southern Maryland Food Bank, the Charles County Association of Emergency Medical Services, the Charles County Volunteer Firemen's Association and the Charles County Fair.

Putting both weekends side by side makes them easier to plan. Charles County gets two Friday tree lightings, two Saturday fireworks shows and two Sunday afternoon events in back-to-back weekends. The second Saturday's fireworks start at 6 p.m., more than two hours earlier than Indian Head's the week before. That suits families with younger children, who can see fireworks and still get home at a reasonable hour. The Dorf also reports that most church and community bazaars around the county usually fall on these same first two December weekends. Last year's list included the Green Acres holiday bazaar in La Plata, a Shop Local market at Apehangers in Bel Alton and the Merry and Bright bazaar in Waldorf, but their 2026 dates haven't been posted.

The one event already running in November

One confirmed event begins before December. The Port Tobacco Players open The Great Christmas Cookie Bake-Off! on Friday, November 20, and the run ends Sunday, December 13. The theater is at 508 Charles St. in La Plata. According to The Dorf, performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for seniors, youth and military, and the guide suggests checking the box office for exact performance dates.

The show's last performance falls on the closing Sunday of the Kris Kringle Market. A December 13 matinee at 3 p.m. lines up with the market's 3 p.m. close, so the final weekend of the run could be a market morning followed by a theater afternoon, both in La Plata.

What still has no 2026 date

Every event above is in La Plata or Indian Head. Most of the undated events are in Waldorf, where the holiday events are held at retail centers and a high school. CSM's concerts in La Plata are also still unscheduled.

The Waldorf Center date likely follows its own pattern. The Dorf notes that last year's lighting was held the Friday after Thanksgiving, from 6 to 8 p.m., and guests were asked to bring a toy for the toy drive. Thanksgiving 2026 is November 26, so the Friday after is November 27, which matches the date on the center's listing. Even so, the center hasn't posted a year or a time, so check its page closer to the holiday before you plan the evening.

The MoCo Show reported on September 29 that Spirit Christmas will return to its Waldorf location for the 2026 season, with no opening date announced yet. The Dorf calls Waldorf the store's only Maryland location.

The CSM concerts may be the best value of the season once they're scheduled. The Dorf's record of last December lists performances from December 4 to 13, most at 7:30 p.m. and most at $5. The lineup included the Winter Chorale, a Big Band Holiday Jam, a Latin ensemble, a winter dance show and the Southern Maryland Concert Band. If 2026 follows a similar pattern, the concerts would fall in the same two weekends as the lightings and the market. The CSM arts schedule is where those dates will appear.

Planning around the dates that are fixed

The confirmed events give a household a usable framework for December, even while the Waldorf events remain open:

1. Friday, November 20, or later: a Port Tobacco Players performance any weekend through December 13.
2. Friday, December 4, 5:30 p.m.: the Christmas Tree of Life at UM Charles Regional.
3. Saturday, December 5, from 5 p.m.: Indian Head's tree lighting, rides and fireworks around 8:15.
4. Sunday, December 6, 3 to 6 p.m.: La Plata's Olde Tyme Holiday Gathering at Town Hall.
5. Friday, December 11, through Sunday, December 13: the Kris Kringle Christmas Market, with Friday's lighting at 5 and Saturday's fireworks at 6.

If Light Up the Season holds to November 27, it starts the season a week before the La Plata and Indian Head run. Last year, the CSM concerts ran December 4 to 13, and the Thomas Stone craft fair was on Sunday, December 7, so both fell within these same two weekends.

At Gayhardt Partners, we follow Charles County's calendar the same way we follow its market, one confirmed date at a time. If you'd like a December schedule that fits these weekends to your household, or an update when Waldorf's dates are posted, let's connect.