When does the Savannah Christmas Market actually start? Plant Riverside District gives two answers. The booths along the Riverwalk open on Thursday, November 19, 2026. The district's official "grand opening," the free tree lighting in MLK Park, comes eight days later, on Friday, November 27.
There's a second change at the other end. In 2025 the market closed on December 31. This year it stays open through Sunday, January 3, 2027. So the season splits into three pieces: a soft-launch stretch, the main run, and a bonus weekend after New Year's. If you live a short drive from West River Street, each piece works a little differently.
The Market Opens on a Thursday Without Its Tree
Opening day is November 19, and from then on the Plant Riverside FAQ lists the same hours every day: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, rain or shine, free to get in. The event listing promises more than 50 booths of local and regional vendors selling handmade gifts, holiday décor and artisan treats, plus seasonal food and drink, live entertainment and activities for kids.
The Festival of Trees opens the same day in the lobby of the Power Plant building. It's free, it runs the full season through January 3, and the trees are decorated by local businesses and organizations. Part of the proceeds go to the New Ebenezer Retreat Center and the Treutlen House, a home for boys in Effingham County.
Here's what's open from November 19 and what waits until the tree is lit:
- Open from November 19: the Riverwalk market booths and the Festival of Trees.
- Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving Brunch at Plant Riverside, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The FAQ notes that some vendors may not open on Thanksgiving Day.
- Starting November 27: the tree lighting, Letters to Santa from 3 to 6 p.m., and the Gingerbread Display in the Power Plant lobby, which stays up through December 31.
- Starting November 28: Holiday Cookie Decorating at 2 p.m., held on multiple days.
- Sunday, December 20: Brunch with Santa, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
That leaves the first seven days, November 19 through 25, with the full vendor lineup and the decorated trees but none of the scheduled programming. If shopping is the main reason you're going, that's the week to go.
November 27 Is a Grand Opening for a Market That's Already Open
Plant Riverside calls the tree lighting the "official grand opening" of the market and the start of the holiday season. It runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in MLK Park and costs nothing. Before the tree is lit, Roger Moss reads "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" aloud, and the Southeast Coast Gospel Choir performs under the direction of Delandrian Aikens. Santa and Mrs. Claus make appearances too.
The eight-day gap isn't new. In 2025 the market opened on November 20, as the Savannah Morning News reported, and WTOC reported that the tree lighting was on Friday, November 28, at 6:30 p.m. The pattern repeats: the market opens on a Thursday, the tree lighting follows on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the ceremony happens in a market that's already been open for eight days.
For anyone deciding between the two dates, the Friday after Thanksgiving is the one with a program, a choir and Santa on a set schedule. The Thursday before is the one with just the booths and the trees.
The New Weekend Comes After New Year's
The dates are the clearest change from last year.
| 2025 season | 2026 season | |
|---|---|---|
| Market opens | Thursday, Nov. 20 | Thursday, Nov. 19 |
| Tree lighting | Friday, Nov. 28, 6:30 p.m. | Friday, Nov. 27, 6:30–7:30 p.m. |
| Market closes | Wednesday, Dec. 31 | Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027 |
| Daily hours | 11 a.m.–9 p.m. | 11 a.m.–9 p.m. |
| Admission | Free | Free |
Last year the season ended on a Wednesday that was also New Year's Eve, so the market had no weekend left once the holiday rush was over. This year January 1 is a Friday, and the market stays open through Saturday, January 2, and Sunday, January 3. That adds a full weekend after the holidays with booths still on the Riverwalk and the Festival of Trees still in the Power Plant lobby.
Not everything stays that long. The Gingerbread Display closes on December 31. Visiting family who leave after New Year's will miss it, while anyone still in town on January 2 or 3 can see the trees and shop the vendors.
This also gives the season a different shape from the crowded mid-December Saturday covered in our post on December 12 in Savannah. The scheduled programming sits in the middle, and the stretches on either end have the booths and the trees without it.
Three Days When the Free Rides Stop
The market is open every day of its run, but the two free ways to get around the riverfront are not.
- DOT Express Shuttle: free, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Sunday, usually every 15 to 20 minutes. It connects city parking garages, visitor centers and ferry landings. The DOT shuttle schedule shows no service on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Day.
- Savannah Belles Ferry: free, run by Chatham Area Transit between the Riverwalk and Hutchinson Island, with a landing at City Hall. It runs every 10 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, according to CAT, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Both blackout days that fall inside the run, November 26 and December 25, are also the two days the FAQ warns that some vendors may stay closed. New Year's Day lands right before the new bonus weekend. If you're planning a ferry-and-market outing with guests, Saturday, January 2, has the boats running again. Friday, January 1, does not.
Parking, and Where to Eat Afterward
The closest garage is the Plant Riverside Parking Garage at 500 West River Street. It opens directly into the district and River Street, has 488 spaces and is open 24 hours a day. The City of Savannah lists rates of $10 for up to three hours, $20 for three to six hours and $45 overnight. It also says rates can change for special events and that the garage takes credit or debit cards only, plus fees, with a 10-minute grace period. Plan on event pricing being possible on the tree-lighting night. Plant Riverside also offers valet parking close to the market.
The three-hour rate fits a weeknight visit: browse the booths, walk through the Festival of Trees, then eat at one of the restaurants the market FAQ lists a few steps away. Those include District Smokehouse, District Seafood, Riverside Burger, Riverside Biergarten, Graffito, Savannah Tequila Company and Stone and Webster Chophouse. Six hours covers an evening built around the 6:30 p.m. tree lighting on November 27, with dinner before or after.
Plant Riverside says the market draws more than 250,000 visitors over the season. The days before November 27 and the weekend after January 1 sit at the two ends of that run, outside the stretch between the tree lighting and Christmas.
If you're thinking about how the riverfront's holiday season fits into everyday life here, or what a home within easy reach of West River Street is worth right now, the team at Homes by TLC knows this calendar well. Start with a free home valuation, and we'll give you a clear, local answer.
