{"id":37198,"date":"2025-11-20T13:20:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T18:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=37198"},"modified":"2025-11-27T13:13:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T18:13:00","slug":"christmas-market-set-for-town-square-return-next-friday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/christmas-market-set-for-town-square-return-next-friday\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Market set for Town Square return next Friday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yonge Street might be the focus of local holiday cheer this Saturday as the annual Santa Under the Stars Parade returns to Aurora, but the good times will continue the following weekend as the Town puts the finishing touches on its annual Christmas Market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking place over two weekends, the Christmas Market kicks off next Friday, November 28, with the official lighting of the Town\u2019s Christmas Tree, and will run through November 30, and again from Friday, December 5 through Sunday, December 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of the six total market days will be alike, say organizers, with dozens of artisans, vendors, buskers and more working together to keep the festive feeling fresh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will have 21 unique vendors every single night,\u201d says Shelley Ware, Special Events Coordinator for the Town of Aurora. \u201cSix nights with 21 vendors each night, so we\u2019ve got a really great balance of products and, of course, we try to get as unique as possible for each of the nights. There\u2019s the tried and true of candles, scents and honey, all the way to really customized ornaments, treats, and a nice balance of everything. This isn\u2019t the type of Market that you visit once and you\u2019re done; there\u2019s different activities for each night, different workshops, different vendors, different performances in the Performance Hall \u2013 it\u2019s six new Christmas Market experiences back-to-back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, it\u2019s about much more than shopping \u2013 a shift made possible by the relocation of the Aurora Christmas Market from Town Park to Town Square in 2024. The move has allowed not only for a significant growth in performing arts at the Market, but outdoor skating, fire shows, and spaces to hold holiday-themed workshops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew this year, on the Saturday of the first and second weekends we\u2019re going to be offering a Silent Dance Party, which will be a cool experience for those that have never participated in one before,\u201d says Ware of dances where music is only heard by participants wearing individual headphones. \u201cWe\u2019ll also have a variety of experiences within the Performance Hall for those who want to grab a ticket, secure their seat, and enjoy a great show comfortably.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizers plan to transform Program Room A into the North Pole, so don\u2019t be surprised if Santa Claus pops by again for another visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the offerings in the Performance Hall include A Jazzy Christmas from the Borealis Big Band, and screenings of the holiday favourites \u201cElf\u201d on November 28 and \u201cHome Alone\u201d on November 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know we\u2019ve all streamed them in our homes, but I\u2019m personally looking forward to seeing it up on the big screen. I think this really sets you up in the mood of the holidays and it also relaxes you with how busy the season can be, because taking a step out of the chaos and taking in the funny, funny \u2018Elf\u2019 or watching Kevin in \u2018Home Alone,\u2019 it gives us a taste of our past in a familiar, nostalgic kind of way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you settle in for Elf, however, stay outside on the Friday evening for the official Tree Lighting Ceremony starting at 5.30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re relying on the community for their spirit and their energy throughout the countdown,\u201d says Ware. \u201cIf you don\u2019t skate, or you don\u2019t need to shop, the Christmas Market is still a fabulous atmosphere to talk through, people-watch, enjoy the festivities and warmth \u2013 and regardless of whether you\u2019re young or mature, having a photo with the actual Santa Claus never, never gets dull!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a full schedule of the Aurora Christmas Market and associated activities, visit aurora.ca\/christmasmarket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DECK THE HALLS TOUR<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re embracing your inner Griswold and going all out on your Christmas decorations, the Town of Aurora wants to hear from you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Friday, November 21, is the last chance to enter your home in the Town\u2019s 2025 Deck the Halls Tour, a self-guided driving tour of some of the community\u2019s most vividly-decorated homes, businesses and buildings, which runs from December 9 \u2013 December 23 from 5 \u2013 9 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Tis the season for bright lights and festive joy! Do you like to decorate the outside of your home or business for the holiday season? Then let\u2019s light up Aurora with some festive spirit!\u201d says the Town. \u201cIf you have a home or business in Aurora, consider participating in Aurora\u2019s Deck the Halls Tour. This is a great opportunity to add festive cheer to the community and is a safe way to admire the beauty of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first 30 registrations will receive an Aurora Home Hardware gift card for their participation. This gift card will be provided during the first week of the Tour once we have received a photo of your display. There will be cash prizes to be won for 1st Place and Honourable Mentions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information, call 905-726-4762 or visit aurora.ca\/deckthehallstour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deck the Halls Tour asks residents to get into holiday spirit, but registration closes November 21.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-9FY","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-16 14:14:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37200,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37198\/revisions\/37200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}