Holiday Markets and Winter Events in Northern NJ 2026: Your Seasonal Guide

If you are new to Bergen or Hudson County, or simply want to make this season easier on your family, start with the big county attractions, then fill in the weekends with town tree lightings and neighborhood holiday markets. The season is one of the best arguments for living here: every town does something, most of it free, and the atmosphere is genuinely communal.

Here is the guide, starting with the date we can confirm today.

What Holiday Events Are Confirmed for 2026?

As of mid-October, the season's biggest anchors are confirming. The Bergen County Winter Wonderland returns Friday, November 20, 2026 at Van Saun County Park in Paramus, bringing back the open-air ice skating, ice bumper cars, carousel and train rides, heated tent, food trucks, beer and wine garden, live music, Santa visits, and the Crafts Market Village, with the full season schedule expected to follow shortly. In Hillsdale, Demarest Farms' Orchard of Lights has published its 2026 nights: November 21-22, November 27-29, December 4-6, December 10-23, and December 26-29, 5 to 9 p.m., the 32-acre drive-through display running right through the end of the year; Let It Glow!, the lantern spectacular at the Bergen County Zoo, has not yet posted its dates. The Historic Downtown Jersey City Christmas Tree & Menorah Lighting is set for Tuesday, December 1, 2026, hosted by the Historic Downtown Jersey City Special Improvement District with Santa, cookies, and hot chocolate, and the district's Happy Holiday Market returns to the Grove Street PATH Plaza on December 5-6 and 12-13 (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), two weekends of handmade gifts, hot cocoa, and kids' activities across the plaza and the rooftop at The Ashford. In Fort Lee, the Business District Alliance has confirmed its Holiday Night Market for Saturday, December 5 (4-9 p.m. at Fort Lee Commons, 229 Main Street), with Santa Saturday on December 5 and again December 12. And in Ridgewood, the Holiday Walk-Through and Village Lighting is confirmed for November, the downtown's festive lights-and-carolers kickoff that pairs with the village's holiday shopping season. Jersey City's downtown lights up early, Fort Lee's December 5 market is the first big holiday shopping night of the season in Bergen County, and Hoboken SantaCon fills the Mile Square on Saturday, December 19 for a festive close to the month.

Three more Hudson County dates confirmed this week, all worth marking for the season ahead. Hoboken's Pier One Tree Christmas pop-up market returns to Pier 13 (1301 Sinatra Drive) November 27 through December 20, bringing fresh-cut trees, wreaths, and Santa visits to the waterfront, and the Main Street Pops Artisan Market Holiday Market runs in Hoboken on December 7, 14, and 21, a crafts market built for holiday gifts. Inland, the German Christmas Market of New Jersey lands December 4-6 with a juried vendor lineup, carousel, and model trains, a festive weekend stop on the region's market circuit.

Most other municipal events publish their 2026 dates during October and November. Below are the annual traditions to watch, with the dates from their most recent seasons so you know what to expect.

What Happens at the Bergen County Winter Wonderland?

The Bergen County Winter Wonderland at Van Saun County Park in Paramus is the region's biggest seasonal destination: open-air ice skating, ice bumper cars, a crafts market village, Santa visits, and a tree-lighting ceremony. It is confirmed to return Friday, November 20, 2026, with the full season schedule expected to follow shortly. Its 2025-26 season ran from November 28 through January 4.

Right next door, Let it Glow! A Holiday Lantern Spectacular lights up the same park with a lantern trail, ice bumper cars, fire pits, and food trucks. In 2025 it ran from November 6 through January 11. The 2026 dates are expected to post soon, so check the Bergen County site for opening dates.

Where Are the Best Downtown Tree Lightings in Bergen County?

Ridgewood hosts Downtown for the Holidays & Christmas Tree Lighting on East Ridgewood Avenue, a village tradition that hit its 40th edition in 2025 (December 5 in the most recent seasons). Carolers, festive lights, and shop visits make it one of the best holiday events in Bergen County.

Hackensack lights up twice: the annual tree lighting on the Bergen County Courthouse Green with Santa and carolers (December 8 in 2025), and the Bergen County Christmas Tree Lighting at One Bergen County Plaza, the county seat's civic celebration. Fort Lee adds tree lightings, holiday concerts, and seasonal events at its community center and along Main Street.

What About Hoboken's Holiday Season?

Hoboken hosts a Christmas Tree Lighting at 11th and Washington Street, typically on an early to mid-December evening with the whole town out on the street. The Hoboken Holiday Market has run in recent seasons at the Damon Murray Community Gym at 605 Jackson Street, a family-run crafts market perfect for gifts and decorations. Both dates get announced in late fall, so watch the city's listings as December approaches.

Which Holiday Markets Are Best in Hudson County?

In addition to the December 1 downtown ceremony, Jersey City typically rounds out early December with the Holiday Night Market and the Heights Holiday Market, plus a tree lighting at City Hall Annex (December 9 in its most recent season). Englewood's downtown hosts an Englewood Holiday Market along Palisade Avenue, and nearly every town in the region runs a church or community craft fair in November and December.

How Do I Make the Holiday Season Easy on My Family?

• Confirm first, then plan. Dates shift a little each year, and parking fills fast. Check the organizer's site or the town calendar the week before.
• Go early or go midweek. Weekend evenings at Van Saun and downtown Ridgewood are the busiest; the same trees and markets are just as lovely on a quiet Monday night.
• Layer up. Almost everything here is outdoors and in the dark, so warm coats, hats, and gloves are not optional.
• Support local. The markets are small businesses first, and buying local is the point of the season in these towns.

For more of the season's rhythm, see our October month-ahead guide and the fall things to do rundown. And if you are house hunting ahead of the holidays, know that winter is often the best time to buy: less competition and sellers who really want to move before the new year.