Last year, most of the downtown Springdale holiday season happened on one Saturday. On November 29, 2025, Downtown Springdale Alliance ran Christmas on the Creek from noon to 7 p.m. That day included a holiday vendor market, free photos with Santa at the train station at 305 E. Emma Ave., the tree lighting in Shiloh Square, and a finish with the Christmas Parade of the Ozarks, according to the Alliance's November 2025 announcement.
The Hot Cocoa Crawl followed on its own Friday, December 12. This year the big Saturday is split up. The tree lighting and the parade are on different Saturdays, a week apart. La Posada and the Cocoa Crawl follow in early December, so the season now covers four separate nights on Emma Avenue between November 21 and December 11. It's also the first holiday season for AQ Chicken House in its new spot facing Turnbow Park. If you want dinner and an event on the same evening, the restaurant's seating policy matters more than it usually would.
The calendar, night by night
Here's how the 2026 season lines up, from the event pages for each night:
| Date | Event | Time | Where it centers | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Nov. 21 | Tree lighting with holiday market and live music | 4 to 7 p.m. | Shiloh Square and Turnbow Park | Downtown Springdale Alliance |
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Rodeo of the Ozarks Christmas Parade | 6 p.m. | East Emma Avenue | Rodeo of the Ozarks |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | La Posada | Check the Jones Center for timing | Emma Avenue, ending at the Jones Center | The Jones Center with Emma Avenue businesses |
| Friday, Dec. 11 | International Hot Cocoa Crawl | 5 to 8 p.m. | Starts at Shiloh Square, 106 E. Emma Ave. | Downtown Springdale Alliance |
The Rodeo of the Ozarks says its event dates are subject to change. Downtown Springdale on Facebook is the place to check for any last-minute updates to the Alliance's two nights.
November 21: the tree lighting gets its own evening
The tree lighting is Saturday, November 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Shiloh Square. It's free. Food and live music fill the park, and local makers and artisans sell at a holiday market, according to the event listing on BeLocal NWA, which draws on Downtown Springdale's own details. Downtown Springdale Alliance hosts, and the Tyson Family Foundation presents. The listing calls the date new and tells longtime attendees to update their calendars.
Last year's version ran seven hours and ended with a parade. This year's runs three hours and ends when the market wraps up. That makes it a shorter outing with a clear end time. It also means the tree is already lit when the parade comes down Emma a week later.
November 28: the parade keeps its traditional Saturday
The Rodeo of the Ozarks Christmas Parade stays on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. That's November 28 this year, at 6 p.m. The parade page says it usually draws 30 or more entries and hundreds of families along East Emma. This year's theme is "Christmas Chaos."
The parade doesn't have to share the evening with the tree lighting this year, so it's a cleaner night out. You can show up for a 6 p.m. start and pick your spot on East Emma without having spent the whole afternoon downtown first. It's also two days after Thanksgiving, so if you have relatives in town and want something for them to do downtown, this is the night.
The restaurant that faces all four nights
AQ Chicken House reopened on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 100 W. Emma Ave., Suite 101, more than three years after its original North Thompson Street location closed, the Fayetteville Flyer reported. Roy Ritter opened the original AQ on July 20, 1947. The name stands for Arkansas Quality. That first building closed on March 18, 2023, and was later torn down for a car wash, according to Talk Business & Politics.
Location is what ties AQ to the holiday calendar. The restaurant is in the First Security Bank complex next to Onyx Coffee Lab, and that property fronts Turnbow Park, Talk Business reported. That puts AQ's front door at the center of the tree lighting and Cocoa Crawl, and right by the parade route on Emma.
If you haven't been inside since it reopened, a lot of the old place made the move. The Flyer's opening coverage lists the original neon sign, "Big Red," a children's treasure chest, a custom sign-in book, a hometown map pin board, and a "Hi Hon!" host stand honoring longtime host Miss Jerri. A lobby mural based on an old AQ postcard was hand-painted by local artist Carol Counce. Familiar menu items include chicken over-the-coals, cloverleaf rolls, Ozark Smothered Chicken Breast, catfish over-the-coals, fried okra, and sweet potato casserole. Owner Tom Lundstrum said the ownership group worked to recreate the original recipes, according to the Flyer.
How to fit dinner at AQ around an event night
The AQ Chicken House website says it isn't taking reservations or to-go orders. Seating runs through a virtual wait list, where you can check live wait times and add your name from home. On a night when the park outside is full, planning ahead makes a difference.
- Check which day it is. At its July reopening, AQ's posted hours were 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday and Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, and closed Tuesday. Confirm current hours on the restaurant's site before you go. All four event nights fall on a Friday or Saturday.
- Join the wait list before you leave the house. Wait times are posted live, so you can decide on the way whether to eat first or catch the event first.
- Match dinner to the event's timing. The tree lighting starts at 4 p.m., so an early dinner can come before or after it. The parade starts at 6 p.m., so the meal works better on one side of it. The Cocoa Crawl runs from 5 to 8 p.m. and is spread across many stops, so you can step out of it for dinner partway through.
- Plan to eat there. With no takeout right now, you can't grab dinner and carry it out to the curb.
December 5: La Posada walks the same street
La Posada returns Saturday, December 5, 2026, after launching in 2025, according to the Jones Center's fall activities release. The Jones Center works with businesses and partners along Emma Avenue to stage the Mexican Christmas tradition, which is open to everyone. The walk heads down Emma Avenue and ends at the Jones Center. Timing and registration details are on the Jones Center's events page and in its app.
This year it falls one week after the parade and six days before the Cocoa Crawl, so it has a Saturday to itself.
December 11: the cocoa crawl closes out the season
The International Hot Cocoa Crawl is Friday, December 11, from 5 to 8 p.m., starting at Shiloh Square, 106 E. Emma Ave. It's free and open to everyone, according to the BeLocal NWA listing, which draws on Downtown Springdale's details. You work your way through participating downtown businesses, and each one pours hot cocoa or a seasonal drink. Last year's crawl was also on a Friday, December 12, with the same 5 to 8 p.m. window.
The crawl is the only one of the four nights built around going into the businesses rather than lining the street. For anyone who has walked past the First Security Bank building since July without stopping in, it's a natural night to go inside.
Picking your nights
Here's how the four evenings sort out:
- Shorter evening with a set end time: the tree lighting on November 21, 4 to 7 p.m.
- Thanksgiving guests in town: the parade on November 28 at 6 p.m.
- A walk that ends somewhere specific: La Posada on December 5, finishing at the Jones Center.
- Stopping into downtown businesses one after another: the Cocoa Crawl on December 11.
If you're thinking about living closer to Emma Avenue, where you can walk to these nights instead of hunting for parking, Jillian Chamberlin knows the streets around downtown Springdale well and would love to help. Schedule a free consultation, or if you already live nearby and want to know what your home is worth this season, request a free home valuation.
