Westhampton Beach's Holiday Season Starts on Thanksgiving Weekend This Year

On Thanksgiving morning, runners in costume will line up on the North perimeter road at Francis S. Gabreski Airport. Two days later, Santa will ride to the Village Green behind a parade of lights from the Westhampton Beach Fire Department. Both happen in the same four days. In 2026, the Christmas Tree & Menorah Lighting Celebration falls on Saturday, November 28, which puts the start of Westhampton Beach's holiday season on Thanksgiving weekend.

That is a change. Over the last two years, the lighting drifted earlier, from mid-December to the first Saturday of the month. This year it moved past December entirely, and the rest of the calendar shifted with it.

Three Years of the Same Two Evenings

Two evening events anchor the village's holidays. One is the lighting on the Village Green, organized by the Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce. The other is the Holiday Stroll on Main Street, run by the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. Here is where each one has landed since 2024:

In Southforker's 2024 holiday roundup, the lighting was on December 14. Its 2025 roundup placed it on December 6, the night after the Stroll, so the two events made one weekend. For 2026, the Chamber's event page lists November 28, which is 16 days earlier than in 2024 and eight days earlier than in 2025.

The order flipped as well. In both earlier years, Main Street had its Stroll before the tree was lit. This year the tree goes up first, and the Stroll follows on the next Thursday.

Thursday, November 26: The Run at Gabreski

The week starts at the airport. The VFW Post 5350 Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk begins at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, rain or shine, at Francis S. Gabreski Airport, 220 Rogers Way. According to the race registration page, the details are:

• Course: a 5K out and back on the airport's North perimeter road
• Check-in: bib pickup and day-of registration from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
• Entry: $33.80 for the 5K run/walk and $23.45 for ages 12 to 18, both including the processing fee
• Costumes: encouraged, with awards for best family or group costumes, largest group, youngest in costume and best individual costume
• Beneficiary: proceeds go to VFW Post 5350 in Westhampton Beach

A 9 a.m. start on a perimeter road means the race is over well before most Thanksgiving tables are set. With the lighting now two days later, the race serves as the first event of the holiday stretch.

Saturday, November 28: Market Morning, Lighting at Dusk

The busiest day of the new calendar is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and two Chamber events share it.

1. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Chamber's Holiday & Winter Markets open for the season at Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, 40 Main Street, with handmade goods, clothing, jewelry, specialty foods and baked items. The markets run every Saturday through December 26.
2. 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Christmas Tree & Menorah Lighting Celebration takes place on the Village Green at the corner of Mill Road and Main Street. It includes the lighting ceremonies and Santa's arrival with the fire department's parade of lights. Hampton Coffee Company provides the hot chocolate and the Chamber provides the cookies.

The two locations are a short walk apart on Main Street, so one day can include the first winter market in the morning and the ceremony in the evening. In 2025, the lighting was paired with the Stroll on the night before. In 2026, it shares the day with the market's opening Saturday.

The Chamber's dated listing describes a single hour on the Green. It does not mention a pet parade, a street closure or an after-party for 2026. It lists the lightings, Santa with the parade of lights, and the hot chocolate and cookies.

Thursday, December 3: The Stroll Moves to a Weeknight

Five days after the lighting, the Holiday Stroll returns to Main Street from 6 to 9 p.m. In 2024 and 2025 it was on a Friday. This year it is on a Thursday.

The WHBPAC event page describes an evening of shopping, food and holiday cocktails from local businesses, with live music from East End Entertainment and caroling by WHBPAC Arts Academy students. Visitors pick up a punch card and get it marked at each participating store to enter a holiday raffle, and no purchase is required. Ten percent of all proceeds go to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. Merchants sign up to take part through a link on the same page, so the list of participating shops is still growing.

The Stroll's route has varied a little. Dan's Papers' account of the 2024 Stroll placed it on Main Street and Sunset Avenue. The 2026 listing names Main Street. The box office at 631-288-1500 or [email protected] can answer route questions.

With the tree already lit, the Stroll happens under the season's lights instead of before them, which was the order in each of the last two Decembers.

The Menorah, and Hanukkah's Dates This Year

The November 28 ceremony lights both the tree and the menorah. According to Hebcal, Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, the evening after the Stroll, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. For anyone planning family evenings around the holiday, those are the dates that count. The village ceremony is set for November 28.

December 12 and 13: The Nutcracker on Main Street

The last stage event of the stretch is indoors. Peconic Ballet Theatre performs The Nutcracker at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, 76 Main Street, on Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13. There are two shows each day, at noon and at 5 p.m. Tickets are sold through WHBPAC's events page.

The Saturday shows fall on the final day of Hanukkah, and the winter market is open at Saint Mark's that same morning. The Saturday markets go on for two more weeks after that, through December 26.

The 2026 Calendar in One Place

On November 5, Thanksgiving is three weeks away. The Chamber's calendar at westhamptonchamber.org and the Village's own announcements are the places to check if any date changes before then.

If you are hosting family at your Westhampton Beach home over Thanksgiving weekend, or opening a house that has been closed since fall, the team at Stoebe & Co. Real Estate can have it warm, stocked and ready before the Green lights up on November 28. Get on the VIP list, and we'll make sure the house is ready before you walk to the lighting.