Which Park City holiday event comes first on the 2026 calendar? It's a tree auction at Pendry Park City in Canyons Village on Friday, November 20. From that night until mid-December, most of the holiday calendar runs through the Canyons side and a handful of nonprofit-run markets. Each of those markets handles your money in its own way, and the differences say a lot about who organizes the season in this town.
Friday, November 20 opens twice at 6 p.m.
Two events open at the same hour on the same night, and they ask very different things of you.
At Pendry Park City, at 2417 W High Mountain Road, Habitat for Humanity of Summit & Wasatch Counties holds its Celebrating Home Event and Auction from 6 to 9 p.m. The evening is 21+ and requires an RSVP. Guests bid on decorated trees, menorahs, wreaths and other festive pieces that local decorators either build on-site at the Pendry or deliver finished. Visit Park City places the Pendry in the heart of Canyons Village, with valet parking and public transit within walking distance.
Across town at the same hour, the Arts Council of Park City & Summit County throws the launch party for the CREATE PC Holiday Makers Market at 1500 Kearns Blvd., Space F110, also from 6 to 9 p.m.
You don't actually have to pick one, because each event has a second chance built in:
- The Habitat show has a free daytime encore. On Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Pendry opens the trees to the community before they leave for their new homes. Santa is there from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- CREATE PC keeps going for ten weeks. After launch night, the market is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m., through January 31, 2027. In its November guide, Visit Park City says the market features goods from more than 50 local artists.
So a household that wants the auction can spend Friday at the Pendry and get to Kearns on any later Wednesday through Sunday. A household with children can do the reverse: launch night at CREATE PC on Friday, then Santa and the trees at the Pendry on Saturday morning.
This year's CREATE PC launch is one day earlier on the calendar and one hour later in the evening than last year's. The 2025 kickoff was Friday, November 21, from 5 to 8 p.m., according to TownLift.
The day after Thanksgiving, the Canyons Village Forum lights its tree
Thanksgiving falls on November 26. The next evening, Friday, November 27, Park City Mountain holds the 10th Annual Canyons Village Tree Lighting in the Canyons Village Forum. The program is tightly timed:
- 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Live music from the ArtSound Players, souvenir Park City Mountain ornaments and Orange Bubble Bites while supplies last
- 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Ice carving demonstration by Iceworks
- 4:00 to 5:45 p.m. Photos with Santa
- 5:59 p.m. The Canyons Village Holiday Tree lights up
- 6:00 p.m. Fireworks
Pay attention to the 5:30 and 5:45 cutoffs. The carving demo and the Santa line both close before the countdown, so families who want those need to arrive near the start. The ornaments and Orange Bubble Bites are limited too.
Last year, TownLift described the event as the ninth annual and as free. It ran on Friday, November 28. The 2026 listing doesn't state an admission price. If you're hosting family that weekend, our earlier notes on how parking at Canyons Village works this winter and which kitchens reopen first on the Canyons side apply to the same evening.
That puts both of Park City's first big holiday gatherings of 2026 in Canyons Village, one week apart. The markets that follow add another layer, because they don't all run on the same terms.
Where the money from each purchase goes
Each of the four early events sells local work, and each one's published terms send the money somewhere different.
| Event | Organizer | What's for sale | How the money moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Tree Show, Nov. 20–21 | Habitat for Humanity of Summit & Wasatch Counties | Decorated trees, menorahs, wreaths, festive items at auction | The organizer says funds help build homes for local families |
| CREATE PC Holiday Makers Market, Nov. 20–Jan. 31 | Arts Council of Park City & Summit County | Jewelry, pottery, pastel paintings and other handmade goods | Artists paid a $75 to $150 fee plus a 17.75% sales-processing fee for 2026 |
| Wild Winter Art Market, Dec. 5 | Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter | Nature-connected art, ceramics, fiber, glass, photography, woodwork, jewelry, candles | No booth or application fee; vendors are asked to consider donating 5–10% of sales to Swaner |
| Silly Holiday Bazaar, Dec. 11–13 | Park Silly Sunday Market | Juried vendor goods | Vendors staff their own booths and make their own sales |
At the Pendry, the purchase itself is the donation. At CREATE PC, the Arts Council runs a storefront for local makers. The 2025 call required Summit County residency and routed 15% of sales to the Arts Council for market and program costs, TownLift reported. Last year's market included makers such as AD Allegretti Art, Anna Nizhoni, Cabin Candle Co. and Crooked Shed Woodworks. At Swaner, artists keep their sales and are invited to give some back. At the Silly Bazaar, sellers deal with buyers directly, and Park Silly identifies itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Swaner moves its market into daylight
The Wild Winter Art Market runs Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Swaner EcoCenter, 1258 Center Drive. Last year it was an evening event from 5 to 8 p.m., the Park Record reported.
The new hours give shoppers a full Saturday, and the market can fit into a morning outing. It is also the smallest room of the season. Swaner plans for about 20 local artists in booths of roughly 4 by 6 feet, and a selection committee chooses vendors based on fit with Swaner's mission and on variety of medium, style and price point. Swaner's schedule called for artists to be notified on November 1, and the 2026 names have not been published. For reference, 23 artists were selected in 2025, mostly from around Park City and Salt Lake City. Their work ranged from stained glass and textiles to prints and ornaments, and one exhibitor was Nature Tapestries by Hiking Boots Creations.
Swaner lists free parking nearby. The closest lot has a two-hour limit, and other lots and garages are a 2- to 6-minute walk away. Park City bus routes and the Salt Lake–Park City bus also serve the EcoCenter.
The Silly Bazaar changes venues, and its Friday night is crowded
The Silly Holiday Bazaar moves indoors to Sheraton Park City, 1895 Sidewinder Drive. Hours are Friday, December 11, from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, December 12 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry and parking are both free. Last year's bazaar was at DoubleTree Yarrow with 80 vendors, many of them from Park City, Heber and the Wasatch Back, Kamas and the East Side, according to KPCW. Its tables held pottery, jewelry, photography, baked goods and chocolates. Vendors for 2026 will be notified on November 10.
Friday the 11th is also opening night for the Egyptian Theatre's Park City Holiday Sing-A-Long Spectacular. The show runs December 11 to 13 and December 17 to 20, with evening shows and Saturday matinees. Tickets cost $30 to $60 depending on seat and showtime, and $5 more at the door. If you want both on the same weekend, the bazaar's Saturday and Sunday daytime hours fit around a Saturday matinee. The Egyptian Theatre also hosts A Christmas Story: The Musical, presented by the Ziegfeld Theater, over Thanksgiving week, November 24 to 29.
The 2026 calendar, in order
- Fri., Nov. 20, 6–9 p.m. Habitat Celebrating Home auction at Pendry Park City, 21+ with RSVP; CREATE PC launch party at 1500 Kearns Blvd.
- Sat., Nov. 21, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Free Holiday Tree Show open house at the Pendry, with Santa from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Nov. 24–29 A Christmas Story: The Musical at the Egyptian Theatre
- Fri., Nov. 27, 4–6 p.m. Canyons Village Tree Lighting, with lights at 5:59 p.m. and fireworks at 6 p.m.
- Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Wild Winter Art Market at Swaner EcoCenter
- Dec. 11–13 Silly Holiday Bazaar at Sheraton Park City; Sing-A-Long Spectacular opens and returns Dec. 17–20
- Through Jan. 31, 2027 CREATE PC, Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
If guests are coming in for the tree lighting weekend and want to see The Colony while they're in town, The Colony Sales Team can plan a visit around the evening at Canyons Village. Schedule a Private Tour, and we'll fit it into your holiday calendar.
