Excelsior's Holiday Season Now Opens the Day After Thanksgiving, on Water Street

In 2025, the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Chamber of Commerce ran its holiday campaign, Celebrating the Season, from Saturday, December 6 through December 27. It started with a tree lighting, carolers and Santa on the first weekend of December. This year the Chamber's campaign starts November 28, Small Business Saturday. That is also the second day of the Excelsior Lions Club's Christmas in Excelsior, which takes over Water Street on Friday and Saturday, November 27 and 28.

So the town's two holiday programs now start on the same weekend. The festival runs on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, and the shop-local Saturdays follow it, one a week until the week before Christmas. The calendar below runs in that order, starting Friday, November 27.

The Weekend That Got Added

Christmas in Excelsior is new. The Lions Club held the first one on November 28 and 29, 2025. WCCO's coverage of that first Saturday counted about 40 vendors on Water Street alongside the regular shops. The station quoted Lions Club president Jimm Flattum on why the club organized it:

"Keeping shopping local is super important to help the businesses thrive, to keep the economy alive, to keep the city alive."

WCCO also talked with Tana Denarvaez, who has run Ooh La La Boutique since 1997. She said a purchase from a local shop means "we're feeding a small family, versus a big corporation," and that many of the vendors her store buys from make their goods by hand. Sharon Dahlstrom, owner of Fleurish, told the station, "We just love the store." In the same report, WCCO cited Civic Economics figures: of every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $68 stays in the community, compared with $43 at a national chain.

At the end of that piece, the Lions said the event would come back and that they hoped to grow it in 2026. The second year again falls on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Lions Club's October 6 announcement says admission is free and that 100% of net proceeds will go to local charities.

Friday and Saturday, Hour by Hour

The festival takes up Water Street between Lake Street and Third Street, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Most of it runs all day, but three things have set times, and they shape how the day goes.

The carriage rides end at 3 and the fire dancer goes on at 5, so a family that rides early and stays late has a two-hour gap. The rest of the street fills it. The Lions list a holiday market of handmade goods from local artisans, live reindeer, llamas and huskies, strolling carolers, and food and warm drinks from vendors and nearby restaurants. The event site adds Santa's Workshop, Frosty's Funland, games for adults, photo spots, and set time windows for face painting, hair tinsel and a Disney Princess appearance.

Each day has its own music lineup. Some performers play both days, so check the day before planning around one act.

• Friday, November 27: Julie Tuck, Ali Soul Shine, Anna Quady, Neville White, Lexi Chicoine and Mazarine
• Saturday, November 28: Julie Tuck, Jake and Josie, Ali Soul Shine, River City Rovers, Tory Schaefer, Declan and Katya, and Avery Rainey

The festival's schedule page lists set times for each performer and each animal visit. The festival is outdoors all day, and its own FAQ tells guests to dress for the weather because "Minnesota can be extreme!"

Parking Without Circling the Village

Excelsior is about a square mile, so on a busy Saturday the parking choice matters more than usual. The event FAQ names three options:

• The ramp between Second and Third Streets, which is free during the event
• The lot behind the brewery, which is also free
• Street parking across the village, where some spaces are paid and some are not

The ramp is a block from the festival's Third Street end. Anyone who lives within walking distance of Water Street can skip parking entirely.

The Saturday Where Both Calendars Meet

On November 28, the festival's second day, the Chamber's season begins too. The Chamber's Celebrating the Season page calls the campaign its annual shop-local effort to get people shopping and dining locally through the holidays. Participating businesses will have copies of the Holiday Gift Guide starting on Small Business Saturday.

That makes November 28 the busiest day on Water Street's calendar. The artisan market and the regular storefronts are open at the same time, and the gift guide is out in the shops. Santa is at the Masonic Lodge until 6. For anyone planning one trip downtown for the whole holiday stretch, this is the day with the most going on.

Last year the city also scheduled a Holiday Tree Lighting at Veterans Memorial Park for the festival's Saturday, November 29, 2025, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The program included Minnetonka High School Chamber singers and Santa. The City of Excelsior's calendar lists the city's own events.

A Tuesday and Three More Saturdays

After the festival weekend, the season moves into the shops. The Chamber has a theme for each week through December 19:

1. Tuesday, December 1, Giving Tuesday. A day to donate or volunteer with local nonprofits and charities.
2. Saturday, December 5, Stocking Stuffer Saturday. The gift guide highlights local finds under $20, and Santa photos return to the Masonic Lodge from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
3. Saturday, December 12, Gift Guide Saturday. Shop at any Chamber member business, then upload a photo of the receipt for a chance to win Community Cash. Santa is back at the Lodge, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
4. Saturday, December 19, Deck the Halls Downtown. Participating storefronts are decorated, and the Chamber posts a Google Map of businesses and gift guide locations.

The Community Cash drawing has its own rules. Receipts must be from Chamber member businesses and dated in December. The Chamber will award eight $25 Community Cash gift cards. That means purchases on festival weekend in late November won't count, but every December Saturday on the list will.

For families, this changes the Santa photos. Last year the Chamber's season put Santa on the first December weekend. This year Santa is at 249 Water Street on four days: November 27 and 28 from 10 to 6, then December 5 and 12 from 10 to 4. A family that misses the crowded festival weekend has two quieter Saturdays in December at the same Lodge.

One Earlier Date on the Chamber Calendar

Before any of this, the Chamber's event calendar lists a ribbon cutting on November 19 for StrongForme Pilates, marking its new space in Excelsior. It isn't a holiday event, but the Chamber's calendar is where these openings get announced. Our earlier look at what this summer's restaurant openings on Water Street are up against covered another set of new businesses heading into their first quiet season.

From Thanksgiving weekend to December 19, Excelsior has an event or a themed shopping day almost every Saturday. Each one is based on the same few blocks of Water Street, the Masonic Lodge at number 249, and the ramp between Second and Third.

We at Ulrich Real Estate Group would be glad to see you on Water Street this season. For more on the town beyond the holidays, our Excelsior neighborhood page covers the shoreline, the shops, and the village year-round.