Newburgh's Holiday Season Gets Decided in November
When does Christmas start in downtown Newburgh? On the 2026 calendar from Historic Newburgh, Inc., it starts with a 9 a.m. race on the riverfront on Saturday, November 21. The last is a lighted parade after dark on Sunday, December 6.
All the events fall on those two weekends, and nearly every choice that decides how you spend them comes due before December. You register for the race ahead of time. Advance Holiday Tour tickets cost less and come with the property list. The parade takes only its first 60 entries. If you're reading this on the first Thursday of November, you have about two weeks to make the first of those calls.
Historic Newburgh, Inc. runs this whole season, and the Grinch ties it together. He shows up on the Fun Run course, has a pub crawl named after him, and poses for photos at the December festival next to Santa.
The first weekend, November 21 and 22, starts at the riverfront. The second weekend, December 5 and 6, spreads out across downtown, with stops at Preservation Hall, the Old Lock and Dam, a start point on West Main Street and a parade staging area on West Jennings Street. Taken together, the two weekends make one season. What you sign up for in the first half decides how much of the second half you can plan.
The Grinch Fun Run runs from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Downtown Newburgh Riverfront, 1 E Water St. Runners pick a timed 5K, a one-mile run/walk or a Kids Dash, all along the Ohio River. The town Grinch will be on the course "stirring up holiday mischief" and posing for photos. Organizers want everyone in costume, from Grinch green and Santa hats to ugly Christmas sweaters. Every participant gets a custom event t-shirt.
Since the shirt and the timing are tied to registration, sign up early. Historic Newburgh links its registration to a RunSignup race page. If you're coming to watch, Honey Moon Coffee has a riverfront shop at 20 W Water St and offers online ordering for pickup.
The next afternoon is the Grinchmas Pub Crawl, which also starts from 1 E Water St. This year it runs noon to 4 p.m. That's two hours earlier than recent years. The 2025 crawl ran 2 to 6 p.m. on November 23, and the 2024 crawl had the same 2 to 6 slot on November 24.
If you went last year, plan your Sunday around the earlier start. The event page still asks for "Whoville-iest" costumes. The 2026 page doesn't name this year's bars yet. In 2025, advance ticket holders could start at any of five places: Knob Hill Tavern, Haven's Bar, Cafe Arazu, Newburgh Tavern or Prime Sports. Treat that as last year's lineup, not this year's. The event page currently shows registration as closed, so check historicnewburgh.org for updates before you plan the afternoon.
The second weekend opens with the busiest single day of the season. Two separate events run back to back, with no gap between them.
| Time | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noon to 4 p.m. | Newburgh Celebrates Christmas | Downtown, with vendors in and around Preservation Hall | Free trolley rides, free Santa photos, free balloon inflatables |
| Noon to 4 p.m. | Gingerbread house contest | Old Lock and Dam | Part of the festival |
| 4 to 7 p.m. | Historic Newburgh, Inc. Holiday Tour | Starts at 23 W Main St | $20 in advance, $25 day of |
Newburgh Celebrates Christmas, presented by Bertram Chiropractic and Wellness, brings free trolley rides, photos with Santa Claus, Grinch sightings, food trucks, free balloon inflatables and vendors selling holiday goods in and around Preservation Hall. The gingerbread house contest is at the Old Lock and Dam.
At 4 p.m., just as the festival ends, the Holiday Tour begins. It's a ticketed walk through decorated homes and properties inside the Town of Newburgh limits, running until 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person in advance or $25 at the door, and you can pick them up at any property on the tour. The page lists 23 W Main St as the starting address. Advance buyers will get the full list of property addresses by email closer to the date. Buying early saves $5 per person and gets you the address list, so you can map your route through town before the tour starts at 4 p.m.
If your house is within town limits and would fit the tour, Historic Newburgh asks owners to call director Troy Wells at (812) 568-7079. Updates and maps are posted on the tour's Facebook event.
The handoff from the festival to the tour leaves little room for a sit-down meal unless you plan for one. Cafe Arazu, at 17 W Jennings St, is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, which covers the whole Saturday, before the festival and after the tour. The Tin Fish, at 707 State St in the historic downtown, is the other choice for a meal. For holiday shopping between the Preservation Hall vendors and the tour, JO+CO is at 10 W Jennings St, GirlFriends Boutique is at 300 W Jennings St, Suite 104, and Hooray Children's Shoppe is at 103 State St.
The season ends Sunday, December 6, with the fourth annual Newburgh Holiday Light Parade at 5 p.m., staged from 510 W Jennings St. It's free to watch and runs after dark through downtown. Historic Newburgh's one rule for entries is printed in bold on the event page:
"To help create the magical holiday atmosphere that makes the Newburgh Holiday Light Parade so special, all parade entries are required to be illuminated."
The page encourages Christmas lights, glowing decorations, lit displays, glow sticks and illuminated costumes. It also caps the parade at the first 60 entries, with sign-ups through an online form. A neighborhood group, youth team or local business that wants to be in the parade, not just watching it, is competing with everyone else for those 60 spots. Since every entry needs lights, the real work is wiring a float or wagon, and that's easier to start in November than on the first weekend of December.
The route map hasn't been released yet. One timing detail matters for Sunday dinner. Cafe Arazu's Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., so it closes two hours before the parade. A late brunch there works on parade day. Dinner downtown before the parade will take some other planning.
Here's the order the deadlines fall in, counting from a November 5 start:
Only the festival on December 5 needs no planning at all. Show up between noon and 4 p.m., and the trolley rides and Santa photos are free.
Thinking about running the Fun Run, entering a lit float or picking out your favorite house on the Holiday Tour? The team at Pinnacle Realty Group lives and works in this community, and we're happy to talk about the historic downtown streets where this season happens. Start your search with our local experts.
We pride ourselves in providing personalized solutions that bring our clients closer to their dream properties and enhance their long-term wealth. Contact us today to find out how we can be of assistance to you!