2026 Dayton Holiday Festival Grande Illumination
The Grande Illumination Dayton Holiday Festival traditional tree lighting and Dayton Children's Parade Spectacular in Lights - December 4
Dayton Holiday Festival * New Date for 2026 **
Celebrating its 54th year, the Dayton Holiday Festival is your source for family-friendly holiday fun in downtown Dayton
Started by Mrs. Virginia Kettering in 1972 so that all children could enjoy the holiday season regardless of their economic means, the festival continues today with free attractions for the community. As has been the tradition for more than fifty years, the holidays will begin downtown with the Dayton Holiday Festival’s Grande Illumination tree lighting event. In recent years, The Grande Illumination has been held on the day after Thanksgiving. This year, however, the event will move one week later and take place on Friday, December 4, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Activities at the Dayton Holiday Festival
The Grande Illumination tree-lighting ceremony – FREE –6.30pm. Watch the holidays light up during Dayton’s traditional tree lighting. When we throw the switch, approximately 50,000 lights will brighten the two-story-tall tree on Courthouse Square!
The festival’s footprint has been simplified a bit to include Courthouse Square and – new for 2026 – The Dayton Arcade as the hub of holiday activity in the center of downtown Dayton. The parade that formerly made its way down Main Street following the tree lighting will be replaced this year with a wide variety of holiday fun inside The Arcade, including children’s crafts and activities, performers, a display of entries and winners from the Gingerbread House Contest, a photo booth, live holiday music, unique shopping and dining in The North Arcade, holiday pop-ups, and other festive family fun.
Other holiday activities will be available elsewhere downtown, including the Rike’s department store holiday windows in the Schuster Center wintergarden, ice skating at RiverScape MetroPark, and all the shopping, dining, art, and other First Friday fun throughout the city.
Don't forget to visit the Rike’s Holiday Windows – FREE – Located inside the Schuster Center Wintergarden, experience a reimagining of the Rike’s department store holiday window displays that once stood at this busy downtown corner. Also, Virginia Ketterings Holiday Train Display – FREE – View this one-of-a-kind model train display given to the community by Mrs. Virginia Kettering.
In keeping with the mission of the festival’s founder, Mrs. Virginia Kettering, most Grande Illumination activities will be free of charge.
Photos: Holiday Festival - downtown Dayton
Downtown Dayton Partnership.
