Which day this season puts the miniature train, the ice carvers and the gingerbread table on the Morristown Green together? Sunday, December 20, the festival's last scheduled day, is the only one.
That says a lot about how the Christmas Festival at the Morristown Green is put together. Morristown Partnership runs it from Saturday, November 28 through Sunday, December 20, on weekends and three Fridays. Each day has its own lineup. Some days have the train and some don't, and the ice carving only happens on Sundays. The Santa House keeps one set of hours on Fridays and another on weekends. If you pick a day only because it's free on your calendar, you might arrive for the train on a day it isn't running.
Opening Night Is the Day Everyone Knows
Saturday, November 28 opens the season. Santa arrives on East Park Place at 5 p.m., helped by the Town of Morristown Fire Department, Morristown Police and town officials. The lighting of the Green follows, a tradition the Partnership says is more than 100 years old. The evening runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m., with programming that includes the Mayo Performing Arts Company, an ice-sculpting demonstration, and hot chocolate and cookies from Hyatt Regency Morristown. The Santa House opens at 5:45 for visits and photos until 8.
Across town, the Mayo Performing Arts Center has Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis that same day at 2 and 7:30 p.m. That means opening day can fill up. You could catch the matinee and walk to the Green for the 5 p.m. arrival, or watch Santa arrive and then head to the 7:30 show.
Sunday, November 29 is much smaller. The Santa House is open from 4 to 8 p.m., but the Activity Tent is closed and the train doesn't run. The Partnership lists it as a Santa-visits-only day, and it's also the rain date for Santa's arrival. That evening at 7, MPAC hosts a screening of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation followed by a live conversation with Chevy Chase.
Fridays Run on Their Own Schedule
On Fridays, December 4, 11 and 18, the festival works almost like a separate event. The Santa House is open from 3 to 8 p.m., and holiday arts and crafts run in the Activity Tent from 6 to 8. The miniature train doesn't run on any Friday.
This makes Fridays good for a short after-school or after-work Santa visit, a craft table and some lights, rather than a full afternoon. Each Friday also lines up with something at MPAC:
- Friday, December 4: Crafts end at 8 p.m., and Darlene Love: Love for the Holidays starts at MPAC at 8. Tickets are listed at $45 to $101.
- Friday, December 11: Opening night of New Jersey Ballet's The Nutcracker With New Jersey Symphony, at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, December 18: The Nutcracker again at 7:30 p.m.
Sponsor exhibitors on the Green include HQ Plaza on December 4 and BASF on December 11.
The Weekend Grid
From the first weekend of December on, Saturdays and Sundays follow a basic pattern. The Santa House is open noon to 7 p.m., the Activity Tent runs from 1 to 3 p.m., and the train runs outdoors in the afternoon. Within that pattern, each day has something a little different:
| Date | Activity Tent, 1 to 3 p.m. | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Dec 5 | Activity from Primrose Schools | Train, 2 to 6 p.m. |
| Sun, Dec 6 | Activity from Goryeb Children's Hospital and T.E.A.M. | Ice sculpting, 2 to 4 p.m.; train, 2 to 6 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Holiday arts and crafts | Train, 2 to 6 p.m. |
| Sun, Dec 13 | Macculloch Hall Historical Museum craft activity | Ice sculpting, 2 to 4 p.m.; train, 2 to 6 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 19 | Macculloch Hall Historical Museum craft activity | Merry Tuba Christmas, 3 to 4 p.m.; train, 4 to 6 p.m. |
| Sun, Dec 20 | Gingerbread house making, 1 to 3 and 4 to 7 p.m. | Ice sculpting, 2 to 4 p.m.; train, 2 to 6 p.m. |
The ice carvers only come out on Sundays, and only from 2 to 4 p.m. The one exception is the demonstration on opening night. On December 19, the train starts two hours later than usual because Merry Tuba Christmas takes the 3 p.m. hour. A family planning to arrive at 2 for the train that Saturday will have an hour of tubas first.
Each Weekend Adds Something Different
December 5 and 6 are the first full weekends of activities, with tent programs from local organizations. Primrose Schools hosts the Saturday activity, and Goryeb Children's Hospital and The Education Association of Morris host Sunday's.
December 12 and 13 bring the festival together with other events downtown. The Nutcracker has 1 and 6 p.m. shows at MPAC both days. On Sunday, Macculloch Hall Historical Museum runs a craft table on the Green. The museum's calendar also lists a Tour With the Curator: The Politics of Thomas Nast Christmas that day, along with its Home for the Holidays program.
December 19 and 20 close out the festival. Merry Tuba Christmas and a second Macculloch Hall craft session are on Saturday. Sunday has the gingerbread house making, which fills both tent sessions, plus the last ice carving and train rides.
Macculloch Hall's calendar lists Home for the Holidays on December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20. Those are the same six weekend days the Green has full programming. Every full festival weekend day has a museum holiday program on the calendar too.
The Nutcracker Shows Bracket the Festival Hours
The Nutcracker runs on the festival's last two weekends, and its schedule fits neatly around the Green's hours. The 1 p.m. matinees begin an hour after the Santa House opens at noon. The 6 p.m. shows start an hour before it closes at 7. On December 12, 13, 19 or 20, you can visit Santa and the train before the 6 p.m. curtain, or come out of the matinee while the train is still running. Tickets are listed at $45 to $101.
MPAC is at 100 South Street. MPAC's visitor page lists the Ann and Bank Street Garage among nearby municipal lots, about half a mile from the theater. The festival page says parking in the Ann-Bank Garage is free, courtesy of the Morristown Parking Authority, on Saturdays and Sundays in December. That window doesn't include opening weekend in November or the three Fridays.
What to Know Before You Walk Over
The festival page answers the usual questions, and a few of the answers are worth knowing before you go:
- No tickets. Santa visits, the tent activities, the train and the ice-sculpting demonstrations are all free and first-come, first-served. Staff direct people to lines and open seats.
- Photos cost $15. A visit with Santa is free. Personal photos and video aren't allowed unless you buy the photo.
- Pets can visit Santa. The Partnership welcomes well-behaved animals but asks owners to keep pets home if they don't do well in crowds.
- The lines are outside. All queuing is outdoors, and bad weather can delay or cancel activities. Updates are posted on the festival page and the Partnership's social media.
- The Santa House is the help desk. Lost and found, lost persons and general questions are handled at the Santa House in the center of the Green.
The Partnership says activities and entertainment are added on a rolling basis, so check the schedule again before you head over.
Holiday traditions on the Green are part of why Morristown means so much to the families we work with, and we enjoy keeping track of them as much as the market. If this season has you wondering what your home might be worth before the new year, The Tucker Team can put together a clear, no-pressure valuation for you. Get Your Home Valuation, then enjoy the lights.
