This Saturday, Nov. 14, from 3 to 7 p.m., vendors, makers, musicians and food and drink stands set up on Depot Street next to Whistle Stop 301 at 301 Main St. for the last Twilight Market of 2026 in Old Town St. Peters. The series has run on the second Saturday of each month since April, it's free, and the City of St. Peters puts it on with Whistle Stop 301.
Once that market packs up, the two cities split. St. Charles starts its holiday season the day after Thanksgiving and runs it on historic Main Street on a schedule that repeats every week through Christmas Eve. St. Peters waits until December, holds its season at City Hall and the Rec-Plex, and puts the limited-spot events behind sign-up windows that open in November. If you live between the two, the St. Peters dates need your attention first.
St. Peters fits its December into a few dates
Most of St. Peters' holiday calendar falls between Dec. 3 and Dec. 18, and most of it is in one corner of town. The Tree Lighting Ceremony is Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1 St. Peters Centre Blvd. It's free and includes holiday lights, local performances and photos with Santa. This year's version is bigger. In an Oct. 21 city announcement, St. Peters said the evening will add a Holly-Day Market and a Gingerbread House Contest to the usual lights, live entertainment, Santa visits and community countdown.
Here's the full run of city holiday events from the St. Peters calendar and Rec-Plex registration pages:
| Date | Event | Where | Cost and sign-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Dec. 3, 5–8 p.m. | Police Tree Trimming | St. Peters Justice Center, 1020 Grand Teton Drive | Kids make ornaments, refreshments offered, no reservations needed |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 5:30–8:30 p.m. | Tree Lighting with Holly-Day Market and Gingerbread House Contest | City Hall and Cultural Arts Centre | Free to attend; contest entry $5 |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 2–4 p.m. | St. Charles County Symphony Orchestra holiday concert | Cultural Arts Centre, One St. Peters Centre Blvd. | $10 tickets through the orchestra |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 9–11 a.m. | Breakfast with Santa, ages 2 to 8 | Rec-Plex Food Court | $9 to $16 per person, registration required |
| Fri., Dec. 18, 7–9 p.m. | Holiday DJ Skate | Rec-Plex | Free for members, daily admission for the public, $3.50 skate rental |
Four of the five events are free, ticketed at the door, or need no reservation. The two that have a cap or an entry form open in November, a few weeks before the event itself.
The two St. Peters deadlines that come before December
Breakfast with Santa opens to the public today, Nov. 12, at 6 a.m. Rec-Plex members have been able to register since Nov. 9. Registration for residents and nonresidents who aren't members started this morning and runs through Dec. 5. The event is in what the Rec-Plex calls its "brand new" Food Court. Kids ages 2 to 8 get a continental breakfast, crafts and a photo with Santa. They can also decorate a donut and add marshmallows, chocolate chips or Oreos to their hot chocolate. Members pay $9 per adult and $14 per child. The public price is $11 and $16. Rec-Plex online registration has the details.
Gingerbread House Contest entries close Monday, Nov. 30, at 5 p.m. The theme is America 250, entry costs $5, and the contest is capped at 25 houses. Finished houses go to the Cultural Arts Centre on Dec. 4 between 3 and 5 p.m. They're on display during the tree lighting, and visitors vote with donation tickets that cost $1 each or six for $5. The proceeds go to Meals on Wheels. The contest form is on the city's website.
St. Charles runs Main Street on a weekly schedule
Saint Charles Christmas Traditions runs from Nov. 27 to Dec. 24, 2026, and its schedule repeats every week.
- Opening Day, Friday, Nov. 27: noon to 8:30 p.m.
- Fridays after that: 6 to 8:30 p.m.
- Saturdays: noon to 8:30 p.m.
- Sundays: noon to 5 p.m.
- Wednesdays: "A Christmas Carol" Stroll, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
- Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Wednesday Stroll falls on Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 23 this year. It turns Main Street into Dickens' London, with scenes from the story, six chapter cards to collect and some extra character encounters along the way. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays aren't on the festival schedule, except for the short Christmas Eve session.
The festival is a big one. Its official page says it marked its 50th season in 2024, the year NBC's Today Show called it the "Merriest Main Street in America," and that it now draws about a quarter of a million people to the historic district each season.
The festival is put on by the Greater Saint Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau. Its Legends of Christmas characters include the Nutcracker Prince, the Mouse King, Jacob Marley, Ebenezer Scrooge, Jack Frost, Susie Snowflake, Saint Nicholas, Frontier Santa, Judah Maccabee and La Befana, and each one hands out trading cards. You'll also find roasted chestnuts, Victorian carolers, the "Oh Christmas Tree: The Evolution of an Icon" exhibit and a Holiday Food Hall of Fame. The Gingerbread Village on the attractions list has the same America 250 theme St. Peters picked for its contest.
Parking on historic Main Street and in the nearby lots is free, and the visitors bureau recommends the PARKSTC app for finding a space.
Santa's hours at the KATY Depot
In St. Charles, Santa sets up in the Historic KATY Train Depot in Frontier Park, which opened in 1893. Inside you'll find his workshop, a mailroom and a Reindeer Hall of Fame. The Photos with Santa page lists these hours:
- Opening Day and Saturdays: 12:45 to 7:45 p.m., with breaks from 3 to 3:20 p.m. and 5:30 to 5:50 p.m.
- Sundays: 12:45 to 4 p.m., with a break from 2:30 to 3 p.m.
- Christmas Eve: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The depot door closes about 30 minutes before each closing time so everyone in line gets a visit before Santa leaves. Photo packages run from $30 for two 5x7 prints to $65 for two 5x7 prints plus all the digital images. Santa doesn't hold hours at the depot on Fridays after opening day, so plan a weekend afternoon if photos are the goal.
The calmest time at the depot is Sunday morning, Dec. 13, from 10 to 11:15 a.m. That's the free Sensory-Friendly Experience. A few of the festival's characters set up along the depot deck, and the exhibits inside have adjusted lighting and sound, including the tree exhibit, the Reindeer Hall of Fame, the Elf Workshop, the Mail Room and Santa's Parlor. No sign-up is needed.
The weekends where the two calendars overlap
Four December days carry events in both cities:
- Friday, Dec. 4. The St. Peters tree lighting runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Friday night on Main Street runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. They happen at the same time.
- Saturday, Dec. 5. The symphony concert at the Cultural Arts Centre ends at 4 p.m., and Main Street stays open until 8:30 p.m., so you can do both.
- Saturday, Dec. 12. Breakfast with Santa at the Rec-Plex ends at 11 a.m., an hour before Christmas Traditions opens at noon.
- Sunday, Dec. 13. The sensory-friendly morning at the KATY Depot ends at 11:15 a.m., and the regular festival opens that afternoon at noon.
Christmas Eve is short on both sides. St. Peters City Hall, the Cultural Arts Centre, the Municipal Court and the Police Records Division close Dec. 24 and 25. The Rec-Plex closes at 2 p.m. on Dec. 24 and stays closed Christmas Day. Main Street's final session runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that same morning.
Whether your December is built around the Breakfast with Santa sign-up or a Saturday on Main Street, the Chris & Kait Real Estate Team is always happy to talk about St. Charles and St. Peters. If you're wondering what your home might sell for once the decorations come down, start with an instant home valuation and we'll take it from there.
