Mount Dora's 2026 holiday season comes to a head on two Saturdays, two weeks apart. Light Up Mount Dora opens the season on November 21, five days before Thanksgiving. Then on December 5, the Lions Club parade, a Renninger's holiday market and the lighted boat parade on Lake Dora all happen between 9 a.m. and evening. Each of those Saturdays also overlaps a big weekend at Renninger's on US 441. Plan the season as those two full days and the rest of the calendar slots in around them.
Below are the dates confirmed so far, in order.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Light Up Mount Dora | Downtown parks | Free |
| Fri.–Sun., Nov. 20–22 | Renninger's Antique Extravaganza | 20651 US Hwy 441 | See Renninger's |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Christmas Walk | Sunset Park and downtown | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Mount Dora Christmas Parade | Donnelly Street | Free |
| Sat.–Sun., Dec. 5–6 | Christmas at the Market at Renninger's | 20651 US Hwy 441 | Free admission |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Lighted Boat Christmas Parade | Lake Dora shoreline | Free to watch |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Children's Christmas Snow in the Park | Elizabeth Evans Park | Free |
| Sat.–Sun., Dec. 19–20 | Mount Dora Half Marathon & 5K Weekend | Mount Dora | Registration |
November 21 is opening night now
Light Up Mount Dora used to be held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Mount Dora Buzz reported in 2024 that the City had moved it to an earlier Saturday in November, and that year's event was on November 23. This year it's back before the holiday. The City of Mount Dora calendar lists it for Saturday, November 21, 2026, as a free downtown event.
The City runs the event. According to the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce, the lights come on in three parks at once: Elizabeth Evans Park, Sunset Park and Donnelly Park. The evening also includes a drone show, photos with Santa, entertainment, food vendors and fireworks.
Check the start time before you go. The Chamber lists a 5 p.m. start. A separate City calendar entry says 5:30 p.m. The City is the organizer, so if you're trying to get a spot by a particular park before the lights come on, its listing is the one to go by.
The same weekend, out on US 441
Light Up falls in the middle of a Renninger's weekend. The Chamber lists Renninger's Antique Extravaganza for November 20 through 22, 2026, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Vintage Antique Center at 20651 US Highway 441. Renninger's holds the Extravaganza three times a year, and the Chamber describes it as one of the largest gatherings of antique dealers in the South, with more than 1,500 dealers.
So on Saturday the 21st, the antique show wraps up at 5 p.m. on 441 just as Light Up gets started downtown. If you're hosting guests who want both, that gives you a natural order: the show field during the day, then downtown for dinner and the lights. If you only want one of them, it helps to know the other is happening across town the same day.
Thanksgiving weekend is quieter in Mount Dora
With Light Up moved earlier, Mount Dora's own calendar shows nothing big on Thanksgiving weekend. No downtown market was found for November 27 through 29. Life in Lake's 2026 calendar puts Light Up Eustis on Saturday, November 28. If family arrives for Thanksgiving and wants to see lights come on, Eustis is the one that weekend. Mount Dora's displays will already have been up for a week by then.
Friday, December 4: downtown stays open late
The second peak starts Friday night. The Chamber's 34th Annual Christmas Walk runs 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, December 4, at Sunset Park and through downtown, with free admission. The Chamber calls it a family-friendly street party, with music, street performers, food and toy vendors, and free photos with Santa by the Christmas tree. Downtown shops stay open until 9 p.m. Life in Lake's listing adds jugglers, carolers and a petting zoo.
For holiday shopping, this is the one evening on the calendar when downtown storefronts stay open three hours past dark with a street party going on outside.
Saturday, December 5, hour by hour
Saturday is the busiest day of the season. Here's how it lays out:
- 9 a.m. Christmas at the Market opens at Renninger's Mount Dora, with antiques, vintage pieces and handmade crafts. It runs until 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, with free admission and parking.
- 10 a.m. The Mount Dora Christmas Parade starts on Donnelly Street. The City calendar lists the location as Donnelly Park, 530 N. Donnelly Street. The Mount Dora Lions Club organizes it, and the Chamber describes floats, bands, dancers, candy and Santa.
- 5:30 p.m. Boats in the Lighted Boat Christmas Parade are judged on Lake Beauclair.
- Around 6 p.m. The boats follow the committee boat into Lake Dora and along the Mount Dora shoreline.
- 6:30 p.m. This is the start time the Chamber lists for viewing at Grantham Point and the Mount Dora Lighthouse, at Tremain Street and Liberty Avenue.
Nearby towns are busy that day too. Life in Lake's calendar puts the Tavares Christmas Parade & Celebration on December 5 as well.
With the parade in the morning and the boats after dark, Saturday has a long gap in the middle. Renninger's covers the daylight hours. If you have family in town, you can do the morning parade downtown, drive out to the market on 441 in the afternoon, and come back to the waterfront by sunset.
Watching the boats from shore
Rusty Anchor organizes the lighted boat parade. Its schedule matters more than the posted start time. Because judging happens on Lake Beauclair before the boats come into Lake Dora, Rusty Anchor warns that the parade may not reach every viewing spot right at 6:30 p.m. and recommends getting to the shoreline early.
Life in Lake names two popular public viewing spots, Grantham Point near the lighthouse and Elizabeth Evans Park. Elizabeth Evans Park is also one of the three parks lit since Light Up, so the boats pass by a park that's been decorated for two weeks.
Local boat owners who'd like to be in the parade instead of watching it can enter for $25 through Rusty Anchor. Registering online adds a small processing fee.
Downtown streets may look different this year
Drivers who haven't been downtown since summer may find some changes. In an August 19, 2026 notice, the City scheduled one-way conversions for three blocks:
- Alexander Street, southbound, from 5th Avenue to 4th Avenue
- Baker Street, southbound, from 5th Avenue to 3rd Avenue
- Tremain Street, northbound, from 3rd Avenue to 5th Avenue
The City gave the reasons as better traffic circulation, better emergency access and more parking. It expected all three to be finished in September, with each street reopening in its new direction as its work was done. Tremain Street matters on boat-parade night, since the Chamber's listed viewing spot is at Tremain and Liberty Avenue.
Parking, shuttle and closure details for this year's events haven't been announced yet. The City keeps an Event Parking page and a Road Closures page, and both are worth checking the week of each event.
After December 5
The calendar stays busy after the big weekend. Children's Christmas Snow in the Park takes over Elizabeth Evans Park, 100 N. Donnelly Street, on Saturday, December 12, from 3 to 9 p.m. It's free and has sledding on three levels of hills, with tubes provided, plus Santa photos and entertainment. Donating a toy for local charities gets you a Fast Pass for the sledding. Pets and glass containers aren't allowed. The Mount Dora Half Marathon & 5K Weekend follows on December 19 and 20.
If you're hosting family for Light Up or the boat parade and they start asking what Mount Dora is like the rest of the year, Scott McFadden is glad to share a local's view, from downtown's holiday weekends to everyday life in Lakes of Mount Dora a short drive away. Let's Connect.
