"A new way to bring together the traditions our community already loves." That's how the City of Midway describes Christmas on the Square, its new holiday program. It starts Saturday, November 28, 2026, with the traditional Christmas Tree Lighting on Town Square.
The tree lighting falls on the same Saturday after Thanksgiving it always has, but this year it anchors a full day. For several years it was an evening event. This year the city's listing starts the program at noon, and the town's first Swiss-style Christmas market fills the square from noon to 8 p.m. The town is putting more of its winter into Town Square at the same time the area's best-known ticketed winter attraction has yet to name a site or a season for its promised return.
Same Saturday, Longer Day
The tree lighting has always followed Thanksgiving, and the calendar shows how steady that pattern is.
| Year | Date | Listed start | What else was on the square |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Saturday, Nov. 25 | 6 p.m. | Tree lighting only |
| 2025 | Saturday, Nov. 29 | 6 p.m. | Tree lighting only |
| 2026 | Saturday, Nov. 28 | Noon | Christmas on the Square program plus the first Chlausmärt, noon to 8 p.m. |
Last year's evening was full. Heber Valley Tourism's holiday roundup listed holiday entertainment, cocoa and cookies, reindeer, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, candy and peanut bags, and fireworks, and it suggested skating at the Midway Ice Rink before the 6 p.m. start. That was the 2025 lineup. For 2026, the city says many familiar traditions will return alongside new additions, and that more details on events, activities and the schedule are "coming soon." The tree lighting time and the full activity list for this year have not been published.
The new part that is already settled is the market.
What the Chlausmärt Is Designed to Be
The city calls the Midway Chlausmärt a winter market "inspired by the traditional Christmas markets of Switzerland and Europe," built to complement Midway's Swiss heritage and the Christmas on the Square celebration. It runs outdoors on Town Square on Saturday, November 28, from noon to 8 p.m.
The vendor guidelines show what kind of market to expect. Midway City supplies the vendor tents so the stalls look consistent, and vendors must stay open for all eight hours in late-November weather. The city is looking for:
- Handmade ornaments, pottery, woodwork, candles, soaps and botanical products
- Jewelry, knit and felted winter textiles, and handmade toys
- European- or Swiss-inspired foods, baked goods, chocolates and roasted nuts
- Specialty jams, honey, cheeses, meats and pantry items
- Hot chocolate, cider, teas and other warm drinks
The city lists just as plainly what it will generally turn away: mass-produced resale goods, multi-level marketing businesses, franchise or service promotion booths, electronics, plastic novelties and flea-market merchandise. For displays, vendors are encouraged to use warm white lights, evergreen and pinecones, wood crates, and plaid, wool or linen.
"Because the Chlausmärt is intentionally small, space will be limited."
That line comes from the city's market page, and Midway City is choosing the vendors itself, based on product quality, handmade or local production, presentation and a balanced mix. Applications closed October 20. A small, curated market running through the afternoon gives the day something to do before dark, which the old 6 p.m. format didn't have.
The Rink Opens the Same Weekend
The other fixture on Town Square has its own season. According to the city's Town Square page, the full-size rink generally runs from Thanksgiving weekend through March 15, weather permitting. The rink is run by the Midway Ice Rink Committee, a volunteer group formed in fall 2017 that operates as part of Midway Boosters, the organization behind Swiss Days. The rink sits at 75 North 100 West.
Hours and admission for 2026–27 haven't been posted. The rink's own hours page is still headed "2025-26 NORMAL HOURS." If the usual Thanksgiving-weekend opening holds, the market, the tree and the rink would all start on the same square on the same weekend for the first time under one program name.
A Winter With No Ice Castles Announcement Yet
This matters more because of what's missing elsewhere in the valley. The Park Record reported on October 1, 2025 that Ice Castles would pause its Utah attraction that winter, citing unusually warm winters. In that report, CEO Kyle Standifird called it "a true pleasure to host our enchanting winter attraction at Soldier Hollow." The company said it would spend the next year developing a concept and planned to bring a "fresh, awe-inspiring experience back to Utah soon."
A year later, the Ice Castles website still says only "Locations announcement coming soon." The company has said it intends to return to Utah, but it hasn't confirmed a site or a season. Right now the holiday dates Midway can actually plan around are on the square downtown, and the city has made November 28 the biggest of them.
Soldier Hollow is already selling winter. Utah Olympic Legacy put 2026–27 winter tubing tickets on sale October 19, and the venue lists its Basecamp Café as open daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Five Weeks Between Now and the Tree
Midway's calendar from late October to November 28 already has a shape, and each date below has been published.
- Through October 31, Kohler Creamery Fall Festival. 920 River Road, open every October day except Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a hay maze, slides, bounce houses, a jump pad, corn pits, yard games and pumpkins.
- October 22–24 and 29–31, Haunted Hayrides. Also at Kohler Creamery, 7 to 11 p.m., with a tractor ride of about 20 minutes followed by a haunted maze.
- October 24, The Pumpkin Train. Runs 10 to 10:40 a.m., leaving from the Heber Valley Railroad at 450 S 6th W in Heber City.
- November, Guardsman Pass closes for winter. UDOT says seasonal routes, Guardsman Pass among them, typically close in November and stay closed through May or June, depending on weather. A storm on October 12 already closed the pass for a short time, TownLift reported.
- November 26, Thanksgiving at Homestead. A buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 700 Homestead Drive. Reservations are required, and listed prices are $105 per adult and $45 for ages 5 to 12, plus tax and a 20% gratuity.
- November 28, Christmas on the Square and the Chlausmärt. Town Square, with the market running noon to 8 p.m. and the tree lighting opening the season.
A full day on the square makes the evening the obvious time for dinner nearby. Harvest Midway, at 195 W Main St., stays open until 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. That's when it serves Schnitz & Giggles, the dinner menu FOX 13 covered in September, and its lower-level Tuck Shop is one of its newer additions. Up the hill, the 1886 Grill at Homestead lists daily hours. The Crater is open for soaking year-round, from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends, with reservations recommended. If the Crater is part of your winter routine, Homestead has posted that it will close for renovations in April and May 2027.
The city will post the rest of the Christmas on the Square schedule on its event page. For now, the fixed facts are a noon start, an eight-hour market and the tree lighting on November 28.
At Hudgens | Harrison Real Estate Team, we follow the dates that set the pace of life in Midway, from the first Chlausmärt to the weekend the rink opens. If you're weighing a move to the Heber Valley, or wondering how a season like this fits a home you already own, schedule a concierge consultation and we'll go through it with you.
