Great Falls' Holiday ArtFest Moved Up to November, So the Season Now Starts All at Once

Last December, Great Falls Studios held its Holiday ArtFest on Dec. 13 and 14, split between the Grange and Artists on the Green, according to Patch's 2025 event listing. This year it runs Nov. 21 and 22, three weeks earlier on the calendar, at a new venue: Millen Hall at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 9220 Georgetown Pike.

That one move changes how the season fits together. The ArtFest now falls on the same Saturday as the Great Falls Grange Foundation's Merry Market, and both sit on the same road. The rest of the local calendar has its own cluster around the first weekend of December. So for 2026, Great Falls' holiday season comes in two dense weekends with a quieter, mostly ticketed December after them.

Saturday, Nov. 21 puts three markets on one morning

Two days after publication day, three separate things are happening in the village on the same Saturday morning.

The Merry Market is the bigger family event of the three. More than 30 vendors sell holiday gifts inside the Grange, while the Schoolhouse holds local Great Falls artists, including Begona Morton. Santa is in the Schoolhouse from 1 to 3 p.m., caroling runs from 2 to 3 p.m., and local youth run a bake sale and crafts. The Great Falls Citizens Association also lists the market and caroling on its community calendar.

The Holiday ArtFest is a smaller, artist-run show that continues into Sunday. Great Falls Studios lists 15 participating artists for 2026: Eloisa Raynault, Tatiana Gubenko, Will Tuthill, Laura Nichols, Mehrnaz Moussavi, Jenny Glennon, Evadna Moskowitz, Michelle Weaver, Ronni Jolles, Nancy Ross, Elizabeth Bertholon, Stacie Loftus, Michael Long, Linda Jones and Sandy Buffie. Admission is free, with no cover and no parking fee. Sunday, Nov. 22, has no Merry Market alongside it, so the ArtFest has that day to itself.

Then there is the weekly farmers market on Walker Road, which stays open through the winter. Its vendor roster includes Bagel Joy, Cold Country Salmon, Diaz Berries & Veggies, Liberty Hill Farm, Oliver's Corner Butcher Shop and Our Mom Eugenia. With all three on one morning, you can pick up the week's groceries on Walker Road and then do your gift shopping on Georgetown Pike.

Thanksgiving week runs through the Schoolhouse

The Grange starts its season before the Merry Market. Publication day, Thursday, Nov. 19, is its Deck the Halls volunteer session. From 3 to 6 p.m., anyone can help decorate the Grange and the Schoolhouse. No experience is needed, and snacks and drinks are provided. The garlands Merry Market shoppers see on Saturday will have gone up two days earlier.

Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year, and the Saturday after belongs to the Schoolhouse again. Breakfast Bites with Santa runs Saturday, Nov. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon, with crafts, hot chocolate and treats. The Grange calls it an annual tradition, and no sign-up is required. The farmers market keeps its regular 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday hours on Walker Road, so the same morning works for both.

For something outdoors over the long weekend, Riverbend Park holds a Family Fun Friday on Nov. 27 from noon to 5 p.m.

Dec. 4 to 6 is the second crowded stretch

With the ArtFest gone from mid-December, the next cluster comes over the first weekend of the month. In order:

1. Friday, Dec. 4. Arts of Great Falls at 756-C Walker Road holds its First Friday Kids Fine Art Club from 4:45 to 6 p.m., followed by First Friday Art Night Out from 6 to 8 p.m. Great Falls Studios says Art Night Out runs the first Friday of each month from April to December, which makes this the last one of the year. Receptions are held at the Artists' Atelier and Arts of Great Falls Gallery, Artists on the Green at 776B Walker Road, and Broadway Galleries at 1025-J Seneca Road. Riverbend also has a Family Fun Friday that day from noon to 5 p.m.
2. Saturday, Dec. 5. The day starts early at Riverbend with a Winter Bird Walk from 8 to 9 a.m., then "To Build a Fire" from 11 a.m. to noon. Back in the village, the Grange's Toys for Tots drive runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Historic Schoolhouse.
3. Sunday, Dec. 6. Riverbend offers "Penguins and Polar Bears" from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and "Naturally Crafted" from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Then comes the free community tree lighting, the Celebrate Great Falls Foundation's Celebration of Lights, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Great Falls Village Field behind the post office.

Timing matters at Celebration of Lights. Pony rides, the petting zoo, sponsor treats, letters to Santa and performances by local school musical groups run from 4 to 5:45 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by fire truck to light the tree from 5 to 5:10 p.m., and visits with Santa follow until 6 p.m. sharp. At 5:45 p.m. the pony rides and petting zoo close and the Live Nativity begins. Families with young children who want both the pony rides and Santa should arrive close to 4 p.m. If the weather turns, the foundation will still light the tree, but the activities will not be rescheduled.

After the tree lighting, December turns ticketed

Once the tree is lit, the calendar gets quieter, and most of what's left requires a ticket or a reservation. That is the trade the ArtFest move created. In 2025, Dec. 13 and 14 belonged to the free ArtFest weekend. In 2026, the main event that weekend is the Great Falls Philharmonic's "A Great Falls Christmas" on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 4 p.m. at the Great Falls Grange. Tickets are $60. Two featured singers join the Philharmonic string quartet and jazz combo for carols and holiday favorites, with beer, wine, light snacks and Christmas cookies served.

The last Grange event before Christmas is the Sugarplum Tea on Monday, Dec. 21, at 11:30 a.m. in the Historic Schoolhouse. It includes tea, scones, tea sandwiches, seasonal sweets, a holiday craft and Christmas music. One adult, one child aged 2 to 12, and one craft activity cost $60, and each additional child is $25. The Grange notes that spaces are limited and asks guests to sign up. With school out and visiting family in town, that Monday slot may fill before the date gets close.

Riverbend's final Family Fun Friday of the year is Dec. 18, from noon to 5 p.m.

For a sit-down meal between events, Great Falls Lodge Bar & Grill at 9835 Georgetown Pike is on the same stretch of road as the Grange. FFXnow reported in early September that it was aiming for a soft launch after a delay, which makes this its first holiday season. Its website lists daily hours of 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekend brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

When visiting family wants the river

Great Falls Park keeps winter rules worth knowing before a holiday visit. A few details from the National Park Service:

• Hours: Outdoor areas are open daily from 7 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset. The visitor center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both are closed Dec. 25. Short December days mean an afternoon visit needs an early start.
• Fees: The fee page lists $20 for a private vehicle and $10 per person on foot or bicycle. The park does not accept cash.
• Parking: The entrance can close temporarily when the lots fill and reopens as spaces free up.
• Climbing: The Aid Box climbing area has been closed until further notice since a rock topple on March 17, 2026. The closure covers only that climbing area.

Riverbend Park, at 8700 Potomac Hills Street, is the quieter option. The county's latest facility-update list shows no closures there. The Dec. 5 Winter Bird Walk is a good fit for guests who would rather walk a trail than shop.

Whether you plan to keep calling Great Falls home or are thinking about what next spring could bring, Elizabeth Sachero-Perez follows this community up close, from market weekends on Georgetown Pike to what's selling near the village. If the holidays have you wondering what your home is worth, request a free home valuation or schedule a consultation, in English or Spanish, at a time that works around your December calendar.