Cary's Holiday Lights Come On From the Edges In This Year, and Downtown Goes Last

The newest display at this year's NC Chinese Lantern Festival floats on Symphony Lake at Koka Booth Amphitheatre. It is 164 feet long, and the festival says it has to be installed by crane with a 15-person crew. According to the festival, more than 50 Chinese artisans and performers arrive in North Carolina in late October, and setting up the festival takes 15 days. It takes 45 tractor-trailers to deliver the materials for this year's 40-plus lantern groupings.

The lake display is one of five places that light up this season, and they come on in a set order. Cary's light season moves inward from the edges. Fenton goes first, then Waverly Place and Koka Booth. Downtown Cary Park, the Town's own center, lights its tree last. Downtown still uses November, but for preparation: registrations, workshops and handmade lanterns for a parade that won't happen until January. Once you know the order, you can plan your evenings around it.

The order the lights come on

Here is the November and December sequence, taken from each venue's 2026 listing.

Fenton has the biggest head start. Skate the Square opens Nov. 6, and Fenton's season page lists Feb. 7, 2027, as the last day. The rink's ticketing page shows Feb. 8. Single tickets are $18 plus tax and fees, and a season pass is $90 plus tax and fees. The rink's ticketing page lists hours of 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Fenton notes that hours can vary by day, so check before you go. The weekday 3 p.m. opening puts after-school skating within reach, and the rink is also a good reason to try Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café at 1 Fenton Main St., Suite 190. Western Wake NC reported that it opened the week of Sept. 1, with daily hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Across the way, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant has announced a Nov. 9 opening at 1131 Parkside Main St.

Fenton then lights its tree on Nov. 21. Light the Square runs from 3 to 7 p.m. with a holiday market, kids' activities and skating, and a live stage show starts at 6 p.m. Visit Raleigh's event listing shows it as free. The night before, Waverly Place holds its tree lighting from 5 to 9 p.m., with The Embers featuring Craig Woolard, free photos with Santa and crafts for children.

Nov. 21 is the one night that needs a plan

The Lantern Festival opens the same evening as Light the Square, and the two schedules overlap. Gates for the festival's Twilight Session open at 4:30 p.m., and the festival suggests arriving by 5:30 p.m. Twilight tickets come with early entry and smaller crowds, and only a limited number are sold for each date. Evening Session gates open at 6 p.m., with last arrival at 9 p.m. Prices go up for tickets bought on the day of the event.

That leaves two options. You can catch the first half of Light the Square at Fenton, then drive to 8003 Regency Parkway for a 6 p.m. entry. Or you can pick one for opening night and save the other for later. Skating at Fenton runs into February. The festival runs through Jan. 10, 2027, and is open nightly from 6 to 10 p.m., except Christmas Day.

For festival nights after the opening, a few details matter. The festival offers discounts for military, seniors 55 and older and college students, but only Sunday through Thursday nights. Dec. 1 is a Sensory-Friendly Night with quieter music, fewer guests, no strobe or flashing lights and a designated Quiet Area. The Lantern Street Cafe has a new menu inspired by Asian night markets, with Char Siu Pork Rice Bowl, Silk Road Miso Ramen, a Dragon Fire Chicken Sandwich on a sweet donut bun and Spiked Hot Chocolate. The venue is cashless. Allowed bags include ones 6 by 8 inches or smaller, clear bags up to 12 by 12 by 9 inches, and medical, parenting and camera bags.

The festival is produced by Tianyu Arts & Culture in cooperation with the Town of Cary. Tianyu also runs lantern festivals in cities from Houston to Boston. This is Cary's eleventh year hosting it.

Downtown spends November getting ready

While Fenton and Waverly Place light their trees, downtown is still preparing for its own season. That work is open to anyone who wants to take part, and most of it happens on fixed dates.

• Nov. 4, 8 a.m.: Registration opens for the 15th annual Gifting Tree Project. The Town's October BUD newsletter says spots are limited and go first-come, first-served. On the Gifting Tree page, a tree costs community groups and nonprofits $50 for Cary residents or $65 for nonresidents, and businesses $100 or $130.
• Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Floral Lantern Forms, one of the two new GLOW workshops this year, meets at Bond Park Community Center. It is open to ages 10 and up, children under 12 need an adult with them, and the cost is $15 for residents or $20 for nonresidents.
• Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: The sixth annual Taste of China Food & Culture Festival takes over Downtown Cary Park. It is free.
• Nov. 8: The second new workshop, Rattan Flower Lantern, meets at Cary Arts Center in two sessions, 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. It is for ages 8 and up, at the same $15 and $20 prices.
• Nov. 16 to Dec. 6: The Santa Mailbox on Academy Plaza in Downtown Cary Park takes letters to Santa.

The GLOW workshops are led by teaching artist Gowri Savoor. Each participant builds a lantern from sustainable materials, sized to carry in the Town's community lantern parade. Savoor has worked as a teaching artist for more than 20 years and co-founded A River of Light. To sign up, search "Lantern Workshops" in the Town's RecTrac system. You'll need a RecTrac account first.

These dates show how downtown builds its season. A lantern made at Bond Park on Nov. 7 waits ten weeks before it goes out at night. A Gifting Tree claimed on Nov. 4 doesn't go on display until December. Downtown's November is mostly lead time.

Then downtown takes over

On Nov. 25, holiday decorations and lights come on along downtown streets, storefronts and public spaces, and they stay up through Jan. 4, 2027. The Town's Tree Lighting Celebration follows on Dec. 5. Programming runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Downtown Cary Park, and the official ceremony is at 6 p.m. on Frantz Square Lawn. Admission is free. The Gifting Trees go up the same day along S. Academy Street and inside the park. They stay on display through Dec. 27, and voting runs Dec. 5 through Dec. 20.

Downtown's last light event comes after the Lantern Festival has closed. The sixth annual community lantern parade, where the November workshop lanterns finally go out, is Saturday, Jan. 16, 2027. Participants gather on Frantz Square Lawn at 6 p.m. Performers include the Bulltown Strutters, One Tribe Rhythms, Caroleena's Circle of Joy, Asheville Puppet Creatures, Colorful Waves and The Awesomettes, and food trucks will be on site. The parade is free. Pets, fire and candle-lit lanterns are not allowed. That's six days after the Lantern Festival at Koka Booth closes on Jan. 10.

If you're going downtown this season, note that Downtown Cary Park's event pages list the Skywalk as closed for repairs until further notice.

Fitting the rest of November around the lights

A few other dated evenings fit between these. The Old North State Storytelling Festival is at The Cary Theater on Nov. 6 and 7, the same weekend Skate the Square opens. The Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra plays Cary Arts Center on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Marvelous Music series. The ACC Men's and Women's Soccer Championships hold semifinals at WakeMed Soccer Park on Nov. 12 and finals on Nov. 15.

The first half of November centers on Fenton's rink and downtown's workshops. The third week brings the tree lightings at Waverly Place and Fenton and the Lantern Festival opening on Nov. 21. Downtown's lights come on just before Thanksgiving, its tree lights on Dec. 5, and its handmade lanterns wait until Jan. 16.

At The Sheri Hagerty Group, we keep up with Cary's calendar as closely as its market. If this season has you wondering what your home is worth, whether you're near Fenton, Waverly Place or downtown, we'd be glad to prepare a free home valuation.