Last November 29, the Sun Sailor's photographers caught snow falling on a packed Water Street. Shoppers crowded the market booths, sled dogs waited for visitors, a horse-drawn carriage worked the block, and two reindeer named Freya and Tilly were on hand. It was the first Christmas in Excelsior. The Excelsior Lions Club had started planning it only that July.
The second edition runs Friday and Saturday, November 27 and 28, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Water Street between Lake Street and Third Street. It is free. It is also now the main event of Excelsior's holiday season, a role Christkindlsmarkt filled for about 20 years before it moved to Waconia.
How a 20-year market left, and why the date moved
For about two decades, Excelsior's big holiday draw was Christkindlsmarkt, an open-air German Christmas market. It had choirs, a visit from Saint Nicholas, live reindeer and alpacas, wagon rides, food trucks and visiting vendors. In 2025 it moved west. The Sun Sailor reported that the Waconia City Council approved a special use permit on June 2 of that year. The market went to Waconia's City Square Park for two weekends in December. Organizer Myrle Mackenzie told the paper that weather had cut the previous year's market to a single weekend, with about 12,000 people attending. She said the Waconia park offered more space.
The Excelsior Lions Club had supported Christkindlsmarkt. Once the move was announced, the club started planning a replacement in July 2025. "We wanted to help continue the holiday tradition, so we created Christmas in Excelsior as a brand new event and that will be an Excelsior Lions Club signature event that will be an annual thing," club president James Flattum told the Sun Sailor.
The Lions also chose a different date. Christkindlsmarkt's 2025 run in Waconia was on December weekends. The Lions put their event on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. As a result, Water Street's biggest crowd of the season now arrives at the very start of it. That timing affects everything else on the calendar, which is covered below.
What year two looks like, hour by hour
The schedule posted on the Christmas in Excelsior website is more structured than the first year's lineup. The animals and rides have set windows, and those windows differ. A family that arrives at 3 p.m. will miss the reindeer completely. The same animal hours apply both days. Organizers can still change the lineup before the weekend.
| Attraction | Hours, Friday and Saturday |
|---|---|
| Red Stable Reindeer | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Disney Princess | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Silent Run Adventures Huskies | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Carlson's Lovable Llamas | Noon to 4 p.m. |
| Brand Valley Shires carriage rides | Noon to 3 p.m. |
| Face painting and hair tinsel | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Fire dancer | 5 p.m. |
| Artisan Marketplace, Santa, Santa's Workshop, Frosty's Funland, adult games | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
Every animal is out at the same time only between noon and 2 p.m. That is also when the carriage rides are running. Santa's Workshop is the indoor kids' area. Frosty's Funland has the outdoor games. Adults get Hammerschlagen and giant Jenga.
The live music tent has a different lineup each day. Julie Tuck opens both mornings at 10 with Christmas carols. Friday continues with Ali Soul Shine, Anna Quady on baritone ukulele, Neville White on electric guitar and Lexi Chicoine. Mazarine closes Friday at 5 p.m. with Christmas rock. Saturday has Jake and Josie, Ali Soul Shine, River City Rovers playing Irish Christmas music, Tory Schaefer with ukulele reggae, and Declan and Katya. Avery Rainey closes Saturday at 5 p.m. with Christmas classics. Roving carolers work the street from open to close both days.
For food, the vendor page lists trucks including Northeast Pretzels, Hopper's Mini Donuts, Papa Drew's, Amazing Momo, D&D Goodies and Mike's Kettle Corn. Organizers will sell Fireball hot toddies and spiced cider. They also say several Water Street restaurants plan event specials.
The logistics that decide how the day goes
The event's FAQ answers most of the questions that come up once you are already downtown:
- Parking. The ramp between Second and Third Streets and the lot behind the brewery are free. Street parking throughout the village is a mix of paid and unpaid spaces.
- Restaurants. Organizers recommend booking ahead if you plan to eat inside on Water Street, because restaurants will be extremely busy.
- Dogs. Organizers ask people to leave dogs at home, since the huskies and other animals can get excited when dogs walk past.
- Strollers and mobility. Strollers, wheelchairs and walkers can get through, but snow can be a problem. Organizers suggest limiting stroller use if possible.
- Restrooms. Porta-potties are on Second Street, east of Water Street.
The event is produced by the Excelsior Lions. Chad Babcock of State Farm is the presenting sponsor. All net proceeds go to local charities. The club has served Excelsior since 2016. One of its regular projects is a monthly community meal at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church.
What the rest of the season looks like after the big weekend
With the biggest crowd now on Thanksgiving weekend, the rest of downtown's season is spread across smaller December Saturdays. The Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Chamber of Commerce lists its Celebrating the Season 2026 series as Saturdays from December 5 through December 19. Here is the order things fall in:
- Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28. Christmas in Excelsior on Water Street, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Chamber also kicks off its season with Small Business Saturday on the 28th.
- The first weekend of December. The Chamber's 2026 description places the tree lighting, carolers and Santa visits on this weekend. That is a change from 2025. Last year the city held the tree lighting on Saturday, November 29, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, with the Minnetonka High School Chamber singers and a visit from Santa. That put it on the same day as the market. The city's event calendar is the place to check for the 2026 time.
- December 12 and December 19. The remaining Celebrating the Season Saturdays, with shop-local promotions running through December.
If the tree lighting does land on December 5 as the Chamber describes, Excelsior's season gets two separate kickoffs a week apart instead of one crowded Saturday. The market weekend is for shopping and the animals. The following weekend is for the tree and the choir.
One new indoor stop before the season starts
Water Street also has a new indoor venue going into its first holiday season. Excelsior Social, at 304 Water Street, one block from Lake Minnetonka, offers food, drinks, private event space and a private golf simulator. The Chamber lists its ribbon cutting for Thursday, October 29, from 2:30 to 3 p.m., and the public is invited. For anyone who has spent a cold November afternoon on Water Street, an indoor place to sit down one block from the market is useful to know about.
The holiday weekends also show how a small lake town behaves once the boats come out of the water. Every season, I watch how Water Street's foot traffic and calendar shape the way buyers see Excelsior. If you would like to know how that timing affects your own plans for next year, start by asking Steve Pemberton, What's My Home Worth?
