"One single celebration on July 4 was completely inadequate to wholly represent how Lewes should celebrate the wonders of our community and its history." Mary Alice "Mak" Kelly said that in the Lewes Chamber of Commerce's parade announcement. She chairs the Lewes 250 Committee, and the parade committee selected her as honorary grand marshal of the 94th Lewes Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 5.
Her committee started meeting in the winter of 2025. It worked with community groups, businesses and the Greater Lewes Foundation to plan a full year of 2026 activities about the legacy of the American Revolution. The Christmas Weekend comes late in that year, and it moves around town. Thursday happens on Second Street. Friday moves to the Historic Lewes campus on Shipcarpenter Street. Saturday starts in the morning on Savannah Road and ends after dark where the parade route finishes, near Zwaanendael Park. Before any of it, the parade's entry deadline comes up next week.
Entries Close November 20, the Same Night as Shanty Night
The parade still takes entries. The Chamber's registration deadline is Friday, November 20, and you can register by calling 302-645-8073. Prizes cover a long list of categories: Marching Group, Band, Clown, Equestrian, Decorated Classic Car for vintage 1967 or older, Decorated Vehicle for anything newer, Fire Company, Commercial Float, Community Organization Float and Youth Organization Float. Jim Smith of the Lewes Chamber board and Mike DiPaolo of the Delaware Community Foundation return as co-announcers.
The Lewes 250 calendar is busy on the deadline weekend too:
- Friday, November 20, 5–6 p.m.: "Enemies, Foreign and Domestic," a fireside chat at the Officers' Club in Cape Henlopen State Park. Living historians from the Zwaanendael and Fort Miles museums compare the command roles of Delaware's Loyalist officers in the Revolution with National Guard officers in World War II. Space is limited. Pre-register at 302-644-5007. The chat is free, but park entrance fees apply.
- Friday, November 20, evening: Shanty Night at the Sussex Tavern, 110 Shipcarpenter Street. It is a free monthly sea-shanty night held every third Friday, and drinks are extra.
- Saturday, November 21, 10–11 a.m.: A second session of the Officers' Club fireside chat, with the same pre-registration and park-fee rules.
- Saturday, November 21, 2–3 p.m.: Coastal Concerts brings marimba player Ji Su Jung and violinist Timothy Chooi to Bethel Fellowship Hall, 129 West 4th Street. The concert is part of the series' 2026–2027 season, and tickets are at coastalconcerts.org.
The Historic Lewes Farmers Market's fall market keeps running Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon in the Lewes Elementary School parking lot at 820 Savannah Road, including November 14, 21 and 28. That address matters again on parade day.
Thursday, December 3: Second Street Closes at 3
The weekend starts with the Lewes Merchants' 39th annual Hospitality Night, 5 to 8 p.m. across the historic commercial district. Second Street closes to cars from 3 to 8 p.m. that Thursday, so plan any downtown errands or dinner reservations around the two hours before the shops open their doors. Santa makes a short visit to his Lewes house at the corner of Second and Bank Streets that evening. The Chamber's calendar describes the night as evening shopping with live music.
The Zwaanendael Museum, at 102 Kings Highway, runs its own Hospitality Night during the same hours. The Sussex Gardeners decorate the building, and the evening includes extended hours, historical interpreters, demonstrations, crafts and seasonal refreshments. Thursday is the one night of the weekend when both the shops and the museum stay open late, a few blocks apart.
Friday, December 4: Shipcarpenter Street Takes Over
On Friday the activity moves to the Historic Lewes campus. December's First Friday Community Night runs 4 to 7 p.m. and is free. The Lewes 250 listing describes colonial-inspired drinks at the Sussex Tavern, a stop at the Lewistown Coffee-house, the Historic Lewes Antique Shop, live music, tours and storytelling. The Chamber's calendar also lists children's games.
The Historic Lewes Holiday Market opens the same day on the campus at 110 Shipcarpenter Street. The calendar says the artisans are vetted, and you shop with the Sussex Tavern open and outdoor fires going. Friday evening is the time to shop it before Saturday's crowds arrive for the house tour.
Saturday, December 5: It Starts on Savannah Road
Saturday has the most going on. The first event and the parade's starting point are both on Savannah Road, and the day works its way toward Zwaanendael Park between them.
| Time | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m.–noon | Historic Lewes Farmers Market | Lewes Elementary lot, 820 Savannah Road |
| 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Chamber visitor center open | Lewes Chamber |
| 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. | Historic Lewes Holiday House Tour, ticketed | Private homes decorated for the season |
| 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Zwaanendael Museum holiday décor | 102 Kings Highway |
| During the day | Holiday Market and Greens Sale at the Barn | Historic Lewes campus, 110 Shipcarpenter Street |
| During the day | Zwaanendael Women's Club Holiday Raffle and Bake Sale | Lewes Historical Society campus |
| 5 p.m. | 94th Old Fashioned Christmas Parade | Savannah Road at Sussex Drive |
The house tour is the main daytime event. Historic Lewes sells tickets, and the tour runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through private homes decorated for the season. Details and tickets are on the Historic Lewes event page, or call 302-645-7670. The Zwaanendael Museum opens its holiday décor alongside the tour, and the Holiday Market continues on the campus with the Greens Sale at the Barn. Raffle and bake sale details are at GFWCZwaanendael.org.
By 5 p.m. everything has moved back to Savannah Road. The Chamber's event listing gives the route:
- Step-off at Savannah Road and Sussex Drive.
- Along Savannah Road to Second Street.
- Left onto Second Street.
- Along Second Street to Market Street.
This year's theme is "Celebrating an Old-Fashioned Christmas in Lewes." The City of Lewes and the Lewes Chamber of Commerce present the parade, and the rain or snow date is Sunday, December 6, also at 5 p.m. The Chamber calls the parade the culmination of the town's early-December celebrations.
After the Last Float Passes the Reviewing Stand
The tree lighting has no set start time. Mayor Amy Marasco lights the Christmas tree in Zwaanendael Park shortly after the last parade entry passes the judges' reviewing stand in the park. Candlelight caroling follows, led by Christy Taylor with some of her music students. If you are going for the tree lighting, watching the parade from near the reviewing stand puts you in place when the last float goes by.
The ceremony has another Lewes 250 tie. Marasco, as "The Hon. Amy L. Marasco," is on the Lewes 250 organizing committee with Trina Brown-Hicks, Ron Collins, Ray Daminger, Susan Hyde, Andrew Lyter, Michael J. Rawl, Betsy Reamer, Stephanie Ripper and Terri Smith. The Chamber says naming Kelly grand marshal also honors that whole committee. So the committee's chair leads the parade, and one of its members lights the tree at the end of it.
The Year Keeps Going Past the Parade
The parade ends the weekend, but Kelly's committee planned a full year, and the Lewes 250 calendar has events on the schedule after it.
- Thursday, December 10, 5–6 p.m.: Historic Lewes Speaker Series at the Lewes History Museum, 101 Adams Avenue.
- Friday, December 11, 3–5 p.m., and Saturday, December 12, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.: The Friends of Lewes Public Library Old & New Holiday Book Sale at the library, 111 Adams Avenue.
- Friday, December 18: The year's last Shanty Night at the Sussex Tavern, falling on the month's third Friday as usual.
- Thursday, December 31, 5:30–7 p.m.: A free Family Anchor Drop at the Lightship Overfalls in Lewes Canalfront Park.
- Thursday, December 31, 11:30 p.m.–12:15 a.m.: A second free anchor drop at the Overfalls for the midnight crowd.
The two anchor drops on December 31 are the last listings on the Chamber's 2026 events calendar. The early one is for families, and the late one is for midnight.
At Nicholas Barrett Group, we follow the Lewes calendar as closely as the market, because the dates people plan around also shape when homes go on the market and when buyers come to look. If you live here and want to know what your home is worth before the new year, ask us for a free home valuation.
