The lights come on at 5 p.m. tonight at 2 Cactus Garden Drive. It is the 33rd year of the Holiday Cactus Garden Lights at Ethel M Chocolates. Admission is $3 a person, and children under 2 and guests 65 and older get in free. No reservation is needed. The garden stays open nightly through January 3.
The city's WinterFest tree lighting and drone show on Water Street get most of the attention. They fall on December 3 and 4, four weeks after tonight, and they last two evenings. Most of what the 2026 holidays offer near MacDonald Highlands comes in the weeks around that weekend, in places that charge a few dollars or nothing and run on weeknights.
Fifty-nine nights at Ethel M
Count the nights on Ethel M's posted 2026 schedule and you get 59. The garden closes only on Christmas Day. The hours change a few times across that run:
- Opening night, Nov. 5: 5 to 10 p.m.
- Nov. 6 through Dec. 23: 5 to 10 p.m.
- Christmas Eve: 5 to 8 p.m.
- Christmas Day: closed
- Dec. 26 through Dec. 30: 5 to 10 p.m.
- New Year's Eve and New Year's Day: 5 to 8 p.m.
- Jan. 2 and 3: 5 to 10 p.m.
Ethel M describes a garden strung with a million lights and its own hot chocolate to carry while you walk. Part of the $3 entry fee goes to Help of Southern Nevada and Three Square Food Bank, and you can pay it with cash or a card.
Santa has a shorter run than the lights. He is on site daily from 5 p.m. until an hour before closing, through Wednesday, December 23. The line closes at 9 p.m. sharp, and Ethel M says plainly that he will not be there after 12/23/26. Families who want a set time can buy a $40 Santa Express Pass for a reserved slot between Nov. 6 and Dec. 23. It covers up to six people, and children under 2 and guests over 65 do not count toward that limit. Passes are sold in advance through FareHarbor. You can take your own photos with Santa. Cashman Photography also sells framed 8-by-6 prints on site: $35 for one, $50 for two, and $20 for each one after that, tax included.
The garden stays open through Christmas week and the days after, but the Santa visits end on December 23, the day before Christmas Eve. A family that wants the photo has to plan it before that date.
November moves to The District
A week after Ethel M opens, the season reaches The District at Green Valley Ranch.
On November 12, the Light the World Giving Machines return to The District near Pottery Barn and stay until January 1, 2027. They work like vending machines. You choose a donation, such as groceries for a family, warm clothing for a child or job training, and the machine records the gift. The District says Southern Nevadans gave nearly $600,000 in goods and services through the machines in 2024. The machines are there for seven weeks, so you can make a stop on any errand run, with no event night to plan around.
The District's Annual Tree Lighting is Saturday, November 21, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Main Street. The listing promises snowfall, a meet-and-greet with the Snow Prince, Snow Princess and Snow Angels, live holiday music, sweet treats and local artisans at Market in the Alley. Santa arrives at the end to light the tree. RSVPs go through Eventbrite, and the page lists no ticket price.
So Henderson's first public tree lighting of 2026 happens at Green Valley Ranch, almost two weeks before the city lights its tree downtown.
Thanksgiving at Hank's
Five days after the tree lighting, Hank's Fine Steaks & Martinis at Green Valley Ranch serves Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, November 26, from 1 to 9 p.m. The holiday menu is short:
| Course | Dish | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Butternut squash bisque with king crab and apple chip | $22 |
| Salad | Roasted beet salad with candied walnuts and blood orange | $20 |
| Main | Diestel roasted turkey breast, green bean casserole, truffle stuffing, potato puree, giblet gravy, red wine cranberry sauce | $65 |
| Dessert | Pumpkin torte with brown butter ice cream and butterscotch sauce | $15 |
All four courses come to $122 a person before tax and tip. The $65 turkey plate on its own covers what most people mean by Thanksgiving dinner. Reservations are taken at 702.617.7777. A 1 p.m. start leaves time for an evening at Ethel M afterward, which is open until 10 p.m. that night.
Two nights on Water Street
The city's turn comes in December. WinterFest is presented by Nevada State Bank, and Henderson calls it the biggest holiday event in Southern Nevada. Both nights are free:
- Thursday, December 3, 5 to 7:30 p.m. The tree lighting and drone show at Water Street Plaza, with music from The Swingles and local chorus groups, plus food vendors.
- Friday, December 4, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Electric Light Parade, which runs along Water Street with glowing floats and lit costumes.
The city's page says the full schedule and performer details are still to come. It also says the schedule can change or be canceled without notice. Henderson's Holiday Happenings page, which covers the city's smaller programs at places like the Bird Viewing Preserve, still says more 2026 events are coming and to check back. The two Water Street nights are the city dates on the calendar so far.
December goes back to Main Street
Once the floats are put away, the season returns to The District for three more dated events:
- Thursday, December 10, 5 to 7 p.m.: The Toys for Tots Fill the Truck Campaign, near Williams Sonoma and Bath and Body Works. It has live music, Santa photos, the UNLV Rebel Hockey team and members of the Marine Corps. Bring a new, unwrapped toy and you get $5 off a UNLV Rebel Hockey ticket.
- Saturday, December 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Market in the Alley.
- Saturday, December 19, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Makers Hive Market on Main Street. It is a free public market with photo ops, children's crafts, local eateries and small businesses.
The Toys for Tots night also opens a second Santa window. Ethel M's Santa stays through December 23, and the Fill the Truck evening adds Santa photos on December 10 with a toy drive attached. The two markets give you two Saturdays to shop local makers, and both fall before Christmas week.
The season on one page
Put in date order, the 2026 calendar near MacDonald Highlands looks like this:
| Date | Where | What | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 5 to Jan. 3 | Ethel M, 2 Cactus Garden Drive | Holiday Cactus Garden Lights, closed Dec. 25 | $3, free under 2 and 65+ |
| Nov. 12 to Jan. 1 | The District, near Pottery Barn | Light the World Giving Machines | Your donation |
| Nov. 21 | The District, Main Street | Annual Tree Lighting, 5 to 8 p.m. | RSVP, no price listed |
| Nov. 26 | Hank's at Green Valley Ranch | Thanksgiving dinner, 1 to 9 p.m. | $65 turkey dinner |
| Dec. 3 | Water Street Plaza | WinterFest tree lighting and drone show | Free |
| Dec. 4 | Water Street | Electric Light Parade | Free |
| Dec. 10 | The District, Main Street | Toys for Tots Fill the Truck | No price listed; a new toy earns $5 off a Rebel Hockey ticket |
| Dec. 12 | The District | Market in the Alley | No price listed |
| Dec. 19 | The District, Main Street | The Makers Hive Market | Free |
| Dec. 23 | Ethel M | Last night for Santa visits | Photos from $35 |
The two free WinterFest nights sit in the middle of this list. The garden on Cactus Garden Drive opens first, outlasts every other entry and opens tonight.
If friends or family are coming to town for the holidays and you'd like ideas for where to take them near home, or you have questions about life in MacDonald Highlands, the team at Darin Marques Group is glad to help. Contact Us anytime.
