Summit's Holiday Season Runs on the Parking Calendar: Miracle on Elm Street, the Arboretum Open House and the Final Farmers Market Sundays
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
Nearly every big date on Summit's 2026 holiday calendar falls on a day when the downtown meters are partly or fully off. Thanksgiving weekend, the first Sunday in December, the Saturday-and-Sunday pair before Christmas and Christmas Day itself all line up with exceptions in the city's parking ordinance. The other dates sit at the arboretum or the Transfer Station, away from the downtown meters.
Summit's traffic code says the single-space and multi-space meters run every day except Sundays and a list of holidays. That list includes Thanksgiving Day, the Friday and Saturday right after it, and Christmas Day. It also includes a December stretch that applies only to some meters, covered below. Set that list beside the city and arboretum event calendars and you have a rough plan for the season.
The City of Summit's calendar marks November 26, 27 and 28, 2026 as all-day parking holidays. Each of those days has its own event.
Thursday, Nov. 26. The city's September newsletter lists Thanksgiving at the Community Center for that day.
Friday, Nov. 27. The same newsletter lists Miracle on Elm Street & Holiday Tree Lighting for the day after Thanksgiving. The 2026 schedule hasn't been posted yet, so last year's version is the best guide to how the afternoon works. In 2025 it ran from 1:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Elm Street parking lot and the Village Green at 356 Broad Street. It was free and had ice skating with free skates in half-hour sessions, bonfires, hot drinks, cookie decorating, music on a stage and activities for children. At 5 p.m. the Fire Department escorted Santa in for the tree lighting with Mayor Fagan, and photos came afterward. The city's newsletter says to check summitdowntown.org in the coming months for downtown holiday details. Check there before you plan around a specific time.
Saturday, Nov. 28. Summit Downtown's HillTop Elf Scavenger Hunt starts that day and runs through Jan. 5, 2027. Elves will be hidden in about 100 downtown businesses, and a completed form enters you in a gift-card drawing. The hunt opens on the last of the three parking-holiday days, so a family can start their elf form without watching the meter.
Sunday, Nov. 29. Meters are off because it's a Sunday, and the Summit Farmers Market is open at Park & Shop Lot #1, at the corner of Woodland and DeForest avenues, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. That adds up to four days in a row of downtown parking without meter fees.
Next comes the first Sunday in December, which has three events on the same day.
The Reeves-Reed Arboretum Holiday Open House runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is open to all ages. Admission is $10 for members and nonmembers alike, and children under 12 get in free. The arboretum's listing includes:
Cookies, Cocoa & Photos with Santa takes place in the historic Wisner House and needs advance registration. It costs $35 per pose for members and $40 for nonmembers. Each booking is a 30-minute slot that includes one pose, digital photos arrive in two to three days, and registration is nonrefundable. The listing also says a Santa photo session includes free entry to the open house grounds.
At 2 p.m. that same afternoon, the Summit Symphony performs at Summit High School. The program is Montgomery, Shostakovich and Brahms. It's a regular concert program rather than a holiday show, and it's on the same afternoon as the open house. The open house goes until 4, so you could see Santa or the Festival of Trees in the late morning and still make the concert.
The Sunday farmers market is open that morning as well.
The ordinance lifts meter fees from the second Saturday in December through December 31, but only at 90-minute street meters. In 2026 the second Saturday is Dec. 12. For the rest of the month, a 90-minute space on the street costs nothing, while municipal lots and garages charge their usual rates except on Sundays and Christmas.
Christmas Day is a full parking holiday. The city's Dec. 25, 2026 entry says no fees are required for on-street parking or for municipal lots and garages, but short-term time limits still apply.
| Dates in 2026 | What the city's rules say about meters |
|---|---|
| Every Sunday | Meters are not in operation |
| Nov. 26, 27 and 28 | Full parking holidays |
| Dec. 12 through Dec. 31 | 90-minute street meters only are exempt |
| Dec. 25 | No fees on the street or in municipal lots and garages; short-term time limits still apply |
The ordinance also says the city may add parking holidays when City Hall closes and will post them on the city website and at the pay stations. The Summit traffic code and the city calendar have the official wording. This section is a general summary of those rules, not legal advice; for questions about a specific space or ticket, check with the city's Parking Services office.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, the Dec. 12 street-meter exemption is still in effect, and the Summit Chorale performs "Winter Holiday Concert: A Baroque Christmas" at Christ Church Summit at 7:30 p.m. According to the concert's Patch calendar listing, tickets are $25 plus fees in advance and $30 at the door, and student tickets are $15 at the door.
The next morning, Sunday, Dec. 20, is the last day of the Summit Farmers Market's 2026 season. It's open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Park & Shop Lot 1, DeForest and Woodland avenues. The market opened April 19, so that Sunday ends a run of about eight months. The weekend's two biggest holiday events fall back to back, one on a night when the street meters are free and one on a Sunday when no meters run.
Most of the dates that don't fall on a holiday or a Sunday are away from the downtown meters, at the arboretum or the Transfer Station.
Thursday, Nov. 19. Arboretum After Hours: Friendsgiving, for adults 21 and over, runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Reeves-Reed. Pricing and registration are on the arboretum's events page.
Friday, Dec. 4. The adult Holiday Wreath Workshop runs from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and costs $160 for members and $175 for nonmembers. Registration goes through Polycarp Flowers. It's two days before the open house, so a wreath made here could be on your door by the time the Festival of Trees opens.
Tuesday, Dec. 15. The Holiday Botanicals Watercolor Workshop is for adults and teens 14 and up. It runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m., costs $125 and is booked through Dear Daughters Design.
Nov. 14, Nov. 20 and Dec. 12. The Summit Free Market is a city-run exchange of gently used items at the Transfer Station, 40 New Providence Avenue. Everything is free. The Nov. 14 session runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Nov. 20 session runs from noon to 2 p.m. You'll need a Summit resident parking/Transfer Station permit. Visits are limited to 60 minutes, and reselling what you take isn't allowed. No appointment is needed. You can drop off yard-sale-quality items, but unsorted boxes or bags aren't accepted. With holiday shopping and guests on the way, the Dec. 12 session is a chance to clear out the hall closet. The elf hunt is still running downtown that day, and it's the first day of free 90-minute street meters.
If you'd like a printed copy of these dates for the fridge, or want help fitting the parking holidays around your own December plans, I'm happy to help. Visit Jillian Nolan and click Let's Connect.
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