The Small Town Christmas Market at the Plaza, Oakdale's newest holiday event, lands on Saturday, December 5, 2026, the same day as the Chamber's Christmas Parade and the tree lighting at Clarence Wood Park. It runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gene Bianchi Community Center Plaza, 110 S 2nd Ave. Its own listing calls it "NEW THIS YEAR" and says the Plaza is being turned into a Christmas market "for the first time ever."
The parade and tree lighting both start after 5 p.m. The market brings Santa, the Grinch and Scrooge to the Plaza in daylight, in the hours before the parade. With it in place, Oakdale's Christmas season mostly comes down to one long downtown day, plus one weekend before it and a contest that keeps going after it.
December 5, Hour by Hour
Here is the day in order, using the times each organizer has posted on the A Small Town Christmas event calendar and the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce events page:
- 8 a.m. The Christmas photo op opens at The Shoppe, 110 N 3rd Ave. It runs until 8 p.m.
- 10 a.m. The Small Town Christmas Market at the Plaza opens at Gene Bianchi Community Center Plaza.
- 11 a.m. Downtown Christmas on 1st begins at Momma's Closet, 139 N 1st Ave, and runs until 8 p.m.
- 4 p.m. The Plaza market closes.
- 5 p.m. The Chamber's 10th Annual Christmas Parade steps off downtown.
- 6 p.m. The 4th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting begins at Clarence Wood Park and runs until 8 p.m.
- 8 p.m. Christmas on 1st and The Shoppe's photo op both wrap up.
Laid out this way, the day has no real gap. The Plaza market closes an hour before the parade, and Christmas on 1st keeps going through that hour and well past the parade.
The Daytime Half Sits on Three Avenues
The Plaza at 110 S 2nd Ave, Momma's Closet at 139 N 1st Ave and The Shoppe at 110 N 3rd Ave sit on three neighboring downtown avenues. That's why the new market is easy to fit into the day. It sits one avenue over from an event that already draws a crowd, so it doesn't compete for a separate trip.
Christmas on 1st is the larger of the two daytime events by its own count. The listing promises "50+ local vendors" on First Avenue selling handmade gifts, food and holiday finds. Momma's Closet is hosting a fire pit with a free s'mores bar, and the event is free for everyone. The Plaza market's draw is different. Its listing leads with a meet and greet with Santa, a visit with the Grinch and a run-in with Scrooge.
That split shapes the timing. If your kids are mainly there to meet characters, go to the Plaza earlier in the day, because it closes at 4 p.m. If you're mainly there to shop, First Avenue gives you until 8 p.m., hours past the Plaza's close.
The Evening Half Overlaps
The Chamber lists the 10th Annual Christmas Parade from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. downtown, under the line "Get ready to Jingle all the Way." The Small Town Christmas parade page puts the parade at N Yosemite Ave and E F St, and suggests watching from 1st Ave, 3rd Ave and B Street.
Both suggested avenues connect to the daytime events. Watching from 1st Ave keeps you on the Christmas on 1st block, and watching from 3rd Ave puts you on The Shoppe's street. If you spend the afternoon on First Avenue, you can grab a curb spot there before 5 p.m. without moving.
The parade and the tree lighting overlap. The tree lighting at Clarence Wood Park starts at 6 p.m., while the Chamber's parade window runs to 6:30. You'll miss the end of one or the start of the other. The lighting runs until 8 p.m., so it gives you more room to arrive late.
The tree lighting comes from the Community Hospice & Health Services Foundation, and its listing is titled "Light Up A Life." The event description opens with "Honoring Those Who Shine Bright in the Stars." That framing explains why the lighting has its own name and its own sponsor, even though it falls on parade night.
Groups that want to march still have time. The Chamber links participant registration for the parade right on its events page.
The Same Plaza Gets a Head Start a Week Earlier
Gene Bianchi Community Center gets busy before the new market arrives. The Oakdale Cowboy Museum's Cowboy Christmas Craft Show takes over the building on Thanksgiving weekend, Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28. The A Small Town Christmas calendar lists it as the 30th Annual Cowboy Christmas.
The Modesto Bee's holiday craft fair roundup has the Saturday details. The craft fair runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Cowboy Santa visits from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. that day only. On Friday the fair opens at 5 p.m., the evening after Thanksgiving. The museum's number is 209-847-7049.
So Oakdale gets two Santas at the same address, seven days apart. Cowboy Santa comes to Gene Bianchi Community Center on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and the Plaza market's Santa comes to the same spot on December 5. If you'd rather beat the crowds of your gift list, Cowboy Christmas is the earlier chance to shop handmade, and it's 30 years old. The Plaza market is in its first.
Light Fight Voting Opens as December 5 Ends
Entries open November 15, but the public half of the contest begins the day after parade Saturday, when the season moves from downtown to the neighborhoods. The LOVE OAKDALE Christmas Light Fight is a free home decorating contest open to all Oakdale residents, and it runs on this schedule:
- November 15: Entries open.
- December 1, 5 p.m.: Entry deadline.
- December 6 to 15: Public voting.
- December 17: Top five announced.
- December 20: $500 grand prize winner announced.
Public voting opens Sunday, December 6, the morning after the parade and tree lighting. Entrants have until December 1 at 5 p.m. to sign up, the Tuesday after Cowboy Christmas weekend. That puts the deadline four days before the parade. The judging rules are specific. Only exterior decorations count, including window displays visible from outside, and judges score "curb appeal" from the street. Entries go through LoveOakdale.com.
Because judging happens from the street, the lights that count are the ones you can see from the sidewalk. Rooflines, front windows and yard displays all qualify, and anything only visible indoors does not. Voters will be looking at those displays from December 6 through 15.
Dates for the Fridge
- Sunday, November 15: Light Fight entries open
- Friday, November 27, from 5 p.m.: Cowboy Christmas opens at Gene Bianchi Community Center
- Saturday, November 28, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Cowboy Christmas, with Cowboy Santa from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, December 1, 5 p.m.: Light Fight entry deadline
- Saturday, December 5: The Shoppe at 8 a.m., the Plaza market at 10 a.m., Christmas on 1st at 11 a.m., the parade at 5 p.m., the Wood Park tree lighting at 6 p.m.
- Sunday, December 6: Light Fight voting opens and runs through December 15
- Sunday, December 20: Light Fight grand prize winner announced
If the Light Fight's street-view judging has you looking at your own front yard differently, I'm glad to talk curb appeal, holiday or not. Lisa Vandermeer is based right here in Oakdale. Reach out to Schedule a Free Consultation, whether it's about your home's value or just which corner of 1st Ave has the best view of the parade.
