Last November, the season in Mars arrived in one afternoon. The Butler Eagle described "Jingle Bells" and "Blue Christmas" playing over speakers in the town square. The borough's spaceship statue was wrapped in twinkling lights next to the holiday tree. Horse-drawn carriages, Santa photos, a market and a parade all fit into Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025.
This year the calendar is longer. Light Up Mars is still the main event, on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026. But the first holiday evening on Grand Avenue is tonight, Thursday, Nov. 12. Tomorrow a new seasonal attraction opens on Route 228. The Mars Area Public Library has events every Saturday in December through the 19th. In 2026, Mars has a holiday season of about six weeks, run from three places.
Tonight, the season starts at 113 Grand Avenue
The first event is the Holiday Sip & Shop, tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at 113 Grand Ave. That address holds two businesses under one roof. Nosh & Curd serves cheese and charcuterie, coffee, breakfast and lunch, and also does dine-in service, catering and workshops. Oil & Vinegar, a specialty shop for oils, vinegars, kitchen essentials and gifts, operates inside Nosh & Curd.
According to the Experience Butler event listing, tonight includes:
- Shopping at Nosh & Curd, Oil & Vinegar and tables from local vendors
- Ornaments made to order
- Free gift wrapping on Oil & Vinegar purchases
- An Angel Tree that benefits local children and families
This storefront matters beyond tonight. On Nov. 28, the Light Up Mars carriage rides from Misty Lanes Performance Horses start and end at Nosh & Curd. The same address that opens the season tonight is also the loading point for the busiest afternoon of the season.
Friday, a second holiday venue opens on Route 228
Tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 13, Mars-Bethel Golf opens Winter on Mars at 540 Route 228. The course calls it "a new seasonal activity." Holiday lights go up over the miniature golf and Cornhole Golf courses, and the clubhouse becomes the new Clubhouse Café.
The café menu includes hot and iced coffee, affogatos, specialty hot cocoa, tea, other specialty drinks and food. The ice cream from the summer season stays on the menu. Only the mini golf and Cornhole Golf courses are open for Winter on Mars, and the course says guests can also just come to see the lights without playing.
Experience Butler lists the opening night as 4 to 8 p.m. It also lists more November dates on the 14th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 27th, 28th and 29th. The 28th is the same day as Light Up Mars, so on that Saturday the town will have holiday lights both downtown and on Route 228.
All hours are weather-permitting. Mars-Bethel Golf posts these rules:
| Condition | What happens |
|---|---|
| Heavy snow falling or forecast during open hours | Closed |
| Temperature at or below 25°F | Closed |
| Last round of golf | Must start by 7 p.m. |
| December dates and hours | Schedule due out by mid-November |
Check the course's page before you head out on any cold evening.
Saturday, Santa visits Stick City Brewing
On Saturday, Nov. 14, Santa visits Stick City Brewing at 201 Grand Ave. from 1 to 4 p.m. The Kelley Financial Group is hosting the photos. Guests are invited, but not required, to bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots.
That gives Grand Avenue holiday events on Thursday and Saturday of the same week, and Winter on Mars is open Friday in between. All of this happens two weeks before the tree lighting.
November 28, hour by hour
Light Up Mars goes back further than most of the new events around it. The Butler Eagle covered the parade and tree lighting in 2009, when the Adams Area Fire District organized it. Mars Borough now lists it as a borough event.
The 2026 schedule on lightupmars.com runs from noon to 6 p.m. in downtown Mars, centered on the spaceship. One event at the library comes before it.
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. | The Nutcracker Experience for Kids, with Adage Ballet Academy | Mars Area Public Library |
| Noon to 5:30 p.m. | Holiday market with local vendors, gifts, seasonal treats, food and drinks | Downtown, at the spaceship |
| Noon to 4:30 p.m. | Mars Small Business Showcase scavenger hunt | Cards due at the Mars Area Public Library booth |
| 2 to 5:30 p.m. | Horse-drawn carriage rides, Misty Lanes Performance Horses | Start and end at Nosh & Curd |
| 3 to 5:30 p.m. | Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus | Beside the spaceship and holiday tree |
| 5:30 p.m. | Holiday tree lighting | Downtown |
| 6 p.m. | Light Up Mars Parade | Downtown |
The Nutcracker program is a 45-minute interactive reading and performance. Registration was required and the program is full, so new sign-ups go on a waitlist.
What changed in the scavenger hunt
The hunt is the part of the day built around local shops, and its prize has changed. In 2025 the event also served as Mars's Small Business Saturday. People who finished the hunt were entered in a raffle for baskets put together by local businesses, the Butler Eagle reported.
The 2026 version is called the Mars Small Business Showcase. A completed card earns an entry for a chance to ride with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the 6 p.m. parade. Cards are due by 4:30 p.m. That leaves an hour before the tree lighting and an hour and a half before the parade starts.
The hunt has also brought attention to newer businesses. Last year's stops included longtime Mars businesses such as Mars Pizza and Pfeifer's Hardware. Fyie Boutique held its grand opening that same Saturday. The library had a tent in 2025, selling baked goods and giving children free wrapped books. In 2026, the library booth is where scavenger hunt cards are turned in.
December runs through the library
After the parade, most of the season moves to the Mars Area Public Library. Its December calendar has an event every Saturday leading up to Christmas week. Each one requires registration.
- Here Comes Santa Claus, Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Santa photos, cocoa and activities.
- Butler County Symphony String Trio, Saturday, Dec. 12, 1 to 2 p.m. An hour of Christmas music.
- Gingerbread Builders, Saturday, Dec. 19, 1 to 2 p.m. Sponsored by the Friends of the Mars Area Public Library.
Mars-Bethel Golf says its December 2026 Winter on Mars schedule comes out by mid-November. The library is closed all day Thursday, Dec. 31.
Put together, the dates run from Nov. 12 to Dec. 19. A Thursday evening at 113 Grand Ave. opens the season. A new venue on Route 228 has its own set of dates. A Saturday that has run since at least 2009 is the peak, and the library carries the rest of December.
Kelly Cheponis follows what's happening on Grand Avenue and Route 228 the same way she follows contracts, down to the details. If the holiday season has you thinking about what your home is worth, Pittsburgh Property Shark can send you an instant home valuation before the tree lighting on Nov. 28.
