The lighted parade the Friday after Thanksgiving is the best-known date on Morris's holiday calendar. The 2026 calendar starts two weeks before it and runs until December 18. Most of the downtown events come from two groups. The City of Morris runs a free weekend in the middle. The Morris Restaurant and Retail Association runs the paid stroll and is the place the City points to for the downtown shopping nights. The 3 French Hens market and the Grundy County Historical Society add their own dates. Knowing who runs which event tells you where to look for tickets, hours and updates.
The calendar, in order
The City's fall 2026 newsletter lists the season this way:
- November 13–14: 3 French Hens Holiday Market at Jennifer's Garden
- November 27–29: Home for the Holidays, downtown Morris
- November 28: Small Business Saturday, with the Holly Jolly Sip & Stroll
- December 11: Midnight in Morris, downtown
- December 12: Holiday in the Hall, a family Christmas event at Morris City Hall
- December 13: Winterfest Market, downtown
- December 18: Holiday Magic in the Windows, late-night shopping and window displays downtown
The first date needs a check before you go. The newsletter and the City's printed 2026 events card both put the 3 French Hens Holiday Market on November 13 and 14. The events page on the City's website lists the market at Jennifer's Garden on November 6 and 7. The holiday market moves indoors to Jennifer's Garden Banquets at 555 Gore Road, while the regular market sets up downtown. The market's own site points visitors to its Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Who runs which night
Home for the Holidays belongs to the City of Morris, and the City says every part of it is free except one, the Holly Jolly Sip & Stroll. The Sip & Stroll comes from the Morris Restaurant and Retail Association, a nonprofit that promotes downtown businesses through joint events and marketing. The City's events calendar links both Small Business Saturday and Midnight in Morris to that association's website.
So the season has two sources of information. The City handles the parade, Santa, the free family events and the program at City Hall. The merchants handle the paid mug, the late-night shopping and the specials inside their stores. If you're looking for details on a December shopping night and the City's page doesn't have them, check the association's site and the shops' social media.
Thanksgiving weekend, from Friday night to Sunday
The City's free weekend runs November 27 through 29. It starts with the lighted holiday parade at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 27. The City's 2026 parade application says the route starts at Washington and Franklin Streets and ends at Chapin Park at about 6 p.m. City staff and parade volunteers put it on. That's about half an hour from start to finish, so a spot near Chapin Park puts you at the end of the route as the last floats come in.
On Saturday, Santa and his reindeer are downtown from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and food trucks set up at Wauponsee Plaza. The Grundy County Historical Society is holding its 31st annual Festival of Trees at the Grundy Area Historical Museum, which the City lists for Friday and Saturday of that weekend. Downtown shopping runs Friday through Sunday. The City's newsletter also lists a Home & Holiday Walk and carriage rides as part of the weekend.
City staff take sponsor and volunteer questions at [email protected] or (815) 941-3685. The City posts updates on its Visit Morris, IL Facebook page.
The one ticket that sold out
Saturday, November 28, is also Small Business Saturday. That's the day of the Holly Jolly Sip & Stroll, which supports student scholarships. 2026 is only its second year. The first one was the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2025, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You bought a mug, then stopped at member businesses for a drink to carry while you shopped and ate. The association's page still has the 2025 mug link, and it's marked "sold out for 2025." The City says that first year raised more than $6,000 for scholarships and downtown improvements.
Last year, these businesses sold mugs or handed out pre-purchased ones:
- Apple Butter/Shuggies, 317 Liberty
- Cat & Hound, 221 Liberty
- Clayton's Tap, 122 W Washington
- GiGi's, 126 E Washington
- Just Kidding Around, 218 Liberty
- Keg Grove Brewery, 222 Wauponsee
- Oleanders Boutique, 302 Liberty, the pickup point for online orders
- Verbena, 412 Liberty
That list shows how the stroll works on the map. It covers Liberty Street from the 200 block to the 400 block, plus a few stops on Washington and Wauponsee, which is about the downtown core. The 2026 mug price, hours and participating businesses haven't been posted on the association's site yet. The 2025 mugs sold out, so check the association's page when November starts and don't count on buying one at the door.
December moves into the evenings
Once the Thanksgiving weekend is over, the events shift later in the day, and most of them center on downtown shopping.
Midnight in Morris, Friday, December 11. Heritage Corridor Destinations lists it from 6 p.m. to midnight downtown, with late-night holiday shopping, specials, drinks, holiday activities and pajamas. The same listing calls the date a Thursday, but December 11, 2026 is a Friday. Participating businesses will be announced later.
Holiday in the Hall, Saturday, December 12. The City lists this as a family Christmas event at Morris City Hall.
Winterfest Market, Sunday, December 13. The 3 French Hens organizers list this outdoor market outside 217 Liberty Street.
Holiday Magic in the Windows, Friday, December 18. The City describes it as late-night shopping and decorated window displays downtown. Hours haven't been posted.
December 11 through 13 adds up to three events in three days: a late-night shopping Friday, a family event at City Hall on Saturday and a market on Liberty Street on Sunday. The window event on December 18 comes a week before Christmas and closes out the season.
What's new on Liberty Street this year
There are at least two new names on Liberty Street compared with past seasons. The Grundy County Chamber's directory lists The Cozy Scoop Mercantile at 809 Liberty Street, selling handmade gifts, home décor, hand-dipped ice cream, coffee and cocoa, and packaged baked goods. At 809 Liberty, it sits farther north than any of last year's Sip & Stroll stops.
Souluxe, a restaurant at 410 Liberty Street, applied to the City's Judiciary and License Committee in July. WCSJ reported that the owner received a business license in late September and that the City Council approved a liquor license. Souluxe is just down the block from Verbena at 412 Liberty.
Liberty Street itself won't change for a while. The City's Liberty Street project site says the project is in public input and design through 2026 and 2027, with construction scheduled to start in 2028. Shaw Local's July coverage of the renovation plans announced the first public open house in that process for August 11. The City's newsletter says the work will modernize utilities, improve the historic district and bring the street up to ADA standards. This year's parade, stroll and window displays will take place on the same Liberty Street as the past few seasons. On the current schedule, next year's season will too.
If you're planning a move or a sale around the holidays in Grundy County, our team at Hexagon Real Estate knows how a busy downtown weekend affects showings, open houses and the rest of a schedule. Schedule your consultation and we'll plan around the dates on this calendar.
