Parade, Festival of Trees and the Mayor's Cup: How to Spend Westminster's Biggest Holiday Saturday

What happens in downtown Westminster when the 20th annual Festival of Trees closes its Saturday hours at 5 p.m. and the Holiday Electric Parade starts on Main Street at 5 p.m.?

On Saturday, November 28, four groups run their own holiday programs: the City of Westminster, The Shepherd's Staff, the downtown businesses entered in the Mayor's Cup and the vendors at the Carroll County Agricultural Center. Each one keeps its own calendar, but the hours fit together closely enough to fill one day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Four Organizers, One Saturday

Each piece has a different sponsor and a different purpose, and that explains why the day hangs together the way it does.

The City's Miracle on Main Street is the anchor. The City of Westminster's event listing puts it at Locust Lane, 43 E. Main St., across from the Carroll County Public Library's Westminster branch. It runs from noon to 8 p.m. and is free.

The Shepherd's Staff's Festival of Trees fills John Street Quarters at 28 John St. for its 20th year. More than 30 decorated trees go up for silent auction. Carroll County Tourism describes it as the organization's largest fundraiser of the year. The money supports emergency financial services for individuals and families in crisis across Carroll County, and this year's goal is $90,000.

The Mayor's Cup adds a judging day. Businesses and organizations register for the annual holiday decorating contest by November 20. Mayor Mona Becker judges the entries on Small Business Saturday, November 28, and the winner receives the cup at a later Mayor & Common Council meeting, according to the City's 2026 registration form. The contest entries are judged on the same day the parade crowds arrive.

The Christmas Market at the Ag Center covers the early morning. The Carroll County Farmer's Market and Craft Show at 706 Agricultural Center Dr. opened its Christmas Market on November 7. From November 21 through December 19, the seasonal Christmas Market and Hand Made Crafts Show runs Saturdays only, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with 75 to 100 vendors each week. The market has named November 28 "Bring a Friend Day to support Small Business."

The Day, Hour by Hour

8 a.m. at the Agricultural Center

The Ag Center opens first, and it is the only stop on this list that needs a car to reach from downtown. Two hours there still leaves plenty of time for everything on Main Street.

10 a.m. for families with young children

The City's schedule starts the downtown festivities at Westminster Family Fitness Center with "A Little Whoville Magic" from 10 a.m. to noon, a free children's program with crafts, face painting and special guests The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who. Carroll County Tourism's schedule lists Santa's Treat at the same center from noon to 4 p.m., with crafts, games, face painting and visits with Mr. and Mrs. Claus. The Festival of Trees opens at the same hour on John Street, so families can split up or do one after the other.

Late morning and early afternoon on John Street

Saturday is one of the two days with live entertainment at the Festival of Trees. Local school groups and community choirs perform on Friday and Saturday. Besides the auction trees, there are artisan gifts, cash-and-carry holiday items and baked goods for sale. Admission is free. Bids don't have to wait until you're in the room, because the auction includes "Virtual" and "Buy Now" options.

Noon to 5 p.m. along Main Street

Holiday Lane vendors open at noon and stay until 8 p.m., per Carroll County Tourism's Miracle on Main Street listing. Mayor's Cup judging also takes place that day.

4:55 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Five minutes before the parade, the Jingle Bell Run starts, and registration runs through the Storm the Castle Run Series. At 5 p.m., the Holiday Electric Parade begins on Main Street. The Festival of Trees closes for the day at the same hour, so anyone still on John Street at 4:45 p.m. should start walking toward Main Street. Festival-goers who miss Saturday afternoon can return Sunday, November 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

After the parade

The City's program moves from the parade into caroling and a countdown to the ceremonial tree lighting in Locust Lane. Right after the lighting, Santa receives visitors at his house on the Westminster Library front lawn, across the street from Locust Lane.

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Carroll County Tourism's schedule ends the evening with a stroll through the City Park holiday lights and free hot cocoa from 6 to 8 p.m. The Holiday Lane vendors stay open until 8.

Where to Eat and Shop Between the Festival and the Parade

The businesses below took part in recent downtown programming this fall. Westminster Wire's preview of Westminster After Dark in September and its Oyster Stroll preview in October list them as venues, vendors and retailers.

Food and drink near Locust Lane and East Main

• Collision Course, 61 E. Main St., a restaurant and drinks venue a short walk east of the tree lighting
• Covalent Spirits, 118 E. Main St., a spirits and tasting-room business
• City Park Gaming & Brew Room, 133 E. Main St., a food-and-drink venue
• JeannieBird Baking Company and Liquid Library, both on the After Dark food and drinks roster

Food and drink toward West Main and Liberty Street

• O'Lordans Irish Pub, 14 Liberty St., an Oyster Stroll food vendor this fall
• Serra on Main and RockSalt Grille, both on West Main Street and both Oyster Stroll food vendors this fall

Shops for Small Business Saturday

• Shop Rebels, 37 E. Main St., a lifestyle boutique that held its grand opening and ribbon cutting on August 29, 2026, a few doors from Locust Lane
• Serenity + Sol, 66 E. Main St.
• Westminster New & Used Furniture, 31 W. Main St.
• Gotham Comics, Off Track Art, Looped In Fiber Arts, Bonjongles and Run Moore, all on the After Dark retailer list

Two newer names have been planned for Main Street this fall. San Sushi, a Towson-area restaurant, has been headed to 172 E. Main St., Westminster Wire reported in July. The Double Barrel Tasting Room, a wine bar, has been planned for 73 W. Main St., according to Westminster Wire's May roundup. Check with either one directly before building a dinner plan around it.

Parking and the Details to Check That Week

Downtown Westminster has more public parking than a parade-day crowd usually expects. The City's downtown parking map shows the Longwell Parking Garage along with the Longwell, Longwell Annex, Sherwood, Conaway, Winters, Bauerlein, Babylon, Chapel, Davis, Gehr, Albion, Sentinel and Diffendal lots. The map is a 2021 document, so treat it as a general guide to where the lots are. For the parade route and street closures, check the City's Miracle on Main Street page or call the City's recreation contact at 410-751-5501 in the days before the event.

The Farm Museum Picks Up in December

When Main Street's lights come down from their opening night, the season moves south to 500 S. Center St. The Carroll County Farm Museum turns 60 this year. Its 2026 holiday tour, "Hands that Built the Holiday," takes place inside the Carroll County Almshouse, built in 1852 and 1853. Each room shows a trade, task or tradition from life there in the mid-1800s, paired with crafts the museum's artisans and volunteers still practice. The tour runs December 1 through 20.

Saturday, December 5, is the busiest day of the tour. The museum lists Christmas at the Farm Museum that day, with old-fashioned holiday traditions, music, crafts and Santa. Santa in the Schoolhouse also runs from noon to 4 p.m. on December 5. The Ag Center's Saturday Christmas Market continues through December 19, so families can pair a morning at the market with an afternoon at the almshouse on any December weekend.

When the tree lighting brings family or neighbors to Locust Lane, the conversation often turns to which street they'd like to live on near all of this. Shelly German knows downtown Westminster from Locust Lane to the Farm Museum, and she's glad to talk through what a home near Main Street looks like for you. Let's Connect.