Panora Puts Its Tree Lighting, Santa and Craft Show Into One November Weekend
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
The Panora Chamber of Commerce is holding its main holiday events on one weekend this year. Panora's Old-Fashioned Christmas runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. It brings together the tree lighting on the town square, a visit from Santa Claus, a craft show, music, activities and holiday shopping specials. The Times Vedette announced the plan on Sept. 28.
Last year those same pieces showed up weeks apart. Moving them into one weekend shifts Panora's holiday peak to the middle of November. It also leaves December to the church, volunteer and nonprofit events that have kept their own dates for years.
In 2025, decorations went up on the town square on Thursday, Nov. 13. The gazebo lights came on that day, and the rest of the square's lighting followed later, according to the Times Vedette. Santa arrived on Nov. 26, riding to the square on a Panora Fire Department truck. Kids looked at the light displays and went home with candy canes, as Lake Panorama Times reported. Breakfast with Santa came on Dec. 6, and the home tour followed the next day.
Here is how this year compares:
| Piece of the season | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Square lights / tree lighting | Gazebo lit Nov. 13, rest of square later | Tree lighting during Old-Fashioned Christmas, Nov. 13-14 |
| Santa on the square | Nov. 26, by fire truck | Nov. 13-14 weekend |
| Breakfast with Santa and crafts | Sat., Dec. 6 | Sat., Dec. 5 |
| Women for Panora's Future home tour | Sun., Dec. 7 | Sun., Dec. 6 |
The December events stayed close to last year's dates. The big change is that the square's two most visible moments, the lights and Santa, now both happen in mid-November.
The festival is meant to involve the whole town, not just the square. The Chamber has asked Panora businesses to stay open during festival hours and to offer holiday activities, treats, specials or experiences at their own locations. Service businesses are invited too, not just shops.
The Times Vedette article lays out the goal. Chamber members want to "give people a reason to walk through the streets, visit the businesses, shop locally and enjoy the Christmas spirit together." They also hope the weekend "becomes an annual hometown tradition."
The announcement did not list which businesses will take part. That means each storefront will decide its own part of the weekend. Some may run a sale, and others may serve coffee and cookies from an office lobby. The two days are also set up differently. Friday evening runs three hours after work. Saturday covers six daytime hours, which leaves room for the craft show and errands.
Before the festival comes the Holiday Showcase, which is a separate event. The 2026 Guthrie County calendar lists it for Nov. 5-7, starting Thursday, Nov. 5. Discover Guthrie County describes it as running across the downtown districts of Casey, Guthrie Center and Panora. The same three towns hosted last year's showcase on Nov. 6-8, 2025, when participating businesses offered specials and prize drawings, according to the Times Vedette.
Tribe Boutique at 130 W. Main St. has posted its showcase hours:
The shop is offering 20% off one item, a signature drink while you shop, and a chance at a grand prize of $150, $100 or $50 in Panora Chamber Bucks.
That makes two shopping pushes in one month. The showcase opens the season with gift shopping on Nov. 5. The Old-Fashioned Christmas follows eight days later with the lights, Santa and the craft show. Chamber Bucks won during the showcase can be spent locally once the festival weekend arrives.
In 2025, Santa came to the square the day before Thanksgiving. This year that week has a different event. Reshape Fitness Studio's Turkey Trot is a three-mile run or walk that starts at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26, at Twin Vines, 2821 Hwy. 44. The early start leaves the rest of the morning free for the turkey.
With the Chamber's main events done by mid-November, the first weekend of December is the town's other holiday weekend. Most of it is run by volunteers.
Saturday, Dec. 5: Camp Candy Cane and Breakfast with Santa. The Discover Guthrie County calendar lists it at the Panora Community Center from 8:30 to 11 a.m., with Christmas crafts from 9 to 10:30 a.m. More than 180 people came to last year's version on Dec. 6, according to the Times Vedette. The breakfast has also supported the square's lights. In 2024 the Chamber hosted Santa's Workshop at the Community Center with a free-will pancake breakfast and Camp Candy Cane crafts. That year's breakfast proceeds went to the Panora Christmas Light fund, according to Lake Panorama Times.
Sunday, Dec. 6: two events, one afternoon into evening. Women for Panora's Future is listed for its Panora Holiday Homes Tour that day. The calendar says more details are coming. The two most recent tours give a sense of what to expect. On Dec. 7, 2025, the tour included five homes plus the Panora Church of the Brethren and ran from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tickets were $10 in advance or $15 on tour day, the Times Vedette reported. The paper called it WFPF's largest annual fundraiser, which usually supports scholarships and other local projects. In 2024, visitors picked their own route through four homes and two businesses. According to Lake Panorama Times, proceeds usually funded two $500 scholarships for graduating Panorama students.
That same evening, the Community Children's Christmas Program takes place at Panora Church of the Brethren. A freewill-offering soup supper runs from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m., with proceeds going to New Opportunities, and the program starts at 6:30 p.m. Volunteers organize it, and in October the Times Vedette ran a call for area school-age children to take part. If the home tour keeps its usual 1 to 4:30 p.m. hours, it will end before the soup supper begins. You could finish the tour and still make it to the church for supper.
Here is the full 2026 calendar:
For kids before then, the Panora Public Library has Lego Club on Nov. 3, Storytime on Nov. 4 and Kids Bingo on Nov. 11.
If you're planning to visit Tribe Boutique during the showcase, catch the tree lighting on Nov. 13, or bring the grandkids for pancakes on Dec. 5, we'll see you around the square. The team at Lake Panorama Realty lives and works here, and we're glad to point you to parking, the craft show, or a good spot to watch the lights come on. Let's Get in Touch.
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