In 2024, the Prosper Christmas Festival's attractions included horse-drawn carriage rides, community-stage performances and Santa's Workshop. In 2025, the festival added free ice skating and closed with a drone show. On Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, the festival sits at the center of a full day of events. Prosper's main holiday events run from breakfast until after dark, and the parade is billed as the start of the festival.
That changes how to plan. Picking one event is the wrong approach for this Saturday. It works better as a single day: breakfast on Broadway, a 2 p.m. parade, then four hours at Town Hall that end with lights in the sky.
The Weeks Before December 5
The November events lead up to that Saturday.
Saturday, Nov. 21. The Prosper Chamber of Commerce lists Prosper on the Plaza: Friendsgiving from noon to 4 p.m. at Downtown Prosper Plaza. The same day, Summer Moon Coffee has planned the grand opening of its first Prosper location, at 4325 E. University Drive, Ste. 10. Community Impact reported that the company set a soft opening for Monday, Nov. 16 and moved the grand opening to Nov. 21 from an earlier plan of Nov. 7. The Texas-based chain roasts its coffee in-house, and its menu features drinks made with Moon Milk, its signature sweet cream.
Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 27 to 29. Chamberlain Ballet's The Nutcracker is listed on the Prosper Chamber's calendar, but the performances are at the Charles W. Eisemann Center, 2351 Performance Dr., in Richardson. The Eisemann Center's event page lists a 7 p.m. show on Friday, Nov. 27 and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday, Nov. 28 and Sunday, Nov. 29. Ticket options there are labeled "Pay What You Wish," with standard prices from $26 to $119 plus a $2 order charge. The page notes that prices and dates may change.
Tuesday, Dec. 1. The Town of Prosper's calendar lists Sensory Santa & Christmas Shoppe from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Prosper Town Hall, 250 W. First St. It's on a weeknight, four days before the festival fills the same Town Hall grounds.
On the west side of town, 85°C Bakery Cafe has been serving pastries and coffee at 5720 W. University Drive, Suite 10, since its soft opening on Oct. 8. With two new cafés along University Drive, there's somewhere new to stop on the way downtown.
8:30 a.m. on Broadway
Dec. 5 starts with the 2026 Prosper Breakfast with Santa at The Gin, 204 W. Broadway. Grand Love hosts, and the Prosper Chamber listing shows two seatings.
- First seating: 8:30 to 10 a.m.
- Second seating: 10:30 a.m. to noon
On the ticket page, general admission is $40 per person and VIP North Pole seating is $45 per person. Table bundles are also available. A ticket includes:
- A pancake buffet, a donut bar, a traditional breakfast and coffee
- Seating and access to all three themed rooms
- Visits and photos with characters
- Face painting and balloon artists
The mimosa bar is optional and only for guests 21 and older.
The festival later in the day is free. For a family planning the whole day, the main choice is which seating to book. The second one ends at noon, which leaves two hours before the parade.
2 p.m.: The Parade Opens the Festival
The parade is what connects the morning to the evening. The Rotary Club of Prosper describes its 2026 Christmas Parade as the event that "kicks-off Prosper's Christmas Festival at 2:00pm on December 5th in downtown Prosper." The festival opens at 3 p.m., one hour after the parade starts.
Local businesses, teams and community groups that want to be in the parade register through the Rotary Club's parade entry form. Fees depend on entry length and timing:
| Entry size | Before Nov. 29 | After Nov. 29 |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40 feet | $50 | $65 |
| Over 40 feet | $100 | $130 |
The lower fees apply to entries before Nov. 29, the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, and the higher fees to entries after it. The Rotary Club says entry-fee revenue supports Cornerstone Christmas.
3 to 7 p.m. at Town Hall
The Prosper Christmas Festival runs from 3 to 7 p.m. at Prosper Town Hall, 250 W. First St. The town's calendar calls it a "Free community event." The town's Oct. 21 announcement says sponsor support keeps it free, and lighted exhibits feature those sponsors along with local businesses, artisans and nonprofit organizations.
The town's announcement lists:
- The ice-skating rink. It returns for its second year. The student news site Eagle Nation Online called the free skating "new this year" in its coverage of the 2025 festival.
- Santa's Workshop. Family photos are free.
- Adopt-an-Ornament. Each ornament is handmade by a Prosper ISD elementary art student.
- Vendors and activities. Giveaways, gifts, holiday crafts, sweets and cookie decorating, with live entertainment throughout.
- The Community Tree Lighting.
- The finale. A Prosper-themed drone show.
The drone show was also the closing act in 2025, so it isn't new. The 2026 announcement does show two years in a row of the same format: daytime activities at Town Hall, then the tree lighting, then the drones. A family that arrives at 3 p.m. and stays to the end will move from the rink to the workshop to the vendor tables before it gets dark.
The town posts event details, including any updates on getting there, at prospertx.gov/christmasfestival. Check it in the week before Dec. 5, along with the parade start time. Parking and road plans from past years may not apply this year.
The Whole Saturday on One Card
Here's the full day:
| Time | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 to 10 a.m. | Breakfast with Santa, first seating | The Gin, 204 W. Broadway | $40, or $45 VIP |
| 10:30 a.m. to noon | Breakfast with Santa, second seating | The Gin, 204 W. Broadway | $40, or $45 VIP |
| 2 p.m. | Rotary Club of Prosper Christmas Parade | Downtown Prosper | Entry fees for parade participants |
| 3 to 7 p.m. | Prosper Christmas Festival | Prosper Town Hall, 250 W. First St. | Free |
| End of festival | Community Tree Lighting and drone show | Prosper Town Hall | Free |
The longest break is between the second breakfast seating at noon and the 2 p.m. parade, and the festival opens an hour after the parade starts. Families can join for one stop, or start at The Gin in the morning and stay until the last drone lands.
If you're planning to list your home after the holidays, or just want to know where your home's value stands before the new year, Lori Seale can walk you through it. Lori knows Prosper well, from Broadway to University Drive, and she'll guide you through every step. Get your home valuation, then enjoy Dec. 5.
