Market Insights
Waterford Lights Its Trees a Day Apart, and Friday Fits on Rope Ferry Road
November 12, 2026
Market Insights
November 12, 2026
Waterford's tree lighting happens twice this December, once in each village. Jordan Green lights up on Friday, December 11, and Quaker Hill Green follows on Saturday, December 12. Both start at 5:30 p.m. Each night has its own Hometown Hero lighting the tree and its own visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus, so neither village shares a celebration with the other.
The Friday has changed the most. Everything starts earlier than it did last year, and that pulls a stroller parade, a tree lighting and a library evening into the same hour on the same street. If you live near Jordan Village, the whole evening runs from 5 p.m. to about 6 p.m. If you live in Quaker Hill, Saturday is yours, and it stays close to home.
The night begins at Captain Arnold E. Holm Jr. Memorial Park, which most of the town calls the Duck Pond. The town's stroller parade announcement asks families to meet at the park's main entrance for a 5 p.m. start on Friday, December 11, and it puts "SHARP" in capital letters.
The invitation is broad. Decorate the stroller, the wagon, yourself and the rest of the family. Officers Fredricks and Hodges lead the walk in a lit-up cart playing holiday music and take everyone around the pond twice. After the second lap, the parade follows the officers over to Jordan Green for the lighting.
The town ran the same parade last December, from the same park, and followed it with the tree lighting on Jordan Green. In 2025, Officer Hodges walked the route alone. This year there are two officers and a cart.
If you went last year and plan to arrive on last year's schedule, you will miss the step-off. The town's own 2025 and 2026 listings show the change.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Friday, December 12 | Friday, December 11 |
| Stroller parade step-off | 5:30 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Jordan Green tree lighting | 6:00 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. |
| Parade escort | Officer Hodges | Officers Fredricks and Hodges, in a lit-up cart |
The earlier start matters because of how the rest of Friday is timed. The Waterford Public Library is staying open until 6 p.m. that evening, and it lists Light up the Night with American Spirit! from 5:30 to 6 p.m. under its America's 250th programming. The library also lists the stroller parade on its own calendar for 5 to 6 p.m. at Arnold Holm Park, with a note that it will stay open until 6. On last year's 6 p.m. schedule, the tree lighting would have started just as those doors closed. This year, the parade, the lighting and the library's open evening all happen inside the same hour.
On a map, Friday mostly happens along Rope Ferry Road.
Last year the town's parade listing pointed families to parking at the Waterford Public Library, the Waterford Community Center, Waterford Town Hall, the Waterford Police Station and Waterford High School. The 2026 announcement doesn't repeat that list. Still, last year's version shows how many town buildings sit within walking distance of the Duck Pond, and that is what lets a parade end at a tree lighting without anyone getting back in the car.
The Jordan Green program, as the town's tree-lighting announcement describes it:
Officers Fredricks and Hodges, the same pair leading the parade, will also greet people at the green. If you have small children, that gives the evening a simple order. Walk the pond with the officers, follow them to the green, and stay for the chorus, the lighting and the Clauses.
The second lighting is run for the neighborhood around it. Quaker Hill Green lights its tree on Saturday, December 12. The town calendar lists the event from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The program is built around children and neighbors from Quaker Hill:
On Friday, cocoa is served on the green. On Saturday, it's served afterward at the firehouse. The Quaker Hill evening also has a different set of luminaries. On Friday they come from children across the combined elementary schools. On Saturday they come from Quaker Hill elementary-aged children.
If you want both, it's easy, because the two lightings fall on consecutive evenings at the same time. Go to Jordan Green on Friday at 5:30 and Quaker Hill Green on Saturday at 5:30.
The Waterford Public Library has holiday programs on either side of the lighting weekend.
Before it, on Saturday, November 21, the library is holding Coffee & Canvas Paint Morning: Holiday Joy from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in its conference room. The usual project has been swapped for a holiday canvas, and Pam's Picassos returns to lead it. It costs $10. Space is limited, and registration is required.
After it, on Thursday, December 17, the library holds Celebrate Jolabokaflod! from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. This is the library's fourth year marking the Icelandic Christmas tradition of giving books as presents, which the library traces to Iceland during World War II. Books donated by the community are available at the Information Desk while supplies last, one per person, for adults. Because it runs for 12 hours on a weekday, you can stop in before work, at lunch or on the way home.
The Memory Café at the Waterford Community Center keeps its regular Friday schedule through the season, with sessions on December 4, 11 and 18 from 10 to 11:15 a.m.
Here is the full sequence for Waterford's December:
At the Christopher Maynard team, we keep track of dates like these because they shape what December in Waterford looks like from one week to the next. If you want to talk through the town's villages, the streets around Jordan Green and Quaker Hill, or anything else about life in Waterford, Chris Maynard is happy to help. Let's Connect.
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