The first date on Conshohocken's 2026 holiday calendar is Monday, November 2. That's when Borough residents can start registering for the free Holiday Drive-In Movie, and spots go first come, first served.

The rest of the season is set up much the same way. The Winter Market runs two weekends with mostly different vendors. The holiday food market is a separate event on a Thursday. And the busiest day of the season packs a market, live music and a movie into a single Saturday. A Conshy December goes best when a few decisions get made in November.

The drive-in comes first because it fills by registration

The Borough of Conshohocken is showing The Muppet Christmas Carol, the 1992 family musical, on Saturday, December 5, at Morgan Properties, 227 Washington Street. It's free. Space is limited, though, and every participant has to register online.

You register by car, not by person. A family coming in one vehicle needs just one person to sign up.

The dates to put on the fridge:

• Monday, November 2: registration opens for Borough residents
• Monday, November 16: registration opens for non-Borough residents
• Wednesday, December 2: registration closes
• Saturday, December 5: check-in starts at 6 p.m., and the movie starts promptly at 7 p.m.

Borough residents get two weeks before registration opens to everyone else. If the drive-in is on your family's list, the Borough's Holiday Drive-In Movie page has the registration link.

Black Friday night belongs to Mary Wood Park

The day after Thanksgiving, the Conshohocken AMBUCS hold their 36th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting. It runs Friday, November 27, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Mary Wood Park Playground, at Hallowell Street and East 6th Avenue.

The AMBUCS lineup has refreshments, music and trivia, plus a Christmas story read by Mayor Yaniv Aronson. Santa will be there, and children can get their picture taken with him. The AMBUCS event page says festivities start at 6 p.m.

This one takes no registration and no planning beyond showing up. It's the low-effort start to the season, and it comes a full week before the markets open.

Thursday, December 3 is its own market

The day before the Winter Market tent opens, the Conshohocken Holiday Culinary Market runs from 5 to 8 p.m. The organizer's listing makes a point of saying it's separate from the Winter Market.

Many of its vendors come from the Conshohocken Farmers' Market, along with some special guests. Since there won't be a farm at this one, it leans toward prepared and specialty foods. The listing pitches it as a chance to shop and to plan holiday orders, which makes it useful for anyone hosting later in December. Maria Maslin plays live holiday music.

If your holiday table depends on a particular baker or specialty food vendor from the farmers' market, this Thursday evening is the one to keep open.

The Winter Market is really two markets

The 2026 Conshohocken Winter Market is presented by Cencora and hosted by Hotel West & Main. It runs December 4 to 6 and December 11 to 13 at the Plaza at SORA West, 46 Fayette Street, inside a heated 50-by-90-foot tent.

MoreThanTheCurve's market page says each weekend has 25 vendors, 40 across both weekends, and only eight repeat. In its words, "be sure to come back a second time!"

So the first weekend and the second weekend are different shopping trips. From the vendor list posted as of October 8:

First weekend only, December 4 to 6

• Pieri Winery, wine
• Bluebird Distilling, spirits
• Old City Canning Co., candles
• Habby Fruit, hot sauces
• Sophia Rose Pottery, ceramics
• Michaela Art Co., ornaments and art
• Tidewater Mushrooms, mushroom teas

Second weekend only, December 11 to 13

• Honey Lane Winery, wine, mead and honey
• Mount Airy Candle, candles
• Lily Lough, jewelry
• Wrapping Papered, wrapping paper and greeting cards
• Saint Rocco's Treats, dog treats
• Socks and the City, grip socks

Both weekends

• Fork'd Pierogies
• OMG Pretzels
• DeRo-cello, limoncellos
• Your Chocolate Guys, fudge
• Primitive Boutique, customized Philly fan gear

Read it as a gift list and the split gets practical. Wine shoppers have Pieri the first weekend and Honey Lane the second. Candle shoppers get Old City Canning first, then Mount Airy Candle. Wrapping paper and greeting cards are only there the second weekend. Anyone shopping for a dog has to wait for the second weekend.

Hours are the same both weekends:

• Friday: 5 to 8 p.m.
• Saturday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Hotel West & Main's 1874 Social is running a bar inside the tent, with snacks, hot chocolate, mulled wine and seasonal cocktails. There's a second bar in the hotel lobby next to a lounge area. Hook & Ladder, upstairs at the hotel, is the sit-down dinner option, and the organizer suggests reservations.

Parking is free in the garage off West Elm Street. From the Matsonford Bridge, turn left onto West Elm. Coming down Fayette from Ridge Pike, turn right onto West Elm. The organizer recommends putting 36 West Elm Street into your GPS to find the garage.

Saturday, December 5 is the crowded day

Put the drive-in and the market's first weekend together, and Saturday, December 5 is the busiest day of Conshy's season. The posted schedules line up like this:

1. 11 a.m.: Winter Market opens at the Plaza at SORA West
2. 11:30 a.m.: The Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Holiday Cheer Band plays the market
3. 1 to 3 p.m.: Holiday music from Ashley Gray
4. 3 to 4 p.m.: Philly Accents, a cappella
5. 6 p.m.: Drive-in check-in starts at Morgan Properties, 227 Washington Street
6. 7 p.m.: The Muppet Christmas Carol starts
7. 8 p.m.: Winter Market closes for the night

A family that registered in early November can spend the afternoon at the market, catch the high school band and the a cappella set, and still make it to check-in by 6. Without a registration, there's no spot at the drive-in that evening.

If you'd rather skip the busiest day, the second weekend has lighter posted music so far. Chris Peace plays Friday, December 11, from 6 to 8 p.m., and Ashley Gray returns Saturday, December 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Philly Accents also plays Sunday, December 6, from noon to 1 p.m., on the first weekend.

The pieces still being filled in

A few parts of the season don't have dates or details yet, and they're worth checking as December gets closer.

Breakfast with Santa at Hook & Ladder is listed for Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13, but both entries are still marked TBD. Thursday, December 10 shows a "Special Event TBD" with no market that night.

Chanukah runs December 4 to 12, 2026, according to Chabad of Lafayette Hill's Conshohocken menorah page. A 2026 lighting ceremony date hasn't been posted there yet.

Down on East Elm Street, The Garden by Pieri Winery at 127 E. Elm St. is the one to watch. It's the same family behind the Pieri Winery booth on the market's first weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer's fall restaurant forecast described it as a year-round indoor-outdoor restaurant beside the Schuylkill River Trail. The Inquirer reported a wood-fired kitchen, a covered patio and fire tables, and a mid-October target for opening. The menu page on the restaurant's website still reads "Coming Soon."

Further out, Goodness Bowls has signed a lease for 200 Fayette Street, the former La Bella Moda space. MoreThanTheCurve reported in August that it's projected to open in early 2027, so it belongs on next year's calendar.

Want help working out which Winter Market weekend fits your list, or who's on the vendor lineup when it's final? Jamie Erfle keeps up with what's happening on Fayette Street all season and is always happy to talk about it. Let's Connect.