At 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 5, the Bollywood & Bhangra Dance class starts on Levy Park's lawn, as it does most Saturdays this fall. An hour later, a Houston Grand Opera storyteller begins a 30-minute show, and at the same time the 2026 Holiday Festival opens and runs until 5 p.m. At 1 p.m., Young Audiences of Houston holds its usual weekend session in the middle of the festival.
The Holiday Festival opens while the regular Saturday schedule keeps running, and the vendor list sets Saturday and Sunday apart even further. If you live nearby, plan around both.
The Weeks Before December 5
Levy Park, at 3801 Eastside Street, advertises free programs, and its programming runs on a weekly pattern that keeps going through late November. On the park's calendar, the weekdays follow a steady rotation:
- Mondays: Zumba by Tiny Fitness at 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesdays: Family Storytime & Craft at 10 a.m.
- Wednesdays: Bollywood & Bhangra Dance at 6 p.m., then Slow Flow Yoga with Stephanie McCarrey at 7 p.m.
- Thursdays: Children's Bingo at 4:30 p.m., Blue Dragon Tai Chi at 6 p.m. and the Argentine Tango Series at 7 p.m.
- Fridays: Morning yoga with Stephanie McCarrey at 8 a.m., followed by Blue Dragon Tai Chi at 9 a.m.
- Saturdays: Bollywood & Bhangra Dance at 10 a.m. and Young Audiences of Houston at 1 p.m.
- Sundays: Zumba by Tiny Fitness at 9 a.m.
A few one-off events break the rotation. On Saturday, November 21, the Prelude Family Concert runs from 4 to 4:45 p.m. Its event page describes a 45-minute concert for babies, toddlers and preschoolers along with the adults who bring them, and links to Prelude Music Classes for Children. On Sunday, November 29, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is on the calendar from 2 to 4 p.m. On Wednesday, December 2, Japan Junction runs from 4 to 5 p.m., before the regular Wednesday dance and yoga.
Thanksgiving week stays on the calendar too. Children's Bingo, Blue Dragon Tai Chi and the Argentine Tango Series are still listed for Thursday, November 26, and Friday morning yoga and tai chi are listed for November 27. For any holiday-week session, check the calendar the day before.
Sunset Bingo is the evening series that doesn't follow the weekly pattern. The park runs it once a month on the second Friday.
Saturday, December 5, Hour by Hour
The festival opens at the same time as programming that was already on the calendar, so the first two hours of Saturday are the busiest stretch of the season.
| Time | What's on | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 10 to 11 a.m. | Bollywood & Bhangra Dance | Weekly Saturday series |
| 11 to 11:30 a.m. | Houston Grand Opera Storybook Opera, "Maria's Magical Musical Adventure" | One-day program |
| 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | 2026 Holiday Festival, day one | Annual festival |
| 1 to 2 p.m. | Young Audiences of Houston | Weekly Saturday series |
The opera is short and aimed at children. HGO's event listing describes "Maria's Magical Musical Adventure" as a 30-minute introduction to opera for students, led by a singing storyteller. It ends at 11:30, half an hour after the festival opens, so families can see the opera and still reach Santa early in the day.
The festival's own lineup is on its event page. It includes free photos with Santa Claus, a holiday market, a free craft station, live music from local performers throughout the weekend and a special performance by River Oaks Dance. The craft station also offers Hanukkah and Kwanzaa coloring pages, holiday printables and letters to Santa. River Oaks Dance is listed for December 5.
Saturday's Market Is Not Sunday's Market
The festival runs the same hours on both days, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The holiday market doesn't stay the same, though. The published vendor list marks some sellers for a single day, and those single-day sellers don't overlap.
Listed for Saturday, December 5 only: DeColores for Kids, La Lydia Garden Boutique, Namma 3D Prints, River Oaks Dance, Senserly Play Co. and SouthernSwirlsTx.
Listed for Sunday, December 6 only: Aera Aroma Atelier, Em&Em Designs, Hera Candle Design, Honeysuckle & Rose Candle Co., Native Skincare, Nicole Camille Designs and The Frenchie Candle Co.
Saturday's single-day vendors lean toward children: a children's brand, a play company, 3D prints and a dance studio. Sunday's lean toward fragrance and personal care. Three of the candle makers on the list, Hera Candle Design, Honeysuckle & Rose and The Frenchie Candle Co., are Sunday-only.
Most of the market has no date next to it. That includes Art of Gwing, Basita Foods, Baytna, Briggs 'n' Wiggles, Cage's Creative Corner, Deco That DIY, Designs by Lanese, Fluff-Mallows, Funwbeads Craft, Giraldo Chic Accessories, Honey and Thread Boutique, Houston Skateboards, JanyaStudio, LH Candle Studio, NV Jewelry Designs, PinkPopPolkaDot, SLG Leather, Sourdough Science, Sly Cat Studios, Sparkle and Shine By Lynn, State Line Designs, The Book Dragon, Twilight Candle Company and Utopia Candles & Beyond. If one specific seller is the reason you're going, especially a candle maker, look up its day on the festival page before you choose Saturday or Sunday.
The Park's Regular Restaurants Handle the Food
The festival page lists the park's three food and beverage concessions for the weekend. Gaspachos Mexican Bites serves counter-service handhelds such as tortas, flautas, hot dogs and tacos, plus treats for dogs. Hearsay Levy Park is the more elevated option, with eclectic American food. Kind Ice Cream covers dessert with cakes and ice cream.
The Gaspachos dog treats fit the park's layout. Levy Park's dog park has separate sections for large and small dogs, turf mounds, shade, a water feature and a double-gated entrance. Its Children's Park has a climbing wall and slide, a climbing sphere, lighted tunnels, dance chimes and a water feature.
Parking Near Eastside and Wakeforest
The festival page lists parking next to the park and along Eastside Street and Wakeforest Avenue at 2925 Richmond Avenue. Paid public parking is in the Kirby Grove garage at the corner of Richmond and Wakeforest. On Saturday, festival visitors and the 10 a.m. dance class will be arriving at about the same time.
Two Additions on the Way Home
Two late-summer openings close to the park are useful after the festival. Huynh Restaurant opened its Upper Kirby location at 2720 Richmond Avenue in August, and the Houston Chronicle's roundup of August openings covered its Vietnamese menu. Taha Market opened at 2621 Shepherd Drive on August 21, the Chronicle reported. It sells Mediterranean groceries, prepared meals, coffee and sandwiches and has café service. Taha's prepared meals make it a practical stop on Sunday evening after a weekend at the festival.
Our team at The LaRose Kaileh Group watches Upper Kirby's calendar the same way we watch its blocks, from Levy Park's weekly classes to the businesses opening along Richmond and Shepherd. If you'd like to talk about what this part of Greenway and Upper Kirby means for your home, Request a Private Consultation.
