Downtown Hillsboro's Holiday Tree Rolls Down Main Street Friday. Here's How the Next Three Saturdays Play Out.
November 12, 2026
November 12, 2026
This Saturday and next Saturday, the same few blocks of East Main Street will host two different things. On November 14, the Downtown Hillsboro Saturday Farmers' Market sets up at 150 E. Main St. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., as it has on most Saturdays since April 25. On November 21, the market is off. Holly Days takes the afternoon instead, and at 6 p.m. the Mayor counts down the lighting of a tree that, as of this morning, hasn't reached downtown yet.
For the next three weeks, downtown's holiday season runs on a set order: tree, market, festival, market. After Thanksgiving it moves a few MAX stops east to Orenco Station. If you know the order, you won't show up with a tote bag on the wrong Saturday.
The season starts with hauling. According to the Hillsboro Downtown Partnership, HWY Heavy Hauling is one of the sponsors harvesting this year's locally sourced Holiday Tree and trucking it to Civic Plaza. Its route runs down Main Street on Friday, November 13, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The Partnership adds that Santa "may even be there to preside over the installation."
Once the tree is standing, the Partnership calls the next step its "Holiday Glam Up." The City of Hillsboro sponsors it and the Downtown Partnership does the decorating. That gives downtown a full week to dress the tree before anyone flips a switch. If you work near Main Street or happen to be downtown Friday at midday, you can catch the trip the tree makes before the crowds arrive for the lighting.
The plaza it's headed for has hosted this tradition for its whole life. The Partnership calls Civic Center Plaza the "community living room" and says it was built almost two decades ago. A locally sourced evergreen has been lit there every season since.
The day after the tree arrives, the market is back at its usual spot. It's one of downtown's longest-running habits. The Hillsboro Farmers' Markets describe the Downtown Hillsboro Saturday Market as "a tradition since 1982," an open-air market built around local farmers, artisans, live music and kids' programs.
Here's what the rest of the season looks like:
The market accepts debit and credit cards along with SNAP and Oregon Trail cards. It runs SNAP and Veteran's Match programs, and dogs are welcome.
November 21 is the market's second closed Saturday this month. The first was November 7, the same day the Downtown Partnership scheduled its Sip & Shop from 3 to 7 p.m., listed at 150 E. Main St. The Partnership listed 17 participating retailers and 16 pouring partners, with proceeds going to the Family Peace Center of Washington County. Both of the market's November closures fall on Saturdays when downtown hosts something bigger.
The Partnership bills Holly Days as the annual celebration "in Historic Downtown on the Saturday before Thanksgiving." This year that's November 21, from 2 to 7 p.m. The City of Hillsboro's winter events page lists the partners behind it. The Hillsboro Downtown Partnership hosts, working with Hillsboro Parks & Recreation, Community & Economic Development, Tuesday Night Market, Evergreen Christian Center and HART Theatre, plus local small businesses and organizations.
Here's the City's schedule for the Cultural Arts District Stage on the Plaza:
| Time | On the Cultural Arts District Stage |
|---|---|
| 2:00 to 2:45 p.m. | Trombone Christmas Northwest, presented by the Northwest Trombone Collective, with many Hillsboro students among the players |
| 2:55 to 3:30 p.m. | Latinx Choral Project, created by Lynn Mendoza-Khan |
| 3:40 to 4:20 p.m. | The Dickens Carolers, a Metro-area tradition since 1985 |
| 4:30 to 5:20 p.m. | Laura Cunard Quartet, jazz led by pianist and vocalist Laura Cunard |
| 5:30 to 6:05 p.m. | Oregon Chorale, first set |
| 6:00 p.m. | Tree Lighting Ceremony, with a performance by Hillsboro Dance Center |
| About 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. | Oregon Chorale, second set and community sing-along |
Oregon Chorale is based in Hillsboro and led by Artistic Director Jason Sabino. Its first set overlaps the 6 p.m. countdown and its second set follows the lighting with the sing-along. If you'd like to sing along, the Partnership posts a lyric sheet on its Holly Days page.
Away from the stage, the City lists these activity areas:
The North Pole is the easiest of these to find. The Partnership says to walk down 2nd Avenue toward Washington Street, where Santa and Friends will be posing for photos. It suggests dressing up for Christmas card pictures. HART Theatre's address is 185 SE Washington St. For the artisan side, the Partnership sends shoppers to Tuesday Night Market for a closer look at the Winter Artisan Market and its vendors.
Holly Days isn't only on the sidewalk. The Partnership says downtown merchants will be open with in-shop activities and promotions. It also points out that restaurants and personal service businesses sell gift cards if the artisan tables don't have what you're looking for.
One of those Main Street shops is also changing this month. The Hillsboro News-Times reported on November 2 that Willow & Ash, the family-owned gift shop Heather and Harry Rhoade opened in Forest Grove in 2022, won't renew its Forest Grove lease. The Rhoades are bringing their retail and custom services together at their downtown Hillsboro store at 244 E. Main St., which they opened last year. The News-Times quoted the business pointing to "the increasing challenging logistics of two shops that both do custom work." November 26, Thanksgiving Day, is the last day at the Forest Grove storefront.
For holiday shoppers, that puts the shop's custom services under one roof on Main Street. The paper lists custom apparel, embroidery, engraving, screen printing, and personalized gift baskets and boxes. That's useful to know nine days before Holly Days and about six weeks before Christmas, when anything engraved or embroidered needs lead time.
The Partnership recommends TriMet if you aren't walking or biking. The Blue Line MAX and several frequent bus lines stop at Hillsboro Central Transit Center, "just a few steps from the event." If you drive, the downtown parking page lists all-hours street parking and several lots:
The market comes back downtown on November 28. The next day, Sunday, November 29, the second half of the season opens at a different plaza. The City's Winter Village ice rink opens at Jerry Willey Plaza, 943 NE Orenco Station Loop, and runs through January 10, 2027.
The schedule is longer this year. The City says the rink is "open 7 days a week" for the first time. Weekday public sessions start at 4, 5:30 and 7 p.m. On weekends, sessions start every 90 minutes from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. A few details are worth knowing before you go:
Orenco Station is on the MAX Blue and Red lines, and the City notes that street parking there is limited. The Rowlock and Vector garages give the first two hours free if you display a ticket in your window. The City also lists sensory-friendly skates at the 7 p.m. session on Tuesdays, December 1 and 8, with fewer skaters, lower lighting and softer music.
If a move is on your calendar for the new year and you'd like the preparation, pricing and timing laid out as clearly as downtown's holiday schedule, Shannon Janssen is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
I work tirelessly for my clients and can be relied on to be responsive, thorough and persistent. Real Estate transactions can be stressful in any year, and that is especially true during a rapidly shifting market. By providing expert guidance, innovative marketing and results driven plans, I'm able to ease the process for every client.