In 2024, Light Up Mars ran from 4 to 8 p.m. The parade stepped off at 7:30, two hours after the tree was lit. This year the Light Up Mars schedule has the holiday market opening at noon and the parade starting at 6 p.m. By the time the 2024 parade was getting started, the 2026 event will be over.
The tree lighting stayed at 5:30. The rest of the day moved earlier and filled up the afternoon. The new schedule makes Light Up Mars a shopping day first and a light-up night second. For anyone in Treesdale, it is now the easiest way to spend Small Business Saturday downtown.
The Clock Moved, but the Tree Lighting Didn't
The change happened in 2025, and 2026 keeps it. Here are the published schedules from recent years:
Year | Event hours | Tree lighting | Parade |
|---|---|---|---|
2022 | 4 to 8 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. |
2024 | 4 to 8 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. |
2025 | Noon to 6 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | 6 p.m. |
2026 | Noon to 6 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | 6 p.m. |
The 2022 and 2024 times come from Butler Eagle advance coverage in 2022 and 2024. The paper's 2025 roundup listed the noon start and the 6 p.m. parade. The 2026 hours are on the event's own site.
Under the old schedule, there were two hours of darkness between the tree lighting and the parade. That gap is down to 30 minutes. The four extra hours at the start of the day all fall while downtown shops are open.
The holiday season in Mars has been marked this way for a long time. A 2009 Butler Eagle story described an annual Christmas parade and light-up event that the Adams Area Fire District organized. Even then, some residents had been going for a decade. By 2022, the borough was running the event itself. That year it added a holiday market with craft vendors and a first chili cookoff. In 2023, the market had more than 40 food, drink and artisan vendors. The market grew first, and the schedule later expanded to give it room.
Why the Date Lines Up With Small Business Saturday
Light Up Mars has been held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving every recent year: Nov. 25 in 2023, Nov. 30 in 2024 and Nov. 29 in 2025. That Saturday is also Small Business Saturday. This year the U.S. Small Business Administration lists it as Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, two days after Thanksgiving.
An evening event caught the end of that shopping day. A noon start overlaps it, and last year the borough made the connection official. The Butler Eagle's report on the 2025 event said Light Up Mars "doubled as Mars' Small Business Saturday." It included a scavenger hunt that sent people into local shops, and anyone who finished it could enter a raffle for baskets assembled by local businesses.
The 2026 version goes further. The Mars Small Business Showcase scavenger hunt starts at noon. Finished cards go to the Mars Area Public Library booth by 4:30 p.m. The prize is a chance to ride with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the 6 p.m. parade. That one rule makes the shopping and the parade part of the same game.
Where the Afternoon Happens on Grand Avenue
The schedule puts two downtown businesses at the center of the afternoon. Horse-drawn carriage rides from Misty Lanes Performance Horses run from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Every ride starts and ends at Nosh & Curd, at 113 Grand Ave. Nosh & Curd sells cheese, charcuterie and coffee, offers catering and has dine-in seating. It has also run build-your-own charcuterie classes this fall. Since the carriage line forms at its door, a lot of the afternoon's foot traffic will start there.
The Mars Area Public Library booth is where scavenger hunt cards are turned in. At the 2025 event, the library's tent sold baked goods and handed out free wrapped books to children.
The 2025 coverage also shows how much newer businesses gain from the daytime schedule. FYIE Boutique held its grand opening on the day of Light Up Mars 2025, alongside longtime downtown names like Mars Pizza and Pfeifer's Hardware. A year later, FYIE is still running its women's fashion and lifestyle shop at 134 Grand Avenue, with posts from late October 2026 promoting items in the downtown store. Pfeifer True Value Hardware is at 300 Marshall Way. It supplied the popcorn for the movie at the borough's July 4th celebration this year.
Capone's House of Pasta is a newer name downtown, at 200 West Hook Street, just off Grand Avenue. The 228 Times reported in May that it would serve handmade pasta and sauces and set its public opening for May 19.
The holiday market itself runs from noon to 5:30 p.m., with local vendors, gifts, seasonal treats, and food and drink. Last year the market drew vendors from other parts of Butler County, such as Not Your Average Shop, a toy store in Evans City.
Planning the Afternoon From Treesdale
With the old schedule, getting there by the 5:30 lighting was enough. Now the cutoffs come earlier, and missing one means missing the part of the day that's new. Using the official schedule, here is how the day lines up:
- Noon. The holiday market opens and scavenger hunt cards are available. An early start leaves the most time for both.
- 2 p.m. Carriage rides start at Nosh & Curd and run until 5:30.
- 3 p.m. Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus begin by the Mars spaceship and the holiday tree. They also run until 5:30.
- 4:30 p.m. Last chance to turn in scavenger hunt cards at the Mars Area Public Library booth. After this, you can't enter for the parade ride.
- 5:30 p.m. The tree lighting. The market, carriage rides and Santa photos also end at this time.
- 6 p.m. The Light Up Mars Parade.
The 4:30 card deadline is the time that matters most. Families who want a shot at the parade ride need to visit the participating shops in the early afternoon, before the carriage and Santa lines get long.
Dress for cold weather, since the whole event happens outdoors in late November. In 2024, street closures for the evening event ran from 1 to 8:30 p.m. That plan was built for the old hours, so check the Mars Borough events page and the Light Up Mars site closer to the day for this year's parking and road details.
After the 28th, the Season Stays on Daytime Hours
Light Up Mars starts a season of community events that mostly happen in daylight, and Adams Township's own December dates work the same way. The township's announcements page lists a Toys for Tots collection through Friday, Dec. 11. Donations go to the Municipal Building between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you're buying a gift for the collection, the Nov. 28 market is a convenient place to pick one up, as long as you drop it off before the Dec. 11 deadline.
The same page lists National Wreaths Across America Day as Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026. Mars VFW Post 7505 is taking wreath sponsorships for veterans' graves at Mars Cemetery, West Union Cemetery and Mt. Olive Cemetery.
If you have holiday guests coming before you list your home this winter, Zita Billmann can help you get it ready for its own debut while the season is still on. Request a free home valuation, and we'll give you a clear pricing picture before the new year.