On Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, Light Up Victoria was scheduled for Bayfront Park on Stieger Lake Lane, according to Midco's event announcement. The cold moved it. Carver County Local News reported that hundreds of people still came to the Victoria Lions Pavilion. Mayor Debra McMillian thanked the sponsors and switched on the tree inside the pavilion. The Holy Family Vocal Group sang carols, Studio West dance groups performed, and kids got Santa photos, winter games with candy-cane prizes and llamas to lead around.
The Light Up Victoria page puts the 2026 event at Victoria Lions Park, 1505 82nd St., and labels it "New Location." The event is Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and it's free. The City of Victoria and the Victoria Business Association host it together. The park that hosted last year's emergency move is now the planned site, and the pavilion stands in it.
Three Decembers, two parks
The location change is easiest to see year by year.
| Year | Planned site | Where it ended up | Program highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bayfront Park, 1730 Stieger Lake Lane | Bayfront Park | Holiday lights switched on, Santa photos, performances, caroling, cider and treats |
| 2025 | Bayfront Park, 1730 Stieger Lake Lane | Lions Pavilion, moved the same day because of cold | Tree lit inside the pavilion, carols, Studio West, Santa, llamas, winter games |
| 2026 | Lions Park, 1505 82nd St. | Thursday, Dec. 3 | Luminary trails, new holiday market, Santa photos, marshmallow roasting, winter crafts |
For two years, Light Up Victoria was planned for the lake end of Stieger Lake Lane. The 2025 event is the only one in this stretch that had to move on the day, and it moved to the park the city has now picked as the planned site.
Lions Park isn't new to evening events, either. In its August 27 fall events roundup, the city calls the park "one of our favorite community gathering spaces" and set its Park After Dark night there this fall, with activities, live music and the park at sunset.
What the Lions Pavilion brings to a December night
Last year's crowd landed at the pavilion because it has walls. The city's Lions Park page and facility rental listing describe the building like this:
- Enclosed, with heat. The pavilion is an indoor space, and the rental specifications list heat.
- Garage doors that roll up. It has several garage doors that open to join the indoor room with the park outside.
- A full kitchen and public restrooms. The restrooms are the park's public restrooms, inside the pavilion.
- Room for a crowd. It seats 218 at tables or 468 without tables, and the standing capacity is 656.
- Two parking lots. The park is in the Diethelm neighborhood, and the city says Light Up Victoria parking is in the Lions Park lot.
Hold those numbers up against the 2025 report. The newspaper counted the crowd in the hundreds, and the pavilion is listed for 656 people standing. The 2026 event page lists the restrooms inside the Lions Pavilion, so the event's restrooms are in a heated building.
The rest of the park adds to the night. The playground is rated for ages 2 to 12. The park also has baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, and the skate park. The skate park is a recent arrival. The city's park and trail project page lists it as complete on the west side of Lions Park, after the equipment moved from its old spot behind the Victoria Recreation Center.
A program written for the new site
The 2026 description is for an evening spread across the park. It mentions luminary trails, Santa photos, roasting marshmallows and winter crafts. Cane & Cotton will sell cotton candy, and sponsors will hand out drinks and treats.
The holiday market is new this year. The city calls it a "holiday village-style" setup of three to five curated vendor stands selling gifts, décor and seasonal accessories. Vendor applications closed Oct. 31.
The quiet start is new too. At 5:30 p.m., half an hour before the event begins, a sensory-friendly setting starts, with less noise, quieter music and fewer people. You can borrow a sensory kit from the Mobile City Hall. The kits include noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, tissues, wipes and sunglasses. Accessible parking is available at the venue. If your family does better before a crowd builds, 5:30 is the time to get there.
The 4 p.m. weather call still applies
Having a heated pavilion in the park doesn't make this an indoor event. The city bills Light Up Victoria as an outdoor event, and it keeps a weather plan. If bad weather is expected, the city will decide by 4 p.m. on Dec. 3 and post any cancellation on the event page. The makeup date is Thursday, Dec. 10, with the same 6 to 7:30 p.m. time and the same Lions Park location.
Last year's 2025 report shows the pavilion can handle a cold night. The 4 p.m. rule covers the nights when the forecast is worse than cold. If the sky looks questionable on the afternoon of the 3rd, check the event page after 4 p.m. before you load up the car.
Dinner is still downtown
With the event at Lions Park, the city now asks people to come downtown before or after. Its event page tells attendees to stop in downtown Victoria for dinner, and its program notes say local restaurants will offer seasonal treats and warm drinks at their own locations during the evening.
Stieger Lake Lane is changing too. The Star Tribune reported in June that Erik Forsberg was building Harland Chicken & Fish at 1715 Stieger Lake Lane. Fried chicken, shore lunches and seasonal lake fish were planned for the menu. A March council brief identifies the building as the one previously known as the Victoria House. This summer the City Council approved a halo-lit wall sign of about 53 square feet for the building, facing Stieger Lake Lane. Blue Agave Tacos & Tequila, in the Rowe Building on Rose Street, had its liquor license application approved by the City Council in March, subject to final approvals.
Downtown has a shopping date of its own five days before the tree lighting. The city lists Small Business Saturday for Nov. 28, all day, across downtown Victoria. The city doesn't run a formal event that day. Businesses send in their own activities and specials, and the city promotes them. The Light Up Victoria page also asks people to buy gifts and gift cards from local businesses this season and to leave reviews for their favorites.
The rest of Victoria's holiday season, by date
Light Up Victoria falls in the middle of a stretch of local events. Here's what's still ahead:
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 9 a.m. to noon. The Victoria Fire Department holds a free car-seat clinic at the new fire station, 8250 Kochia Lane.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, all day. Small Business Saturday across downtown Victoria.
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Light Up Victoria at Lions Park, with the sensory-friendly setting starting at 5:30. The makeup date is Dec. 10.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, 1 to 3 p.m. Three Rivers Park District hosts a free Winter Fire Building and Hot Cocoa program at Lowry Nature Center, 7025 Nature Center Drive, in Carver Park Reserve.
- Thursday, Dec. 31, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Last S'mores of the Year at Lowry Nature Center, $6 per person.
Lions Park keeps the same hours all season, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. So the skate park, the playground and the walk past the pavilion are open well after Dec. 3, until the snow decides otherwise.
The Haasken family and the team at Chestnut Realty have watched Carver County towns rework their traditions to fit the season, and this year Victoria's tree lighting moves to the park where last year's crowd found a warm room. If you have questions about Victoria's parks, its downtown or what's changing along Stieger Lake Lane, talk with a local Chestnut Realty expert. We're glad to share what we know.
