The Christmas tree at the Bandon Visitors Center lights up at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 28. On the Bandon Chamber of Commerce's schedule, that moment comes after two hours set aside for something else. From 3 to 5 p.m., the Chamber's holiday page sends people on a Nog Walk through Old Town, and Santa and Mrs. Claus greet kids from the trolley at the Visitors Center. Two weeks later, on Saturday, December 12, the pattern repeats. Another Nog Walk runs from 3 to 5, and the Holiday Light Parade sets off at 5:30.
Both nights are built the same way: an afternoon in the shops first, then the lights. The group behind the walks says as much. The Greater Bandon Association sponsors both holiday traditions, and its Nog Walk page is filed under economic development. If you plan for 3 p.m., you get both evenings the way they were designed. If you plan for 5:30, you've already missed the first two hours.
The Glass Is the Ticket
The Nog Walk centers on a souvenir glass. The Greater Bandon Association sells them for $10 at the event, from the picnic shelter behind Tony's Crab Shack on the waterfront. The walk is part of the association's Alive After Five series, and the Chamber's calendar lists Alive After Five Nog Walks on both November 28 and December 12, 2026.
Last year's listing explains how it works. The Chamber's 2025 Night of 10,000 Lights listing described the Nog Walk as part of Small Business Saturday, with Old Town merchants providing refreshments and activities. Writing in The World on November 25, 2025, columnist Mary Schamehorn called it a "nog and cider stroll throughout the community," with glasses sold for $10.
You carry the glass from storefront to storefront, and the stops are Old Town businesses, each pouring something. The Chamber hasn't posted a list of participating shops for 2026. Its holiday page says more activities and details are on the way, so call the Bandon Chamber Visitors Center at 541-347-9616 if you want to know who's pouring before you go.
A practical order for either Saturday:
- Get to the waterfront around 3 p.m. and buy a glass at the shelter behind Tony's Crab Shack.
- Walk Old Town until about 5, stopping wherever the doors are open and the nog is out.
- Head to the Visitors Center for the 5:30 tree lighting on November 28, or find a curb for the 5:30 parade on December 12.
The Saturday After Thanksgiving Sets the Calendar
Night of 10,000 Lights is tied to Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, so the event lands on November 28, the Saturday after. Last year it was Saturday, November 29, and The World noted that the date was "also known as Small Business Saturday." The Chamber's 2026 page doesn't use that phrase, but the date sits in the same slot.
That timing turns Old Town into an afternoon destination in its own right, with the tree lighting at the end of it. Last year's events were based in the Visitors Center parking lot from 3 to 5, with Santa and Mrs. Claus there for photos with children during the same window. This year the Chamber puts the couple in the trolley at the Visitors Center, with the tree lighting at the same spot at 5:30.
The weekend has company up the road. Shore Acres Holiday Lights near Coos Bay opens on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, and runs through December 31, 2026. The displays are in the formal garden from 4:30 to 9 p.m. According to Oregon State Parks, you need advance timed entry and $10 parking. It's a separate trip with its own booking, which makes it a good fit for a weeknight or for Friday the 27th. That keeps Saturday free for Old Town.
December 12 Is the Fullest Saturday on the List
The parade Saturday has the most going on, and almost all of it involves shopping. The City of Bandon's events calendar lists The Barn Christmas Bazaar that same day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bandon Community Center, 1200 11th St. SW, with local vendors and free admission. It runs again on Sunday, December 13, with the same hours. The bazaar closes at 3, the same time the second Nog Walk starts in Old Town. The Chamber's own advice for the day is to "arrive earlier in the day for holiday shopping."
Here's how the day lays out:
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | The Barn Christmas Bazaar, free | Bandon Community Center, 1200 11th St. SW |
| 3 to 5 p.m. | Second Nog Walk, $10 glass | Glasses at the picnic shelter behind Tony's Crab Shack |
| 5 p.m. | Parade lineup | Not yet published for 2026; near Bandon Fisheries Warehouse in 2025 |
| 5:30 p.m. | Holiday Light Parade sets off | Old Town |
Anyone Can Be in the Parade
The parade is open to everyone. The Chamber invites people to join with a vehicle, a pet or just themselves, and says: "No registration or fees are required." The Greater Bandon Association calls it an evening when participants "illuminate the evening with their spectacularly decorated floats."
Last year, entrants lined up near Bandon Fisheries Warehouse at 5 p.m. for a 5:30 start, and The World reported that no registration or fee was required. The Chamber's 2026 page gives the same times but hasn't named a staging spot or route yet. In past years the parade made a loop through Old Town's streets, starting and ending at a lot on the west end. Take that as history, not this year's map. Anyone decorating a vehicle should check with the Chamber in early December.
Because of the schedule, you can do both. Walk the Nog Walk from 3 to 5, glass in hand, then head to the lineup at 5 with lights already on. The Nog Walk ends right as lineup begins.
After the Parade, the Season Gets Quieter
Once the parade is over, the December calendar slows down. On Friday, December 18, at 7 p.m., Sprague Community Theater is showing The Santa Clause, an easy family night out the week before Christmas. Shore Acres Holiday Lights stays open nightly through December 31 for anyone who skipped it over Thanksgiving weekend.
For the two Saturdays that anchor the season, keep the order the organizers set. Buy the glass behind Tony's Crab Shack at 3, walk Old Town until 5, and be at the Visitors Center or along the parade route by 5:30.
Bandon's holiday Saturdays work best when you show up at 3 instead of 5:30. That's the kind of small-town detail the Curtis team loves to share with neighbors, new arrivals and visitors alike. If you're hosting family over Thanksgiving weekend or helping someone new to town find their way into Old Town traditions, Pacifica at Rogue Reef is glad to help. Explore Pacifica Living, and contact Marie for local expertise.
