Oxford's holiday season on the Square opens on Thursday, Nov. 12, with the Lighting of the Square at City Hall. Two days later comes the Shop Oxford Holiday Open House. Both dates fall in the only November week when Ole Miss plays away, at Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 14. With home games on Oct. 31, Nov. 7, Nov. 21 and Friday, Nov. 27, that one quiet stretch is when downtown switches from football to the holidays. Most of what follows it happens on weeknights.
Two Calendars on One Square
When you set the football schedule beside the holiday listings, you can see which days on the Square will be easy and which won't. Here is the stretch from this week through Christmas, with each event's day of the week.
| Date | Day | On or near the Square | Ole Miss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 29 | Thu | Micaiah Johnson at the Powerhouse; Cosmic Charlie at the Lyric | Off |
| Oct. 31 | Sat | Square Books Jr. Halloween storytime; Code Pink: Fang Banger at the Lyric | Auburn, home, 11 a.m. to noon window |
| Nov. 7 | Sat | Panic Stricken at the Lyric | Georgia, home, flex window |
| Nov. 12 | Thu | Lighting of the Square; The Stews at the Lyric | Off |
| Nov. 14 | Sat | Shop Oxford Holiday Open House | At Oklahoma |
| Nov. 21 | Sat | Holly Jolly Holidays opens at mTrade Park | Wofford, home, 11 a.m. |
| Nov. 27 | Fri | None listed | Mississippi State, home, 11 a.m. |
| Dec. 3 to 5 | Thu to Sat | YAC Holiday Art Market at the Powerhouse | Season over |
| Dec. 7 | Mon | Oxford Christmas Parade | |
| Dec. 21 | Mon | Long Night of the Tome at Square Books |
Ole Miss Athletics lists the Auburn game as an early kickoff between 11 a.m. and noon. Georgia on Nov. 7 has a flex window, either 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. or 5 to 7 p.m. Wofford and Mississippi State are both set for 11 a.m. The Saturdays with an early kickoff empty out by afternoon. Nov. 7 is the one to plan around, because the kickoff time isn't set yet.
Halloween Weekend Is Still a Football Weekend
The season opens on a home Saturday. Square Books Jr., at 111 Courthouse Square, has a Halloween storytime on Oct. 31 from 10 to 10:30 a.m., and costumes are encouraged. Auburn kicks off in the 11 a.m. to noon window that same morning. Anyone bringing kids to storytime will be downtown just as pregame crowds arrive.
The Lyric is busy the whole weekend. Cosmic Charlie plays Thursday, Oct. 29: doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., $20. Mustache the Band plays Friday, Oct. 30: doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m., 18 and up, $25. Code Pink: Fang Banger takes Halloween night with doors and show at 8:30 p.m. for $20. Also on Thursday, Square Books presents Micaiah Johnson for The Unhaunting from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Powerhouse, 413 S. 14th Street.
The City of Oxford's Trunk or Treat happens earlier, on Oct. 22 at mTrade Park. By the time this post is out, the only Halloween events left on the Square itself are the Saturday storytime and the Lyric show.
The Week of Nov. 12 to 14
This is the week the season actually turns, and it lines up in order:
- Monday, Nov. 9. Marcus Wicker and Emily Skaja appear for Dear Mothership and Black Lake at Off Square Books, 129 Courthouse Square, 6 to 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11. Adam Makos signs Tidal Wave at Off Square Books at 11 a.m. The event is signing only.
- Thursday, Nov. 12. Visit Oxford lists the Lighting of the Square from 6 to 7 p.m. at City Hall, 107 Courthouse Square. The Stews play the Lyric later that night: doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., $22.
- Saturday, Nov. 14. The Shop Oxford Holiday Open House runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with details "coming soon," according to Visit Oxford's listing. Ole Miss plays in Norman that afternoon.
The Lighting date closely follows last year's. Oxford News Now reported that the 2025 lighting was at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13, with Christmas carols beforehand. What gets lit is the canopy of lights. The Oxford Eagle described it as strands of lights draped from the storefronts up to the Lafayette County Courthouse clocktower, which creates a carousel effect. The paper reported that the city's Buildings and Grounds, Utilities and Fire Department crews prepared the display, and that the canopy came back as a tradition in 2018.
The open house hasn't announced its 2026 program yet. In 2024 the Oxford Eagle described it as a downtown event with a cookie stroll, Santa and Mrs. Claus, hot chocolate, a kids' craft village and a station for writing letters to Santa. That describes the 2024 event and doesn't confirm what this year's will include. The date has one clear advantage this year. With the team away, it's a holiday Saturday downtown without a home-game crowd.
Two Home Games Close Out November
On Saturday, Nov. 21, Wofford kicks off at 11 a.m. in Oxford. Holly Jolly Holidays opens that same day at mTrade Park, 4259 Old Sardis Road, with the Walk of Lights and Oxford on Ice running through Jan. 3, 2027. That's a good afternoon to plan around both, since the morning kickoff leaves the rest of the day open.
Two nights earlier, on Thursday, Nov. 19, Katy Simpson Smith appears for The Maltese Version at the Powerhouse from 6 to 7 p.m. Earlier that month, on Thursday, Nov. 5, Exodus Oktavia Brownlow and Robin Miura appear at the Powerhouse for New Stories from the South. Both readings fall on weeknights between home games.
The Egg Bowl moves Thanksgiving weekend around. Ole Miss Athletics lists Mississippi State at Ole Miss on Friday, Nov. 27, at 11 a.m. The game day is the Friday after Thanksgiving, which leaves Saturday, Nov. 28 without football. No Square merchant has posted holiday hours for that weekend yet. The weekend wraps up Sunday, Nov. 29, with the OXCM Hootenanny, a benefit at the Lyric with doors and show at 5 p.m. If you're hosting family for Thanksgiving, check the game-day plans in our Square parking post before Friday.
December Belongs to Weeknights
After the regular season ends, the calendar thins out and mostly moves to weekdays.
The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council's 2026 Holiday Art Market opens at the Powerhouse Gallery on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with an opening reception from 5 to 6 p.m. It continues Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4 and 5, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. On that Saturday, Joy Bateman signs The Art of Dining in Oxford at Off Square Books at 1 p.m.
The Oxford Christmas Parade is Monday, Dec. 7, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the Historic Downtown Square. This year's theme is "A Very Oxford Christmas." Visit Oxford's listing says entries are free and open to local groups from the Lafayette-Oxford-University community. Entries are accepted first come, first served, pending approval, and the listing urges groups not to wait to register. As of its Oct. 12 update, Oxford News Now said parade-night road closures and parking hadn't been published. Until they are, the city's downtown parking page lists free parking in the OPC/Water Tower lot and on floors 2 through 4 of the parking garage.
Then on Thursday, Dec. 10, Elizabeth Heiskell presents Joy Ride at Off Square Books from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The last downtown date is Monday, Dec. 21, for Square Books' Long Night of the Tome. Square Books stays open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Off Square Books from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Square Books Jr. from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Rare Square Books is closed that day. The store advertises complimentary cider and gift wrapping. The Lyric's posted calendar runs through Nov. 29, so any December shows haven't been listed yet.
A Weekly Stop Off the Square
The Oxford Community Market runs year-round on Tuesdays from 3 to 6:30 p.m. at the Old Armory Pavilion, 1801 University Ave. Between now and the end of the year, that's every Tuesday from Nov. 3 through Dec. 29. Like the parade and Long Night of the Tome, it's a weeknight event, and Saturday kickoff times don't affect it.
If you want to see how this calendar works from a home near the Square, where you can walk to the lighting or skip the parking, take a look at our Square neighborhood page. Zach Callicutt can walk you through which streets put the courthouse within walking distance. Book an Appointment and we can set up a visit this season, either before the Nov. 12 lighting or on one of the December weeknights.
