On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Afton's Main Street will close to traffic long before the floats line up. The Afton Main Street Alliance is planning caroling, fire pits, s'mores and hot chocolate for that afternoon so people can visit the downtown shops before the Parade of Lights starts at dusk, Town of Afton Administrator Violet Sanderson said in a November 5 interview on SVI Radio. Sanderson said the parade itself is tradition. The afternoon before it is new.
It's one of several changes this year, and together they reshape the season. The valley's biggest holiday fundraiser has moved to before Thanksgiving. Afton is stretching parade day into an afternoon. Thayne and Star Valley Ranch each have a lighting night of their own. Star Valley's holidays now run from November 20 into mid-December, and each town takes its own turn.
The Season on One Page
| Date | Town | Event | Time and place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri. Nov. 20 to Sat. Nov. 21 | Afton | Star Valley Festival of Trees and Gingerbread Contest | Afton Civic Center; Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Sat. Nov. 21 | Alpine | Harvest Craft Fair | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sat. Nov. 21 | Afton | Holiday Craft Bazaar | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Thu. Nov. 26 | Alpine | Community Thanksgiving gathering | Alpine Civic Center, 2 p.m. |
| Thu. Nov. 26 | Afton | Community Thanksgiving Dinner | Noon to 2 p.m. |
| Sat. Nov. 28 | Afton | Small Business Saturday downtown, then Parade of Lights | Main Street; parade 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Mon. Nov. 30 | Thayne | Christmas Village and Business Tree Contest; Lighting Up Main | 6 to 8 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. |
| Thu. Dec. 3 | Afton | The Forgotten Carols | 7 to 9 p.m. |
| Fri. Dec. 4 | Star Valley Ranch | Second Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony | Town Hall, 171 Vista Drive, 6:30 p.m. |
| Fri. Dec. 11 | Alpine | Christmas Craft Fair | 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Sat. Dec. 12 | Afton | Team Tetons' The Grinch Who Gave Back movie experience | 10 a.m. to noon |
| Tue. Dec. 15 | Valley-wide | Bank of Star Valley and Silver Star Feed the Angels Food Drive | 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Times and dates come from the SVI community events calendar, the Town of Alpine's November 4 council recap and the Star Valley Ranch Nov./Dec. 2026 newsletter.
The Festival of Trees Opens the Season Now
The biggest change is the date of the Star Valley Festival of Trees. In 2025 it ran December 5 and 6 in the south extension building at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds, SVI reported. That was more than a week after Thanksgiving. In 2024, its second year, the festival was held at Gather at the Star of 89 in Afton, according to SVI's preview that year.
In 2026 it moves to the Afton Civic Center on November 20 and 21, the Friday and Saturday before Thanksgiving. The SVI listing shows Friday hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. This year the festival comes before every town lighting night in the valley.
Proceeds go to the valley's three food banks. At Alpine's November 2 council meeting, Councilmember Burchard said last year's event brought in about $30,000 and that volunteers are needed for setup, cleanup and help during the two days. In earlier years, trees went through a silent auction and gingerbread houses through raffles, SVI reported in December 2024.
The new date also stacks the valley's first holiday weekend. The festival's Saturday falls on the same day as two craft sales: the Alpine Harvest Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Afton Holiday Craft Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You could visit all three on November 21 by driving down US 89 and back.
Afton's Parade Day Now Starts in the Afternoon
Afton has held its Parade of Lights on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for years. This year that's November 28, with the SVI listing showing 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sanderson said the town wanted the festivities to run longer. Because November 28 is also Small Business Saturday nationwide, the Afton Main Street Alliance is building the afternoon around the Main Street shops.
The Alliance is also running a Light Up Main Street contest for decorated storefronts. Businesses register through the Alliance's Facebook and Instagram pages, and registration closes November 20, the day the Festival of Trees opens. On the 28th, Sanderson said, people can walk downtown, look at the displays and vote for the best one.
The Bank of Star Valley's Angel Tree application deadline comes two days later, on November 30, according to the Star Valley Chamber calendar. The bank's Feed the Angels food drive with Silver Star follows on December 15.
Thayne Has Monday Night to Itself
Thayne waits until two days after Afton's parade, on Monday, November 30. That evening the town hosts its Christmas Village and Business Tree Contest from 6 to 8 p.m., and Lighting Up Main in Thayne runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
Thayne and Afton both pair a business decorating contest with a lighting night, but on different evenings. So the shops in each town get a night with nothing else competing for the valley's attention, and a family in Etna or Freedom can go to both without picking one.
Star Valley Ranch Is Making Its Tree Lighting a Tradition
Next in line is Star Valley Ranch. Its second annual Tree Lighting Ceremony is Friday, December 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 171 Vista Drive. The town's newsletter says the event began last year as a new tradition, and it promises Santa Claus, Christmas treats and warm drinks. The town also says it hopes the ceremony keeps growing into a lasting annual event.
Afton's parade goes back years, and the Festival of Trees is in its fourth year. Star Valley Ranch's tree lighting is in only its second. Less than a week earlier, Thayne's lighting night falls on a Monday, and this one comes on a Friday. The newest town event in the valley has a date that doesn't overlap with any of the others.
December 4 sits between two Afton evenings. The Forgotten Carols plays there the night before, December 3, from 7 to 9 p.m. After that, the season moves toward the Alpine end of the valley. The Alpine Christmas Craft Fair runs Friday, December 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. The next morning, Team Tetons hosts The Grinch Who Gave Back movie experience in Afton.
Two Projects That Could Join the Season
Alpine is preparing an ice rink. At the November 2 council meeting, Mayor Green described the work so far: a new liner and boards, site grading, and lighting proposed with Lower Valley Energy. An anonymous $10,000 donation adds to the town's $20,000 budget. The council discussed permanent and temporary lighting, ice maintenance and the need for reliable volunteers, and then tabled the lighting permit and fee waiver until a later meeting, according to the town's recap.
Afton's project is aimed at future holiday seasons. The town is getting ready to demolish the Los Cabos building on Main Street and replace it with an open breezeway to the public parking lot on the east side. Contractors are touring the building this month ahead of a request for proposals. Sanderson said the town hopes to do some of the demolition over winter and early spring so the passage can open next summer.
Sanderson described the plan. The north and south exterior walls stay up, and the rest of the building comes down and is replaced with drained concrete. The space will be plumbed for public restrooms, and large timbers overhead will give the town a place to hang lights. She called it a gathering space for when Afton holds events downtown, and the first phase of connecting Main Street to the town's parks and parking, Starview Park included. If the timeline holds, next year's Parade of Lights crowd will have a new gathering space off Main Street, with timbers overhead for hanging lights.
From the Festival of Trees on November 20 to the food drive on December 15, the valley's holiday calendar this year runs nearly four weeks across Afton, Alpine, Thayne and Star Valley Ranch.
At Harland Brothers Real Estate, we keep track of Star Valley through the year, from council agendas to Main Street contests. If you'd like to talk about the valley, or want an introduction to the people organizing these events, we'd be glad to help. Work With Us.
