The Richland Players posted all nine performance dates for their December show. The City of Richland's page for Winter Wonderland 2026 runs three sentences.
That gap shapes the season. As of late October, the parts of a Richland holiday that already have 2026 dates come from a gallery on Jadwin Avenue, a community theater on The Parkway, a cruise operator at Columbia Point Marina, a winery on Tulip Lane and the REACH Museum. The city's own celebration has a date, a time and a stage. The rest is listed as coming later.
Three Sentences, One Date, One Change
Here is the heart of the announcement on the Richland Parks and Recreation Winter Wonderland 2026 page:
"Save the date for Saturday, December 5 at 5:00PM where you can find us at John Dam Plaza for the opening night of Winter Wonderland 2026! We will also have activities to be announced taking place at the Richland Community Center and Howard Amon Park."
The third sentence is "Stay tuned and see you there!"
The city's programs and events calendar gives the same December 5, 2026 date at John Dam Plaza.
The date stayed the same and the day of the week moved. In 2025, NonStop Local reported that opening night ran on Friday, December 5, from 5 to 9 p.m. It was spread across John Dam Plaza, Howard Amon Park and the Richland Community Center. This year December 5 is a Saturday. Opening night now comes the day after the Richland Players open their holiday show, which turns the first weekend of December into a two-night downtown weekend.
The Dates Already in Print
These events have 2026 dates published by the organizers or by Visit Tri-Cities:
| Date | Event | Where | Who's running it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 12, 10:15–11:15 a.m. | Little Explorers: Terrific Turkeys | REACH Museum | REACH Museum |
| Fri., Nov. 27, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Black Friday Holiday Market | The Ruby Gallery & Events, 1384 Jadwin Ave. | ATOMIC ALCHEMY |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Small Business Saturday Makers Market | The Ruby Gallery & Events, 1384 Jadwin Ave. | ATOMIC ALCHEMY |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Santa & Mrs. Claus Cruise | Columbia Point Marina | Water2Wine Cruises |
| Dec. 4–6, 11–13, 18–20 | One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall | Richland Players, 608 The Parkway | Richland Players |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 5 p.m. | Winter Wonderland 2026 opening night | John Dam Plaza | City of Richland |
| Thu.–Sat., Dec. 17–19, 6:30–8:30 p.m. | Christmas Spectacular Dinner | Barnard Griffin Winery, 878 Tulip Lane | Barnard Griffin, with Mid-Columbia Mastersingers |
| Mon., Dec. 21 and Wed., Dec. 23 | Santa & Mrs. Claus Cruise | Columbia Point Marina | Water2Wine Cruises |
Eight entries, and only one of them belongs to the city. The rest of this post works through them in order. The season starts weeks before the plaza lights come on.
November Starts Small, Then Thanksgiving Weekend Fills Up
The earliest date is a morning program for little kids. The REACH Museum's Little Explorers: Terrific Turkeys runs Thursday, November 12, from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. It's free for members and included with general admission.
After that the calendar is quiet until the day after Thanksgiving, when two days of shopping happen at the same Jadwin Avenue address. ATOMIC ALCHEMY's Black Friday Holiday Market runs Friday, November 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Ruby Gallery & Events, 1384 Jadwin Ave. The next day the same organizer holds its Small Business Saturday Makers Market at the same venue, with the same hours.
That Saturday, November 28, is also the first of three dates for Water2Wine Cruises' Santa & Mrs. Claus Cruise, which leaves from Columbia Point Marina on Richland's Riverfront Trail. The operator lists the cruise at 1.5 hours. If you want a weekend that pairs a market with a cruise, November 28 is the one date when both are running. The later cruises fall on December 21 and 23, after the Jadwin markets are over.
The First Weekend of December Covers Two Nights
The Richland Players open One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall on Friday, December 4. The theater lists it as a dramatic comedy about last-minute shoppers and mall employees on a Midwestern Christmas Eve. It runs three weekends: December 4–6, 11–13 and 18–20, 2026, at the company's theater at 608 The Parkway. The season page doesn't list showtimes, so check the Players' site before you plan dinner around a curtain.
Winter Wonderland opens at John Dam Plaza the next evening, Saturday, December 5. Visit Tri-Cities' Winter Wonderland page names the HAPO Community Stage at John Dam Plaza as a hub for Santa and Mrs. Claus visits, live entertainment and food vendors. That page still describes the 2025 kickoff, so treat it as a description of the venue, not as this year's schedule.
The theater opens on Friday, December 4, and the plaza on Saturday, December 5, so the two openings fall on back-to-back nights.
Last Year's Program, Until This Year's Is Posted
The city hasn't said which 2025 traditions will return. Here's what the 2025 opening night included, based on the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce notice from December 3, 2025, and the NonStop Local coverage. Everything on this list is from 2025:
- Lighted Vehicle Parade at 6 p.m.
- Countdown Light Show at 6:30 p.m.
- Lighted Boat Parade at Howard Amon Park around 7:30 p.m., weather permitting
- Dancing Light Show at John Dam Plaza nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. through the New Year
- Santa and Mrs. Claus, food vendors, holiday crafts and Santa's reindeer
As of late October, the city hadn't posted 2026 registration for either parade, a vendor application, run dates for the light show or a sponsor list. The city's signature events listing says only "More to come." If you entered a decorated truck or boat last year, that page is where 2026 entry details should appear.
Downtown Keeps Its Current Shape Through the Holidays
Every downtown event on this calendar happens on streets that won't change before January. In May, the Tri-Cities Observer reported that construction on Richland's downtown one-way plan won't begin until 2027 because of a federal funding delay. The most recent closure on the city's construction and traffic delays page was a set of Friday closures at Parkway and Lee Boulevard, running October 22–30, 2026, with Parkway businesses staying open. The page lists nothing scheduled for November or December.
So getting to the plaza, the Parkway theater and Howard Amon Park this December works the way it always has. This may be the last holiday season downtown runs on the current street layout.
The Back Half of December Is Already Booked
The latest dates on the calendar are the most specific. Barnard Griffin Winery at 878 Tulip Lane hosts its Christmas Spectacular Dinner on December 17–19, 2026, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with a concert by the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers. On the 18th and 19th it overlaps with the last weekend of One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall, which closes December 20.
The last two Santa & Mrs. Claus Cruises fall on Monday, December 21, and Wednesday, December 23, from Columbia Point Marina. They're the latest dates on this calendar, and both fall on weeknights.
Here's the order for planning:
- Book anything with a fixed seat first: the dinner at Barnard Griffin, a Players performance or a cruise date.
- Hold Thanksgiving weekend for Jadwin Avenue and the November 28 sailing.
- Leave Saturday, December 5, open for John Dam Plaza, then check the Parks and Recreation page for the parade and light-show details when the city posts them.
At Desert Edge Realty Group, we live and work in Richland, and our December calendar fills up from these same dates. If you're hosting family this season and want suggestions for a Parkway evening or a riverfront afternoon, or you'd just like to know when the city posts the full Winter Wonderland schedule, reach out and we'll pass along what we know.
