At 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 22, the doors of the Yountville Community Center at 6516 Washington Street open for holiday crafts. Shortly before 6 p.m., everyone moves outside to the outdoor stage for performances, and then the Town turns on the holiday tree and thousands of lights across town. The Town & Tree Lighting is free and runs from 4 to 7 p.m. The Town asks that pets stay home.
That evening opens what the Yountville Chamber of Commerce calls six weeks of "Holidays in Yountville," from November 22, 2026, through January 1, 2027. Most of the season will be spread along Washington Street, across tasting rooms, restaurants, shops and hotels. The first stretch is different. From mid-November through the day before Thanksgiving, nearly every event on the Town's own calendar happens in the same building where the tree goes up.
Ten Days, One Address
The Town's October 21, 2026 edition of Yountville Connection lays out the late-November schedule. Set those dates next to the lighting, and every event except one council meeting points to 6516 Washington Street.
Through Friday, November 20. "It's About Color: Selected Works by Betty Priolo" stays on view at the Community Center. The exhibit centers on the artist's expressive use of color.
Monday, November 16. Open Art Studio meets in the same building from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., as it does every Monday through December 7. You bring your own supplies, there is no instruction, and every skill level is welcome.
Tuesday, November 17, noon. Local historian Rebecca A. Yerger gives "Yountville: A Community of Families, Part 1," a talk on the families who shaped the town and what they contributed. Town Council meets at 3 p.m. the same afternoon in Town Council Chambers.
Thursday, November 19, 12:30 p.m. Providence Health presents "Lunch & Learn: Our Aging Brains," a free, interactive session on brain health, memory and healthy aging. Lunch is included, and registration is required.
Friday, November 20, 6 to 8 p.m. Glow Pickleball takes over the Community Center with black lights, music, games and refreshments. Neon clothing is encouraged, and space is limited.
Sunday, November 22, 4 to 7 p.m. The Town & Tree Lighting.
Wednesday, November 25, 3 p.m. A community Thanksgiving gathering for residents who might otherwise spend the holiday alone, with an afternoon of food and conversation. Vice Mayor Pam Reeves, the Yountville Chamber of Commerce and volunteers are organizing it. Guests may bring a plus-one, and the Town asks for an RSVP through the link in its newsletter.
The same newsletter shows how quickly the calendar turns over. The Halloween Block Party filled the north end of Washington Street on October 31, and three weeks later the same street starts its holiday season. Between the two, the Town's programming moves back indoors to the Community Center. The stretch begins and ends there, with the Thanksgiving gathering three days after the lights go on.
Why the Lighting Lands Before the Holiday
The tree lighting falls on the Sunday before Thanksgiving again this year. In 2025, the Chamber listed it for Sunday, November 23, also the Sunday before the holiday. The 2026 date is one day earlier on the calendar and keeps the same place in the week. So the lights are already on when Thanksgiving week starts, and the Community Center holds one more town gathering, the Wednesday dinner, before the holiday itself.
The lighting is also the point where the season moves out of the Community Center and into the rest of town. The Chamber has asked Yountville businesses to decorate their exteriors with white holiday lights "during the countdown to the Town & Tree Lighting." Storefronts that go up white in the days before November 22 are part of that request. The Chamber is also running a 2026 Holiday Décor Blog to feature decorated lobbies, storefronts and business interiors.
What Changes After the Lights Go On
The Chamber's Holiday Resource Page sets the 12 Days of Yountville Cheer for November 28, Small Business Saturday, through December 9. During that window, participating businesses post limited-time offers on gifts, experiences and more. The Chamber introduced the campaign in 2025, when it started on Small Business Saturday, November 29. 2026 is its second year.
The Chamber's Holidays in Yountville calendar covers tastings, holiday treats, crafting, shopping, cooking classes, open houses and giving-back opportunities. Most of that calendar takes place in business spaces along Washington Street. The Town-run portion is mostly over by Thanksgiving.
| Phase | Dates | Where it happens | Who runs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Center stretch | Nov. 16 to Nov. 25 | 6516 Washington Street, plus a Nov. 17 council meeting in Town Council Chambers | Town of Yountville, with the Chamber on Nov. 25 |
| Town & Tree Lighting | Sun., Nov. 22, 4 to 7 p.m. | Community Center and outdoor stage | Town of Yountville |
| White-light countdown | Leading up to Nov. 22 | Business exteriors townwide | Chamber request to businesses |
| 12 Days of Yountville Cheer | Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 | Participating businesses | Yountville Chamber of Commerce |
| Holidays in Yountville | Nov. 22, 2026, to Jan. 1, 2027 | Tasting rooms, restaurants, shops, hotels | Yountville Chamber of Commerce |
The Bar Marking Its First Year Back
One Washington Street business goes into this season with its own date coming up. Pancha's, at 6764 Washington Street, reopened on December 19, 2025, so its first anniversary falls in the middle of the Chamber's six weeks.
The Press Democrat reported that Pancha's opened in 1982 and closed in 2019. Ren and Marilyn Harris, who own Paradigm Winery in Oakville, bought it in 2023 from longtime owner Bobby Solis. The building needed a near-total interior rebuild because of structural problems. According to the same report, the team kept the original name, character and purpose and brought in Scott Lewis, who also owns V Wine Center in Yountville, as managing partner. Paul Frank, a longtime Napa Valley vintner, joined as a co-owner. Harris told the Press Democrat, "I wanted to save what felt like the last vestige of old-time Yountville." Lewis said the response since reopening has been overwhelmingly local, with chefs, vineyard workers, veterans and longtime residents showing up in strong numbers.
The formal ribbon cutting came on January 15, 2026. The Yountville Sun's coverage quoted Mayor Margie Mohler: "This is the oldest business in the town of Yountville." The Tacos Garcia food truck was parked outside again for that opening. The Press Democrat noted that bars open until 2 a.m. are rare in Napa Valley, especially in Yountville. Hours have changed during the year, so check current hours before planning a stop after the lighting.
Last year the lights went on about four weeks before Pancha's reopened. This year the bar is already open on Washington Street when the town lights up.
Planning the Ten Days
Two of the Community Center events need registration ahead of time: Lunch & Learn on November 19 and the Thanksgiving gathering on November 25, which asks for an RSVP. Glow Pickleball has limited space. The lighting is free. Children's activities run inside from 4 to 5:45 p.m., and the move to the outdoor stage comes just before 6 p.m. The Town lists 707-944-8712 as the contact number for the event. To compare these ten days with the summer, our August post, Yountville Runs Two Calendars, and Only One Is on the Internet, covers the town's warm-weather routine. More background on the town is on our Yountville neighborhood page.
The Community Center calendar is a good record of how the town runs between its busy seasons, and that same local detail informs how we advise on Yountville property, from lock-and-leave cottages to estates near the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve. If you are weighing a property here, or want to know how a place on Washington Street fits into the town's year, talk with Jeff & Casey Bounsall. Work With Us.
