Lawton's Christmas season starts at noon on Friday, Nov. 20, this year, and most of the season's big public events happen before the weekend is over.
That Friday and Saturday, three of the area's largest free holiday events overlap. The Craft Harvest Show opens at the Comanche County Fairgrounds. Fort Sill lights its tree a few hours later. The next evening, the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber's parade rolls into Elmer Thomas Park and opens Holiday in the Park for the season. Thanksgiving is the following Thursday, Nov. 26. Once that weekend is over, the calendar spreads out into single dates across Lawton, Medicine Park and Cache.
The free events are front-loaded, so the weekend of Nov. 20 takes some planning and December mostly doesn't.
Friday, Nov. 20, on two sides of town
The craft show opens first. The Lawton Crafts, Arts & Hobby Association hosts its Craft Harvest Show Nov. 20–22 in the Expo Building at the Comanche County Fairgrounds. The state tourism listing gives the address as 920 SW Sheridan Rd. and describes more than 200 booths of handmade work, including ceramics, Native American art, oil and acrylic paintings, holiday decorations, jewelry and woodwork. Admission is free. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
That Friday evening overlaps with the Tree Lighting Ceremony on post. Fort Sill MWR's annual event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at Patriot Club, 500 Upton Road. The Holiday Market and food trucks open at 4 p.m., and Santa lights the tree at 5:30 p.m. The evening also includes photos with Santa, Mrs. Claus and the Grinch, plus craft vendors and live music from local schools. It's free and open to the public, but you'll need a REAL ID to get onto the installation. Questions go to (580) 442-5300.
So on Friday afternoon you have two holiday markets running at once, one at the fairgrounds and one at Patriot Club. If you don't have a military ID, you may also have to stop at the visitor gate. The craft show stays open until 8 p.m. and runs two more days. Fort Sill's market happens on one night only. That makes a simple order for Friday: Patriot Club at 4 p.m. for the market, Santa's tree at 5:30, then the fairgrounds on Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon.
The weekend, in order
- Friday, noon. Craft Harvest Show opens at the fairgrounds Expo Building.
- Friday, 4 p.m. Holiday Market and food trucks open at Patriot Club on Fort Sill.
- Friday, 5:30 p.m. Santa lights the Fort Sill tree.
- Friday, 8 p.m. Both the craft show and the tree lighting end for the night.
- Saturday, 10 a.m. Craft Harvest reopens.
- Saturday, 6 p.m. The Holiday in the Park parade begins, followed by the grand opening of the park's lights.
- Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Last day of Craft Harvest, and the first full weekend day of Holiday in the Park, which opens at 4 p.m.
The busiest stretch is the 30 hours from Friday at noon to the start of the parade on Saturday evening. Sunday is the overflow day.
The parade starts earlier this year
The Chamber's Holiday in the Park page puts the 2026 parade on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 6 p.m. at Elmer Thomas Park, with the theme "Christmas Through the Decades." The City of Lawton's 2025 notice shows last year's parade started at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 22. If you're going by memory, plan to arrive half an hour earlier than you did last year.
KLAW reported that the theme is about "celebrating novelty and nostalgia of holiday seasons past," and that entries are encouraged to decorate their floats in their favorite decade of Christmas. KLAW also said lineup typically happens along C Avenue near Central Plaza, and the route heads north on 2nd Street into the park. Since "typically" is the station's word, watch for the final route. The 2025 street closures came out the week of the parade. That year, according to KSWO, park traffic closed at 4:15 p.m. and Gore Boulevard closed at SW Second Street at 4:45 p.m. Those were last year's times. Expect this year's to be posted closer to Nov. 21, most likely on the Holiday in the Park Facebook page, where KLAW says the Chamber will post updates.
Parade registration is still open through the Chamber, which also has a sign-up for opening-night vendors. Groups that want to be in the parade can call the Chamber at 580-355-3541.
After opening night, the park's weeknight hours are shorter
Once the parade ends, Holiday in the Park stays open every night through Thursday, Dec. 31, at Elmer Thomas Park, 501 NW Ferris Ave. The TravelOK listing says admission is free and projects 35,000 visitors. The listing describes a 150-foot Christmas tree of lights, lit tunnels and a giant Christmas cowboy hat and boots. It also lists a Christmas Train, horse and carriage rides, live performances and food. You can drive through to see the lights, but the listing makes the case for getting out and walking. KLAW adds ice skating and says bumper cars are new this year.
The listing also gives hours, which change between weekends and weeknights.
| Nights | Hours | Time open |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Saturday, Sunday | 4 to 10 p.m. | 6 hours |
| Monday through Thursday | 6 to 9 p.m. | 3 hours |
The park is open half as long on weeknights, and it opens two hours later. Visiting on a weeknight means coming after dinner and leaving by 9 p.m., which may suit families with young kids. Admission is free, but the Lawton Constitution has reported that some activities carry a charge, so plan on extras like skating or the bumper cars costing something beyond the free light display.
Opening night is also the most crowded night of the season. The parade ends inside the park just as the lights come on, and the craft show at the fairgrounds stays open until 6 p.m. that day. The park looks the same on a Tuesday in December. It just has fewer people and closes earlier.
December spreads out across three towns
After Thanksgiving there are fewer events, and they're spread over several weeks and several towns.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, Medicine Park. The Town of Medicine Park lists its Christmas Parade with lineup at 1:30 and the parade at 2. The parade is in the afternoon, so you can still get back to Elmer Thomas Park by the time the lights open at 4 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 8, Lawton. The Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra presents "A Classical Christmas." The event listing has it at 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 1313 SW D Avenue, with all seats $25. If you're used to seeing the orchestra at McMahon Auditorium, note the different venue, and check details on the orchestra's own page before you buy tickets.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, Cache. The Town of Cache lists the Cache Annual Chamber Christmas Parade, followed by a movie at Cache City Hall from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Look for the start time and route on the town's page closer to the date.
These three events are a week apart and have no overlapping times, the opposite of the weekend of Nov. 20. A household could fit all three around regular weeknight trips to Holiday in the Park.
A few practical notes
- REAL ID for Fort Sill. Visitors to the tree lighting need one to get on the installation. Check yours before Nov. 20.
- Craft Harvest is the most flexible of the three. It runs three days, so it's the one to move around the other two.
- Bring cash or a card for the extras. The lights are free, but some activities at the park charge separately.
- Thanksgiving week is a good time for a second visit. The park is open every night after Nov. 21, including the weeknights before and after Thursday, Nov. 26, when out-of-town guests are often around.
If friends or family are coming in for Thanksgiving or a December move and want help setting up their first Holiday in the Park weekend, The Wright Team can share what we know about the parade route, the Fort Sill gate and the best night to visit the park. Give us a call, and we'll see you at Elmer Thomas Park.
