In late November 2021, the Coeur d'Alene Press announced a new event planned for McIntire Park. The Hayden Chamber of Commerce's first Outdoor European Christmas Market would bring vintage goods, craft and gift sellers, European-style food, pastries, hot drinks, live music and Father Christmas to the park behind Hayden City Hall.
Five winters later, that open-air market won't be back. The Chamber's winter celebration for 2026 is a Friday-night dinner, fashion show and fundraiser held at a hotel. Hayden still has its own outdoor holiday night, though. It is the Lights Parade on Saturday, December 5, which now carries the season inside the city mostly on its own.
The Market Had Already Moved Once
The market moved away from McIntire Park before it moved indoors. The 2025 edition was listed at an RV campground in Coeur d'Alene:
| Year | Venue | Format | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | McIntire Park, Hayden | Outdoor market, inaugural year | $7 for both days, $5 for Saturday only |
| 2025 | Coeur d'Alene Elks Lodge #1254 RV Campground, 1170 W. Prairie Ave. | Outdoor, two days, Dec. 5–6 | $5 cash, kids 10 and under free |
| 2026 | Best Western Plus / Coeur d'Alene Inn | Indoor dinner and fashion show, Nov. 20 | $90, dinner included |
The 2025 listing in This Week North Idaho described an event held "completely OUTSIDE," modeled on the Christkindlmarkts that pop up in Germany and Austria during Advent. It promised warming fires, twinkly lights, food trucks "with a European flair," a vendor village and hot spiced mulled wine. The Coeur d'Alene Press holiday market roundup from that weekend listed it with more than 90 vendors.
An event that size, held outside in a North Idaho December, needs a lot of people and steady weather. The Chamber points to those two things in its own explanation. On its event page, it says that after "several wonderful years" of the outdoor market, "weather challenges and volunteer availability" led it to move the winter celebration indoors.
What Replaces It on November 20
The new event is called Winter Glamour with Heart: A Fashion Show for a Cause, and the Chamber bills it as "A New Hayden Chamber Tradition."
- When: Friday, November 20, 2026, 5:30 to 9 p.m.
- Where: Best Western Plus / Coeur d'Alene Inn
- Tickets: $90, dinner included, on sale now through the Chamber
- On the program: a winter fashion show with community members as models, a designer purse sale with newer to gently used purses, dinner and festive entertainment, a live auction and wine tree, raffle prizes and a paddle raise
- Event sponsor: LeafFilter Gutter Protection
The event also has a new purpose. The old market was a shopping weekend. The new evening raises money for one cause, St. Vincent de Paul's Winter Warming Center, which the Chamber describes as helping "provide warmth and safety for neighbors in need during the coldest months of the year."
The warming center has been getting attention this fall. In October, the Hagadone News Network reported that about 350 people came to St. Vincent de Paul's annual "Souport the End of Homelessness" event, which raised awareness and money for the center. Last winter, the Coeur d'Alene Press described the shelter as an emergency warming site off Seltice Way in Post Falls, with roughly 25 beds in separate rooms for men and women. It opened overnight when temperatures dropped to 33 degrees.
The date matters too. The 2025 market was set for December 5 and 6, the first weekend of December. This year the Chamber's event comes two weeks earlier, on a Friday before Thanksgiving. That leaves the first weekend of December to the city.
December 5 Is the Night That Stayed in Hayden
The City of Hayden's Hayden Lights Parade and Christmas Tree Lighting, sponsored by P1FCU, is Saturday, December 5, starting at 5 p.m. The parade starts at Hayden Avenue and heads south along Government Way in the northbound lane, then breaks up at Honeysuckle Avenue. The tree lighting follows right away in McIntire Family Park at 8930 N. Government Way, with Santa, games and giveaways.
That puts the city's outdoor holiday gathering in McIntire Park beside City Hall, the same park where the Chamber's market started in 2021.
The 2024 parade shows what the night is like. The Coeur d'Alene Press covered it as snow fell on Government Way. Hundreds of families bundled up to watch the lights, local dance groups, Olaf and Santa go by. The Grinch also rode past in a holding cell pulled by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office. The Vine Church and KCSO floats were among those recognized. The choir from Skyway Elementary led carols before the tree next to Hayden City Hall was lit.
"This is my favorite event of the year. I think the rain and snow kept some people away, but we still had a great turnout." Suzanne Cano, Hayden Recreation and Events Community Director, as quoted by the Coeur d'Alene Press, December 2024
Before the tree was lit, Mayor Alan Davis told the crowd, "We live in a beautiful area, and we are at peace," according to the same Press story.
That night shows why an outdoor event in December is hard to plan. The weather kept some people home even at the city's best-loved event, which is the same problem the Chamber names in its reasons for moving indoors. The parade has kept going because it asks less of the people running it. It lasts one evening on one street, and the city supplies Santa. Floats, bands and neighbors make up the rest.
Putting something in the parade
The 2026 application is open now. Entries are due Monday, November 30, 2026, at 5 p.m., and on parade day entrants pick up their parade ID numbers at 4 p.m. at a check-in station just north of Hayden Avenue and Government Way. The application and rules list these entry categories:
- Commercial or political
- Group
- Antique or classic vehicle
- Individual
- Equestrian
- Nonprofit
- Military, police, fire or rescue
The city asks entrants not to bring their own Santa, since it already has one riding in the parade.
The Season From Here, in Order
Hayden's parade comes last in a run of holiday nights across three cities. Here is the full calendar from this week through December 5:
- Wednesday, November 11, 11 a.m. Hayden's Veterans Day ceremony and the naming of its 2026 Distinguished Veteran, at the McIntire Family Park stage behind City Hall.
- Friday, November 20, 5:30 p.m. Winter Glamour with Heart at Best Western Plus / Coeur d'Alene Inn, $90 with dinner.
- Friday, November 27, 5 p.m. Coeur d'Alene's 34th annual lighting ceremony and parade on Sherman Avenue downtown, according to the CDA Insider holiday calendar.
- Monday, November 30, 5 p.m. Deadline to enter the Hayden Lights Parade.
- Friday, December 4, 4 to 8 p.m. Post Falls Winterfest at City Hall Plaza, also from the CDA Insider calendar.
- Saturday, December 5, 5 p.m. Hayden Lights Parade on Government Way, then the tree lighting in McIntire Family Park.
Of the six dates, two are outdoor gatherings in Hayden itself, the late-morning Veterans Day ceremony and the December 5 parade, and the parade is the only one after dark. Both are held at McIntire Family Park, which is also where the Chamber's market began in 2021.
If you're thinking about what this time of year looks like from a home near Hayden Lake, whether you're planning a holiday move or a sale in spring, Sarah Griffin knows this calendar as a local, not a visitor. Connect with Sarah Griffin for waterfront expertise and a personalized market valuation.
