From early November to New Year's Day, Lovettsville's town holiday season has seven dates. Three of them, the tree lighting, the Cocoa Crawl and the Menorah Lighting, fall inside one stretch of about 48 hours on the first weekend of December. Two Town sources give different nights for the first of those three. The Town Square restaurants that anchor the walk have also changed since the 2025 crawl, so last year's route will be a little off this year.
Below is the season in order, with that crowded weekend in the middle.
The season at a glance
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Oct 31 | Halloween trick-or-treating | Homes with porch lights on | No set hours; usually about 6 to 8:30 p.m. |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Veterans Day Ceremony | Lovettsville Veterans Memorial | 11 a.m. |
| Fri, Dec 4 or Sat, Dec 5 | Wintertainmentfest and Tree Lighting | Zoldos Square, "the Squirkle" | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Cocoa Crawl | Town-wide | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. per Town notice; noon start per event page |
| Sun, Dec 6 | Menorah Lighting Ceremony | Town Council Chambers | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sun, Dec 13 | Light Up Lovettsville judging | Town-wide | Not listed |
| Thu, Dec 17 | Light Up Lovettsville awards | Town Council Chambers | 6 p.m. |
| Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | Berserkle on the Squirkle | Zoldos Square | Set up 9:30 a.m., start 11 a.m. |
The two dates in the third row are explained below.
Halloween and Veterans Day
Halloween is this Saturday. The Town's trick-or-treating page lists October 31 without official hours. It says the usual window is about 6 to 8:30 p.m., at homes with the porch light on.
Eleven days later, the Veterans Day Ceremony is Wednesday, November 11, at 11 a.m. at the Lovettsville Veterans Memorial. The Town's page asks the public to attend and doesn't mention registration.
Before that, the dining calendar has one event. Market Table Bistro at 13 E Broad Way lists a wine dinner on Sunday, November 8, at 4 p.m. Its regular dinner hours are Friday and Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. If you're planning Thanksgiving, Lovettsville Cooperative Market has holiday turkey ordering on its site, next to its deli menus and specials.
The weekend that carries the season
From the tree lighting through the Menorah Lighting, the first weekend of December holds three of the season's seven dates. All three take place at the Squirkle or in Town Council Chambers.
The tree lighting date differs between Town pages
Wintertainmentfest is the Town's tree lighting. The event page lists a lantern parade, a school chorus, a seasonal reading, the Christmas Pickle and Santa, starting at 6:30 p.m. at Zoldos Square.
That page puts it on Friday, December 4. The Events & Tourism page and the Town calendar adopted February 26, 2026 also say December 4. The Town Clerk's Notice of Public Gathering, updated September 23, 2026, lists it on Saturday, December 5, at 6:30 p.m. That would be the evening after the Cocoa Crawl.
The difference matters for planning. On December 4, the weekend is three separate nights: lights Friday, cocoa Saturday, menorah Sunday. On December 5, Saturday runs from the first crawl stop to the lighting of the tree on the square. Check with the Town as the weekend approaches.
The Cocoa Crawl
The 2026 Cocoa Crawl page lists Saturday, December 5, starting at noon. It says the passport, menu and prizes will be announced. The September public gathering notice lists the crawl town-wide from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Once the 2026 passport is released, it should settle the hours.
The Menorah Lighting
On Sunday, December 6, the Menorah Lighting Ceremony is at 6:30 p.m. in Town Council Chambers.
The square the crawl walks has changed
The crawl's route is where the year-over-year changes show. The 2025 Cocoa Crawl had eleven participating businesses.
- 1836 Kitchen & Taproom
- Andy's Pizza & Subs
- Back Street Brews
- Daughter Thai
- El Pitayo
- Lovettsville Co-op Market
- Market Table Bistro
- Rodeo's
- Train to Mumbai
- Velocity Wings
- Willow's Vintage Charm
That's last year's lineup. The 2026 participants haven't been announced, and at least one storefront on the list now has a different tenant.
Twisted Cat Tavern took over the former Velocity Wings space at 20 Town Square. The Burn reported that it's the brand's second location. The first opened in Lansdowne in 2023. Loudoun Now covered its opening at 20 Town Square #100, with a ribbon cutting on August 21, 2026. It reported hours of Tuesday through Sunday, 2 to 11 p.m. That puts a 2 p.m. opening in the middle of the Cocoa Crawl window and a 6:30 p.m. tree lighting a short walk from the bar.
Twisted Cat shares the building with Rasco NY Pizza in Suite 120, which posts daily hours and takes online orders. Several 2025 crawl stops still appear on the Town's August 2026 business license roster, including Back Street Brews, 1836 Kitchen & Taproom, Rodeo's Mexican Grill, Train to Mumbai, Willow's Vintage Charm and the Co-op. Back Street Brews is at 11 E Pennsylvania Ave. Market Table Bistro is at 13 E Broad Way, so the walk extends past the square in both directions.
Light Up Lovettsville runs on a later clock this year
After the first weekend, the season moves from the square to front yards. Light Up Lovettsville judging is Sunday, December 13, town-wide. Awards follow on Thursday, December 17, at 6 p.m. in Town Council Chambers.
In 2025, decorations had to be up by Monday, December 8, and the awards were on Thursday, December 11. This year's judging is five days later than last year's decorating deadline. The 2026 entry form and deadline haven't been posted yet. Treat the 2025 rules as reference only until the Town publishes this year's.
A 5K of 27 laps on New Year's Day
Berserkle on the Squirkle is a costume 5K run as 27 laps around Zoldos Square. Each participant brings a regifted gift. For the January 1, 2026 race, registration opened at 10 a.m. and the race started at 11. The Town's recap says Lovettsville Volunteer Fire and Rescue helped participants stretch and warm up. The adopted calendar lists the race again for January 1, 2027. The public gathering notice gives set up at 9:30 a.m. and the start at 11 a.m.
One civic date that falls before the holidays
Not everything on the November calendar is festive. The Town held a design public hearing on October 22 for the South Loudoun Street School Trail. The trail is a planned shared-use path from the Berlin Turnpike intersection to Lovettsville Park Drive, with ADA paths, drainage culverts and ramps. Written comments are accepted through November 6, five days before the Veterans Day Ceremony.
If the season has you thinking about selling in the new year, the Matt Elliott Home Selling Team can walk your Lovettsville property now and help plan photos while the lights are still up. Request a Free Seller Consultation.
