For years, Prineville's holiday calendar had one obvious peak, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. That day brings Santa's Workshop at the fairgrounds, Small Business Saturday downtown and the Lighted Christmas Parade after dark. This year a second Saturday has formed two weeks later. On December 12, the Prineville Holiday Market returns to the Crook County Fairgrounds Indoor Arena for its second year, and downtown is planning a new evening celebration for the same date. The market's first year drew a crowd of close to 1,300, and that is a big part of why December 12 now looks like the parade weekend.
Here is how both days are shaping up, and what fills the two weeks between them.
The season started before Halloween
Downtown Prineville began the season on Thursday, October 29, when Bayberry Lane and Click Boutique held their annual Holiday Reveal at 341 N Main Street, Suite B. According to Welcome to Prineville, the event usually falls in early November, so this year's reveal came about a week earlier than usual. Bayberry Lane is a family-owned shop selling home décor, apparel, gifts and refinished furniture. It also takes part in downtown's recurring Sip and Shop and Candy Crawl events through the year.
The early start sets up a long season, but most of the activity lands on two Saturdays.
November 28: the Saturday Prineville already knows
The Saturday after Thanksgiving packs three events into one day, starting at the fairgrounds in the morning and moving downtown by evening.
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Santa's Workshop Craft Bazaar | Carey Foster Hall, Crook County Fairgrounds |
| 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Children's holiday activities and crafts | Grizzly Pavilion, Crook County Fairgrounds |
| All day | Small Business Saturday | Participating downtown merchants |
| 5 p.m. | Annual Lighted Christmas Parade | Starts on West 3rd Street |
The Crook County Parks and Recreation District runs Santa's Workshop and Craft Bazaar, with local artisan vendors in Carey Foster Hall and children's crafts, activities and Santa photos in Grizzly Pavilion. The Prineville-Crook County Chamber of Commerce promotes Small Business Saturday and helps put on the Lighted Christmas Parade. The parade, with decorated floats, lights and holiday music, starts on West 3rd Street and runs through town. Because it starts after dark, families can shop the bazaar in the morning, spend the afternoon downtown and find a spot along Third Street for the parade.
The second Saturday follows the same pattern, fairgrounds by day and downtown by night. The difference is that December 12 is only in its second year.
How December 12 became a second big Saturday
The Prineville Holiday Market began with one organizer who had been asked for years to hold it. In November 2025, the Central Oregonian reported that Brandi Ebner, owner of One Decision Management, LLC, was launching a first annual Holiday Market at the Crook County Fairgrounds. The plan was 75 vendors, free admission, and the indoor arena as the venue. Ebner already ran warmer-weather markets in Prineville, including a late-spring May Market and Western Days, which has historically been part of the Crooked River Roundup festivities. She told the Central Oregonian why she added a holiday market:
"For a number of years, I have had a lot of vendors encourage me to put on one really big holiday bazaar in Prineville. This year, I finally bit the bullet."
She also told the paper that the indoor arena was the only fairgrounds building big enough for an event of that size.
The turnout supported her choice. According to One Decision Management's market page, the first event sold out and drew crowds of close to 1,300 people. The 2026 market is set for Saturday, December 12, and vendor spaces are already sold out, with a waitlist for anyone hoping to get in. Event listings give hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the fairgrounds, 280 S Main St.
Downtown is planning its own December 12 evening
The same day, downtown Prineville is planning a new celebration called A Holiday Party… and to All a NOG Night! Welcome to Prineville describes it as an evening event spread across downtown, with participating businesses hosting activities. The plans include luminarias lining the walkways, carolers, Santa photos, seasonal treats and costumed characters.
Visitors will be encouraged to move through downtown at their own pace, stopping at participating businesses called North Pole Stops to collect stamps and take part in end-of-evening prize drawings. The format gets people walking from one storefront to the next. A crowd coming from a daytime market at the fairgrounds is the kind of crowd it is designed for.
With a market at the fairgrounds by day and luminarias downtown at night, December 12 now follows the same shape as November 28.
Planning December 12
The two December 12 events have different needs, so here is a plan for the day in order:
- Dress for the arena. The market is in the fairgrounds Indoor Arena, which has a hard-packed dirt floor. Heaters are brought in, but the organizer recommends sweaters and jackets.
- Expect more than holiday décor. Vendors don't have to sell Christmas items, and the organizer welcomes anything that could make a good gift.
- Shop early. The market opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. Close to 1,300 people came in its first year, so the morning is the time to browse with more room.
- Head downtown in the evening. Collect stamps at the NOG Night North Pole Stops and stay for the prize drawings at the end of the night.
Food truck operators interested in the market can contact the organizer directly through the One Decision Management page before applying.
The two weeks between
Shopping continues between the two Saturdays. From November 24 through January 1, the Scan A Claus program runs as part of Holiday PATHWAYS, which is put on by Warren Buffers Living Services. Participating businesses, community organizations and seasonal activities post QR codes, and each scan points to a local shop, a gift idea, a place to eat or a community cause. Details and the list of participants are on the Prineville Holiday PATHWAY page.
The Posie Shoppe has also run a 12 Days of Christmas promotion in past Decembers, which gives people another reason to come downtown after the parade weekend.
Scan A Claus runs right through both Saturdays, so the QR codes you pass on November 28 will still be up on December 12. With an early reveal in October and a program that runs to New Year's Day, Prineville's season is longer than it used to be. The busiest stretch is still November 28 to December 12.
For the latest on each event, check the organizers' own pages: CCPRD for Santa's Workshop, the Prineville-Crook County Chamber for the parade and Small Business Saturday, and One Decision Management for the Holiday Market.
At Team Fitch, we enjoy seeing Crook County's own calendar grow, from a parade weekend people have counted on for years to a December market that sold out its vendor spaces in its second year. If you'd like to talk about life in Prineville and the surrounding ranch country, between Saturdays or any time after, we'd be glad to sit down with you. Start Your Search or Book a Consultation.
