Jackson Hole Town Square Lighting: Friday, November 28
Jackson’s Town Square is about to get wrapped in enough twinkling lights to make your Instagram scream “We spent Thanksgiving in Jackson” without you even typing a caption.
While you’re downtown, wander through the shops. We’ve got local artists, western gear, fancy leatherwork, custom boots, and all the “support small business” ammunition you’ll need for the rest of the holiday season.
But the real show starts before 5 p.m. That’s when one of Jackson’s most cherished holiday traditions rolls in: Santa Claus arriving on a firetruck, sirens blazing like he’s late for a structure fire, candy canes flying, ready to kick off the season in his favorite mountain town.
Then, at 5 p.m. sharp, the Town Square flips the switch and bursts into a glowing winter wonderland. It doesn’t matter if you’ve lived here for two months or twenty years, this moment hits every single time.
Full Schedule of Events
- 4:30 p.m. – Hot cocoa and cookies from the Jackson Hole Boy Scouts
- 4:30 p.m. – Free holiday concert by the Jackson Hole Community Band
- 5:00 p.m. – Town Square Lighting Countdown
- 5:05 p.m. – Santa arrives on a firetruck
- 5:15–7:00 p.m. – Santa meets families and takes photos
Bundle up, grab a cocoa, pretend it’s not going to snow on your hair, and get ready for a small-town Christmas moment straight out of a snow globe.
The event has been around forever, though no one seems to know exactly how long. The Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce says the original elk antler arches were pieced together by the Rotary Club in 1953, 1966, 1967, and 1969, apparently whenever someone found enough antlers and free time. Those early arches were eventually auctioned off to locals, and the money was used to rebuild the sturdier, Instagram-approved versions we admire (and photograph excessively) today.
