Main Street Delaware lights the Christmas tree at the corner of William and Sandusky streets, and almost everything else on the December schedule happens within sight of it. The free ice rink sits behind the Delaware Welcome Center at 20 E. William St. Santa takes photos inside that same building. The Great Gingerbread Build-Off is next door at COhatch, 18 E. William St.
This year a new pub sits across the corner from those addresses, and a familiar one is gone from Sandusky Street. Both changes affect where people will eat and drink between events this December.
The Tree Sits at the Corner, and Everything Else Is a Few Doors Away
Here is where the holiday season takes place, sorted by address:
| Address | What happens there this season |
|---|---|
| William St. and Sandusky St. corner | Tree Lighting Ceremony, Dec. 4 |
| 20 E. William St., Delaware Welcome Center | Santa visits inside, free skating rink out back |
| 18 E. William St., COhatch | Great Gingerbread Build-Off, Dec. 5 |
| 12 W. William St. | Hallihan's Irish Pub, open since September |
| Sandusky St., Mingo Park to Wilmer St. | Light the Night Christmas Parade, Dec. 6 |
| The Greater Gouda | Drop-off for Season of Shopping cards, due Dec. 23 |
Taken together, the season mostly runs along William Street, with the parade on Sandusky Street. A family that parks once on Dec. 4 can skate, see Santa, take a carriage ride and watch the lights come on, all without crossing more than one intersection.
What Opened on That Block This Fall
The newest business in that cluster is Hallihan's Irish Pub at 12 W. William St. It started full service on Monday, Sept. 14, after a run of soft openings, according to 614NOW. The pub moved into the space many locals still know as 12 West, which Lazy Dawg occupied more recently. The Delaware Gazette reported that the menu leans on Irish pub standards such as fish and chips and Reubens.
DelawareSource lists the owners as John Cordas, Jason Adams, Amy Adams and Mike Barker. The pub takes its name from Barker's family surname. Adams told the outlet he hoped to book solo acoustic performers, comedians and smaller bands, using the front-corner booth as a stage.
The holiday schedule makes the hours the most useful detail. Hallihan's is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. That means a sit-down place across the corner from the tree is open well past the 9 p.m. end of the Dec. 4 First Friday.
Sandusky Street got a new spot of its own in August. Espresso Air opened Aug. 12 at 34 S. Sandusky St., serving coffee and pastries from the owner's family bakery. For the Saturday-morning events on Dec. 5, that gives families a warm stop a short walk south of the corner.
Sandusky Street Has a Dark Storefront This Season
The other change runs the opposite way. Old Bag of Nails Pub served its last day at 66 N. Sandusky St. on Sunday, Oct. 11, after more than two decades downtown. Whatnow Columbus quoted the restaurant team's announcement: "We are unable to reach a long-term agreement with the landlord that would allow us to continue operations."
DelawareSource reported that the restaurant had been on a month-to-month arrangement since 2024. The brand also said it offered to buy the building and would be glad to return to Delaware if an opportunity came up. 1808Delaware reported that the building is being marketed for sale and for lease.
Every holiday season before this one, North Sandusky Street, where the parade runs, had a 22-year-old pub at No. 66. This December, the newest sit-down spot near the tree is on William Street.
November Is the Warm-Up
The run-up starts with First Friday on Nov. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. Main Street Delaware calls this one Community Harvest. It features Delaware County nonprofits, a City of Delaware Paint-a-Plow display and a pie-eating contest. A business food drive runs alongside it from Nov. 6 through Nov. 15.
The following Tuesday, Nov. 10, Oak & Brazen Wine Co. hosts a Friendsgiving at 6 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person or $120 per couple.
The Season of Shopping starts Nov. 21. Shoppers pick up a card at Main Street activities, mark off purchases at downtown businesses and turn the card in at The Greater Gouda by Dec. 23 for a chance at a grand prize. The prize is a bundle of gift certificates and items from downtown businesses. The national Small Business Saturday falls on Nov. 28 this year, a week into the card's run.
Canned food comes up again in December. The November food drive collects it, and the gingerbread contest uses it as the voting currency.
Dec. 4 to Dec. 6, Hour by Hour
Most of the season happens in this one weekend. Here is the sequence from Main Street Delaware's Christmas in Downtown page:
- Friday, Dec. 4, 5 p.m. Free skating opens behind the Delaware Welcome Center and runs until 9 p.m., provided by Snappy's Automotive and The Mason Foundation.
- Friday, 6 p.m. First Friday begins, with local music groups on the main stage and community vendors. Horse-drawn carriage rides run until 9 p.m. at $2 per person ages 6 and older.
- Friday, 7 p.m. Santa walk-ins open at the Welcome Center and run until 9 p.m. Photos by For His Glory Photography are free and include one print and a digital copy.
- Friday, 7:30 p.m. The Tree Lighting Ceremony starts with remarks and a countdown at William and Sandusky. Main Street Delaware's separate Home for the Holidays listing still shows the time as TBD, so check closer to the date.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. Dash for Dasher runs until 1 p.m., a clue hunt around downtown to find Santa's missing reindeer, with voluntary donations accepted. Santa walk-ins run 11 a.m. to noon, then appointments only from noon to 3 p.m.
- Saturday, 1 p.m. The rink holds a learn-to-skate session for children 10 and under with the WarCats Hockey Team until 3 p.m. Free skate follows from 3 to 5 p.m.
- Saturday, 3:30 p.m. The Great Gingerbread Build-Off starts at COhatch, now in its second year. Teams get three hours to build, and judging begins at 7:15 p.m. A $25 ticket covers a basic kit, and builders bring their own base no larger than 20 by 20 inches. The public votes by setting canned food in front of a favorite house. A judges' panel also awards gold, silver and bronze.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 1 p.m. Free skate runs until 5 p.m.
- Sunday evening. The Light the Night Christmas Parade steps off from Mingo Park and travels down Sandusky Street to Wilmer Street. The Christmas in Downtown page still shows the start time as TBD, and the Home for the Holidays listing gives 6 p.m.
Friday night is the only stretch where skating, carriage rides, Santa and the stage all overlap. Saturday spreads out across the day, ending with gingerbread judging a few doors from the rink.
The Quieter December Weekends After the Parade
After Dec. 6 the calendar gets lighter, and that suits anyone who skipped the big weekend. Carriage rides return Friday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. Santa keeps walk-in hours on Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 from 5 to 6 p.m., and on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 from 11 a.m. to noon. Appointment slots fill the hours after each walk-in window.
On Saturday, Dec. 12, the Delaware County Historical Society runs Holiday "Trolley" Tours at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person, and the boarding spot is still listed as TBD. Guides in vintage clothing tell the stories behind St. Mary Catholic Church, the Byxbe House, Old City Hall/William's Opera House, and St. Peter's Episcopal Church, with hot drinks, cookies and music before departure. Tickets go through the historical society.
Away from downtown, Flamin' Feathers is aiming for a mid-December opening at 132 London Road, pending final approvals. Whatnow Columbus reports a planned menu of Nashville hot chicken, wings, burgers and halal meat. In August, the Delaware Gazette reported that We Got Meat was set to open at 64 Coughlin Lane, Suite D, selling halal meat from its Coshocton farm.
The Season of Shopping cards are due at The Greater Gouda on Dec. 23, the last date on the downtown holiday calendar.
At Angelina Fox-Smith & Company, we keep track of what changes on these blocks from one season to the next, including which storefronts open, which go quiet and what that means for the streets around them. If you own downtown and want to know how this fall's turnover around William and Sandusky affects your street, schedule a free consultation and we'll go through it with you.
