Last winter, Winter Glow at the Point ran from November 23 through January 4, four nights a week, Thursday through Sunday, according to Visit High Point's Winter Glow page. This year the stadium light show at Truist Point runs only on Fridays and Saturdays, from November 27 through December 19, 5:30 to 9 p.m., according to Visit High Point's 2026 holiday roundup and its event listing.
That comes to eight nights, and the last one is the Saturday before Christmas. Five of those eight also host the city's Winter WonderPark at High Point City Lake Park. That leaves High Point's holiday season packed into a short run of weekend evenings. Before then, the lead-up starts quietly this week in the shops along North Main Street and builds to the tree lighting and parade on November 21 and 22.
The Gnome Hunt Ends the Day Before the Party
The Rotary Club of Furnitureland's holiday scavenger hunt runs November 2 through Friday, November 20, the day before the party. You can finish it two ways: photograph four different gnomes hidden inside participating locally owned shops, or spend $25 or more at any one of them and keep the receipt. A photo of the receipt counts. The first 100 people who finish and check in at the Scavenger Hunt Tent during the party get a long-sleeved High Point Holiday Party shirt and a raffle ticket. Prizes are $500 cash, a Rockers game for the winner and 35 guests in the Truist Suite, a Lenovo laptop, and $100 cash.
The fastest gnome route is a short stretch of North Main. According to the participant list:
- 1101 N. Main St.: Manna on Main
- 1107 N. Main St.: The Cottage in Suite 101 and CO Fine Sunglasses in Suite 105, in the same building
- 1210 and 1212 N. Main St.: Wynnie's and Grassy Knoll, side by side
- 1329 and 1345 N. Main St.: Monkee's of High Point and Simon Jewelers
A few shops are offering their own party specials on the same list. Boxwood Antique Market at 520 N. Hamilton St. takes 10% off any item over $100. Butler Lighting takes 15% off one item. Fleet Feet gives 10% off if you mention the hunt. Deep River Drug takes 10% off non-prescription purchases, and Weno Power Equipment adds a WENO hat with purchase. Spindle & Spine, the new independent bookstore at 504 N. Main St. that the High Point Enterprise covered this fall, also has a gnome.
If you would rather shop than hunt, the city's annual Holiday Craft Bazaar is Saturday, November 14, at Oakview Recreation Center, 503 James Road, according to a Parks and Recreation notice.
November 21 and 22: The Weekend That Turns On the Lights
The kickoff weekend has a full schedule, and the stadium lights come on for the first time during it. Saturday starts early at the library. The Farmers Market Mini-Market sets up on the High Point Public Library plaza, 901 N. Main St., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to the city calendar. The free High Point Holiday Party at Truist Point, 301 N. Elm St., then runs the rest of the day:
- 3 p.m. The party opens, and the Scavenger Hunt Tent at Elm and Church streets is open until 6.
- 3 to 6:15 p.m. Trolley rides tour High Point University's campus decorations, with cocoa on board. The Kids Zone has nine bounce-house and activity stations, and the first 500 children at the information tent get a treat.
- 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Live performances on stage.
- 6:15 p.m. Free photos with Santa.
- 6:30 p.m. The scavenger hunt raffle, then the lighting of the 44-foot tree, which High Point University sponsored on its own. Raffle winners must be present and have five minutes to reach the stage.
- After the tree A holiday fireworks show. On the same night, Truist Point's Christmas lights are switched on "for the first time ever" as a preview of Winter Glow, according to the Rotary club.
The Rotary club lists The High Pint, The Beverly, Plank St Tavern and The Dive Bar as serving drinks, and Stock & Grain is open for dinner.
On Sunday, November 22, the High Point Holiday Festival Parade steps off at 3 p.m. at Green Drive and heads north on Main Street to Qubein Street. It runs about an hour and a half, rain or shine, and has no rain date. Southbound traffic is rerouted starting at 2 p.m. Parking is available at businesses along the route and in the downtown decks, and there is a reserved accessible viewing area in front of Sheraton Towers at 400 N. Main St., according to High Point Today's parade guide. The parade has followed Main Street since 1925, and since 2010 it has been held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It draws more than 100 entries, and the Guilford Merchants Association produces it.
Eight Nights at Truist Point, Five Shared With City Lake
Last year Winter Glow closed for the Thanksgiving weekend. This year it opens on that weekend, on Friday, November 27, the same day Kersey Valley Christmas opens in nearby Archdale. From there the season runs Friday and Saturday only. In December, the city's Winter WonderPark at High Point City Lake Park, 602 W. Main St., Jamestown, lands on most of the same nights:
| Date | Winter Glow at Truist Point, 5:30 to 9 p.m. | Winter WonderPark at City Lake, 4 to 8 p.m. |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Open | Not scheduled |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Open | Not scheduled |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Open | Not scheduled |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Open | Kickoff, with Santa |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Not scheduled | Gingerbread and Candyland, with Santa |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Open | Sounds of the Season, with a local school band or chorus |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Open | Help Santa's Workshop, with Santa and elves |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Open | Polar Express Night, a pajama night |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Last night | How the Grinch Stole Winter WonderPark |
The two schedules overlap by just enough to do both in one evening. WonderPark opens at 4 p.m. and Winter Glow stays open until 9, so a family can start with the lake lights before dark and finish downtown. WonderPark costs little or nothing. Walking through is free and needs no registration. A $5 pass covers unlimited rides on the decorated "Polar Express" train and the carousel, plus mini golf, and passes are sold on site only, on the day. The concession stand sells s'mores kits and hot chocolate, with an outdoor fire for roasting marshmallows. Winter Glow tickets are sold through Visit High Point's listing, which says there are no refunds, so check the night before you buy.
For anyone who wants Santa at the lake, the open nights are December 5, 6 and 12. December 6 is a Sunday, so it is the one WonderPark night you can plan without thinking about Truist Point.
The Daytime Calendar Fills the Same Weekends
The free daytime events also land on the same few weekends, so a single Saturday can cover a lot.
December 5 starts with the Junior League's Holiday Stroll vendor market at 10 a.m. at 1103 N. Main St., according to its event page. That evening is also WonderPark's kickoff with Santa and a Winter Glow night. High Point University's holiday choral concert is the same day.
December 6 brings the High Point Museum's free 54th Annual Holiday Open House, 1 to 4 p.m., at 1859 E. Lexington Ave. Visit High Point lists costumed interpreters, crafts, cider and cookies. The museum is also one of the gnome stops on the scavenger hunt list.
December 12 has free candle dipping in the museum's Historical Park from noon to 4 p.m. WonderPark's Santa's Workshop night starts at 4, right as the candle dipping ends.
December 19 is the busiest day on the calendar. The museum's free Scottish Faire runs 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Historical Park. The last Farmers Market Mini-Market of the year is on the library plaza from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. That evening brings the Grinch night at City Lake and the last night of Winter Glow.
After December 19, Kersey Valley Christmas in Archdale runs through December 23 and is the nearest light display still open that week. Its tickets are sold online only.
If family is coming in for the holidays and you want a second opinion on which weekend fits your group, or you are starting to think about your own home's value before the new year, Colleen Long is glad to help with both. Let's Connect, and request your free home valuation.
