Last December, did the Vendor Village you shopped on a Tuesday look like the one you went back to that Saturday? In 2025 the lineup changed every night. This year, Columbia County is running the 10 Days of Christmas Vendor Village differently, and the change decides which week you should go.
The county's vendor application spells it out. The village runs 6 to 9 p.m. every night from December 4 through December 13, and "vendors have the option of the first five nights, the second five nights, or applying to be a fill in vendor when needed." Instead of a lineup that changes every night, the 2026 village is two set markets back to back on the same lawn at Evans Towne Center Park. The first runs Friday, Dec. 4, through Tuesday, Dec. 8. The second runs Wednesday, Dec. 9, through Sunday, Dec. 13.
For Bartram Trail households, that changes the plan. One visit shows you half of what's there. Two visits, one in each block, show you all of it.
A Shorter Run Built Around Opening Night
In 2025, the holiday market's first year at The Market Pavilion, the county billed it as "12 magical nights of shopping," running December 5 through December 16 with "a rotating lineup of local vendors" each evening, according to WFXG. The tree lighting was on Thursday, December 4, from 4 to 9 p.m.
The 2026 version is two nights shorter on paper, and the county's own listing starts it on the main event night. The county's events calendar lists Vendor Village from December 4 at 6 p.m. through December 13 at 9 p.m. at Evans Towne Center Park, 7016 Evans Town Center Boulevard. That first night is also Christmas in Columbia County. The county's vendor call promises "gift stops, music, Santa and his elves, The Grinch, and some of the best food and drinks across the CSRA" on December 4.
Last year's tree-lighting night shows how big that opening can get. WRDW reported that the village kicked off with the tree lighting that evening, with more than 70 vendors selling merchandise and food and the Grinch helping light the community tree. Janet Wheatley, Programs and Events Manager for Columbia County, told the station her team started setting up at 7 a.m. In 2026 that same big night falls on a Friday and is officially night one of ten.
The Ten Nights, Block by Block
| Night | Date | Vendor block | Also happening |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri., Dec. 4 | First five | Christmas in Columbia County |
| 2 | Sat., Dec. 5 | First five | |
| 3 | Sun., Dec. 6 | First five | Columbia County Christmas Parade |
| 4 | Mon., Dec. 7 | First five | |
| 5 | Tue., Dec. 8 | First five | |
| 6 | Wed., Dec. 9 | Second five | |
| 7 | Thu., Dec. 10 | Second five | |
| 8 | Fri., Dec. 11 | Second five | Young entrepreneurs market |
| 9 | Sat., Dec. 12 | Second five | Christmas in Harlem Festival |
| 10 | Sun., Dec. 13 | Second five |
Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. every night. Each block gets three weekend nights, but they're very different. The first block's weekend shares the park with the year's two biggest Evans holiday events. The second block's weekend, Dec. 12 and 13, has no parade or tree lighting in Evans.
The First Block Shares Its Weekend With the Tree and the Parade
The first weekend of December is the busiest stretch on the Evans calendar. The Merchants Association of Columbia County lists the Columbia County Christmas Parade for Sunday, December 6, 2026, with trophies and prize money for Best Overall and for first and second place in each of four categories. The association also sponsors the Columbia County Fall Fair and Spring Fair and supports a number of local charities, and it calls the parade "a gift to the community."
Last year's parade started at 3 p.m. at Evans Town Center Drive and Evans to Locks Road, per Visit Columbia County. If it uses a similar afternoon slot this year, it fits right before a 6 p.m. village opening. Friday, Saturday and Sunday of that weekend all have the first-block vendors.
So the first block gets the crowds and the extras: the tree lighting, Santa and the Grinch, and parade traffic around the park. Expect the most activity and the fullest lawn of the season, along with everyone else who came for the same reason.
The Second Block Gets Its Own Weekend
On Wednesday, December 9, the second group of vendors takes over and stays through Sunday, December 13. It's a new set of tables, not a slower version of the first week. Anyone who shopped opening weekend comes back to different makers.
That block has its own extra night. The county lists a special Christmas edition of its Young Entrepreneurs Market at Evans Towne Center Park on Friday, December 11, from 6 to 9 p.m., combined with that night of the village.
Saturday, December 12, is also the Christmas in Harlem Festival. The organizer lists a Holiday Market from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and a Twilight Parade at 6 p.m. The Harlem market ends before the Evans village opens, so you could do both on one Saturday: Harlem during the day, Evans after dark. The Harlem organizer notes its festival details are subject to change, so check its page that week.
Sunday, December 13, is the village's last night. After that, the park goes back to lights and skating.
The Lights Stay On After the Tables Leave
The vendor blocks are the shortest part of the season. Last year the park's Christmas tree lights stayed on every night until 10 p.m. through January 1, WRDW reported, long after the last vendor packed up on December 16. The Augusta Press listed the park's lights from 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly through January 1 and called the park a popular spot for family walks and holiday photos.
Evans on Ice runs even longer, from November 18, 2026, through January 18, 2027, with public skating, lessons, and a fire pit on weekends and holidays. By publish day the rink is less than a week from opening, and it'll be running through all ten vendor nights.
Bartram Trail residents who decorate their homes have had one more way to take part. Last December the county ran a self-guided Christmas Light Tour of decorated homes across Evans, Martinez, Grovetown and nearby areas, with an interactive map open to the public. Residents could submit their homes, and new displays were added throughout the season, according to The Augusta Press. The tour was run through the county's Christmas in Columbia County hub.
The November Dates Before the First Block
Several things happen before the village opens on December 4, and a few of them are close to home:
- Evans Market, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Market Pavilion, 1005 Market Street, has its fall season through November 28. That gives you three more Saturdays after this post goes up. We wrote earlier this year about how Evans Market runs as two different events.
- Evans on Ice opens Wednesday, November 18, at Evans Towne Center Park.
- Harlem's tree lighting is Thursday, November 19, from 6 to 7 p.m. at Harlem Library Plaza, 145 North Louisville Street.
- Lights of the South opens its 2026 season November 20 at 633 Louisville Road in Grovetown. It advertises more than 5 million lights across 100 acres, hayrides, a Christmas Tree Maze and a Candy Land playground, with tickets sold online, free parking, and free admission for children 3 and under.
The Fairey Team will be at the park on both sides of that December 8 changeover, and we look forward to seeing our Bartram Trail neighbors there. Local makers and the Merchants Association's charity work help make December in Columbia County what it is, and a portion of our commissions goes to local nonprofits for the same reason. If a spring sale is on your list for the new year, the Fairey Team can put together your free home marketing plan before the parade floats are packed away. Get a free home marketing plan: sell smarter and give back.
