Every Nazareth Fall Weekend Ends Up at the Circle
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
"The circle, the parade … literally when I closed, I'm cleaning the windows and the Halloween parade is going right in front of my windows as I'm cleaning the windows," Jennifer O'Neill-Lai told The Morning Call in April. She was describing the day she closed on 2 N. Main St., the 1820 Kern House that is now Circle Cafe on Main.
She bought the building partly for that view. It's a good way into how Nazareth's fall works. The borough's events between mid-October and mid-December all happen in the same small footprint: the Circle, South Main Street, and a few blocks of Belvidere and Center. They don't arrive in random order, though. October fills the street. November moves inside the shops and the museum. December gives the Circle back its own night. Read the borough council's event approvals in date order and you can see that shape.
Here is the 2026 run as currently scheduled, with what each event does to the streets where that's been published.
The Halloween Parade is the oldest item on that list by a wide margin. In a 2013 history, The Home News put the earliest recorded parade in 1927. It said Vigilance Hose Company No. 1 and the Nazareth Area Kiwanis sponsored it from the 1970s on. The paper quoted parade chairman Carl Strye, who said he took over in 1987 and changed the route in 1990.
Vigilance Hose is still the 2026 sponsor. The parade runs rain or shine and has no rain date. Prizes go to individuals, small groups, large groups, Boy and Girl Scouts, floats, and one special judges award, and participants get hot dogs and soda at the Senior High School at the end. In September, borough council approved a $1,000 donation to the company toward parade costs.
If you want to march instead of watch, you have three registration sessions left as of this week. All are at the borough fire house, 49 South Broad Street:
Registrations can't be taken by phone or email. Parade chairman Carl Strye, Jr. is listed as the contact for questions.
The Nazareth Chamber's Fall Festival starts where the parade leaves off. From 2 to 5 p.m., South Main closes between Belvidere and Walnut for live music, food trucks, local vendors and family activities, and the municipal lot is approved for festival use.
So for one Saturday afternoon, part of the parade's path through the borough turns into a block party on the same street. One scheduling note: the borough's website calendar lists the parade at 9 a.m. and the festival at 10 a.m. The parade organizer and the Chamber both list 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and the council approval matches the 2 to 5 p.m. window. Check the morning of if you're planning around it.
The same Saturday also has evening Spooky Walking Tours at 7 and 8:15 p.m. That makes Oct. 17 the one date this season with something happening on these blocks from early afternoon into the night.
Outside parade day, October runs on a much smaller scale. The Moravian Historical Society's Spooky Nazareth Walking Tours are led by lantern and capped at 12 people per tour. That's about one float's worth of people, compared with a parade The Home News counted at more than 1,200 participants back in 2013.
The society itself goes back to 1857. It's based at a site that includes the 1740 to 1743 Whitefield House and the 1740 Gray Cottage. On Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m., local historian Jeanne Harakal speaks there on Emmaus and the Revolutionary War.
Some October events move off Main Street altogether. Action Karate has the borough Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11 for a Trunk or Treat. Borough trick-or-treat runs 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31.
Both of November's big downtown days use the same idea: walk door to door instead of watching from the curb.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, downtown Nazareth turns into the "Stars Hollow" of the Lehigh Valley for a day of Gilmore Girls theming. You pick up a passport at any participating business and carry it as you visit shops and restaurants. Turning in a completed passport gives you a chance to win a Gilmore Girls-themed prize. The Moravian Historical Society will have live music and food vendors at its museum.
On Saturday, Nov. 28, the Nazareth Economic Development Commission plans a special edition of the Nazareth Farmers Market, swag bags, and the annual Great Nazareth Cookie Stroll for Shop Small Saturday. The Cookie Stroll started in 2018. Strollers buy a cookie box at the farmers market, get a map of participating businesses, and pick up a cookie at each stop. As of the commission's August update, hours and the list of participating businesses for 2026 hadn't been announced, and the commission says it is working on logistics improvements for both strollers and businesses.
The month's one street closure comes early on Thanksgiving. The Pumpkin Pie 5K starts downtown at 9 a.m., with closures requested from 7 to 11 a.m. and police assistance with traffic control. Between the passport day and the cookie stroll, on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m., organist Thomas Dressler plays the society's 1776 Tannenberg Organ.
The Circle is the namesake of the borough's busiest corner, but it's rarely the center of an event. In summer, Martin on Main on July 25 closed both the Circle and South Main down to Belvidere for a seven-hour street event. The Halloween Parade passes around it on the way to Center Street.
The tree lighting is the event that actually happens in the Circle. Claus Comes to the Circle is paired with the tree lighting ceremony at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11. The next day, Christmas in Nazareth spreads across downtown and the Circle from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Instead of closing streets, it reserves parking on the east side of South Main from the Circle to the YMCA. No separate Christmas parade appears in the 2026 approvals.
Of all the seats facing the Circle this fall, Circle Cafe on Main is the newest. Carpenter Andrew G. Kern built the house in 1820, and his family owned it until the 1920s. The Nazareth Area School District used it as offices after buying it in the 1970s, and Mainstream Salon & Co. was the most recent tenant before O'Neill-Lai. "You should see my insurance, you can't even build something like this again," she said of the foot-and-a-half-thick walls.
Coffee comes from Golden Valley Coffee Roasters. Lehigh Valley Style recommends the brown sugar shaken espresso and the deviled eggs with specialty variations. The weekend hours she planned in April were 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, which would cover a 1 p.m. parade. She also said hours could change, so call ahead at 610.365.2479.
The rest of the stops are a short walk away: Birthright Brewing at 57 S. Main St., Cody's Eats & Sweets at 52 S. Main St., and Nazareth Brew Co. at 35 E. Belvidere St. If you have guests visiting on a weekday, Martin Guitar runs guided factory tours Monday through Friday, departing between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tours last about an hour, need online registration in advance, and cost $10, or $7.50 for children, seniors, active military, veterans and students with ID.
Living near the Circle in Nazareth means the season's events pass your front door. If you've ever wondered what that location adds to your home's value, The Cronmiller Team is glad to take a calm, no-pressure look with you. Start with a free home valuation, or browse more from around the county on our Northampton County page.
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