"Light Up the Creek is the first of its kind in the region and addresses a critical gap in inclusive, sensory-safe holiday programming."
Those words come from a City of Hamilton General Issues Committee motion dated July 30, 2025. The motion asked for funding support for that December's event in Downtown Stoney Creek. It called the 2025 edition the "second annual," which puts this December's event in its third year.
The event has grown since then. Light Up the Creek began as a few Friday evenings on King Street East. In 2026 it covers the whole holiday season in the village. The Downtown Stoney Creek BIA lists sensory-friendly lighting from December 1 to 31, with Friday evening programming built around it. Anyone who goes downtown in December will see the lights, whether or not they come on an event night.
From Three Fridays to the Whole Month
The BIA's own calendars show how much the event has grown in a year.
| December 2025 | December 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Sensory-friendly lights | Tied to event evenings | December 1 to 31 |
| Friday programming | Dec. 5, 12 and 19, 5 to 8 p.m. | Dec. 4, 11 and 18, 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Opening-night extra | "Stoney Creek Sparkles," Dec. 5 | Tree lighting at the parkette, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. |
| Santa Claus Parade | Saturday, Dec. 6, 2 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 5, 2 p.m. |
The core format hasn't changed. Programming still runs on three Friday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m., and the parade still falls on the Saturday right after opening night. The difference is the BIA's listing for the month, which now bills Light Up the Creek as an autism and dementia sensory-friendly event running December 1 to 31. The sensory-friendly approach used to be tied to a few evenings. Now it sets the tone for the whole month.
The Friday schedule also fits the rest of the BIA's year. Market in the Creek ran Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. between June 12 and October 9, 2026, and Boots in the Creek opened on a Friday evening in August. The December Fridays keep the same weekly habit going after the market season ends.
What "Sensory-Friendly" Has Meant on King Street
The 2025 City motion describes the event in detail. It said Light Up the Creek turns Downtown Stoney Creek into "an autism friendly Christmas Kringle Village." The goal was a safe, welcoming and accessible space for people and families living with autism, dementia and Alzheimer's. The 2025 edition included:
- Sensory-friendly seasonal light displays
- Quiet spaces
- Interactive parkette areas with toys and games
- Horse and buggy rides
- Santa visits
- Food vendors and inclusive programming
The City of Hamilton's Light Up the Creek 2026 page lists this year's program under the heading "Welcoming those living with sensory issues." It promises "a sensory friendly enchanted village for the month December in the Creek," with sensory-friendly lighting and family activities throughout the village, visits with Santa and programming "designed to welcome all families." It also lists live music, carriage rides, an artisan market, and shopping and dining. Admission is free.
The series is presented by the Canadian National Autism Foundation and the Downtown Stoney Creek BIA. They are the same two partners named in the 2025 motion. The BIA's year-round calendar shows the same inclusive focus. In April it held a Family Fun Day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. during Autism Acceptance Month.
The City's page targets a wide range of ages. It lists all ages, adults, older adults and families. That matches the motion's description of a space for people living with dementia and Alzheimer's as well as autism. It makes Light Up the Creek a holiday outing that can work for grandparents and grandchildren together.
Opening Weekend Has Two Very Different Events
The first weekend of December is the busiest part of the month. It also shows the two different moods of December downtown.
Friday, December 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. This is opening night of Light Up the Creek. The City lists the tree lighting at the parkette at 6 p.m. The evening is built around the sensory-friendly design. That means gentler lighting, carriage rides and an artisan market along King Street East.
Saturday, December 5, at 2 p.m. This is the Stoney Creek Santa Claus Parade, about 20 hours later. Both the BIA and Tourism Hamilton list it for December 5. The Hamilton Events listing for the 2026 parade gives the route. It starts at St. John Henry Newman Catholic Secondary School, 127 Gray Road, and heads west along King Street East to Battlefield Drive, stepping off at 2 p.m.
Both events use the same stretch of King Street on back-to-back days, but they suit different needs. The parade is a traditional afternoon procession. Friday night is the event designed with sensory needs in mind. Families who want both can plan the weekend in two halves: Friday evening for the lights and the tree, and Saturday afternoon for the parade.
The second and third Fridays, December 11 and 18, run on the same 5-to-8 schedule without a parade the next day. Those are the evenings to choose for a downtown visit without the opening-weekend schedule. They also fall in the last two weeks before Christmas, when the artisan market is most useful for gift shopping.
Where Dinner Fits Into a 5-to-8 Evening
A three-hour window starting at 5 p.m. covers the dinner hour. The City's event page includes "shop & dine" in the program. The BIA's food directory shows plenty of options within a short walk on King Street East.
StoHo Coffee and Cocktail Bar, 2 King St. E. Hamilton City Magazine's "Cuisine in the Creek" feature from April 2025 profiled owner Lana Flinn and said the café and bar had been open since mid-2023. Serving both coffee and cocktails makes it a good fit at either end of the evening.
The Village Restaurant, 35 King St. E. The same feature describes it as run by the Terziev family since 1976.
Raw Roots, 38 King St. E. Hamilton City Magazine names Brandon Carroll as the owner and describes the storefront as offering both takeout and dine-in.
Chef Martin's Sushi House, 53 King St. E. The magazine profiles it as a takeout sushi business. That makes it useful for anyone who would rather eat at home after the tree lighting.
Banana Leaf Asian Cuisine. It appears both in the BIA's food directory and in Hamilton City Magazine's profile of the King Street dining strip.
All five are listed on King Street East, the same street the City gives as the Light Up the Creek location.
A little farther from the village core, Stoney Creek's restaurant scene has also grown in 2026. Hamilton City Magazine's April roundup reported that Armando's Pizza Patties opened at 154 Gray Road, serving pizza patties, meatballs, pasta and Italian poutine. The magazine's June roundup listed Farooj Al Pasha, a charcoal-grilled chicken spot, at 277 Upper Centennial Parkway. The Gray Road address is the same street where the parade starts, so lunch at Armando's before the 2 p.m. step-off is easy to arrange.
Mapping the Month
The full December schedule for Downtown Stoney Creek, by date:
- Tuesday, December 1. The month of sensory-friendly lighting begins, according to the BIA.
- Friday, December 4, 5 to 8 p.m. Opening night of Light Up the Creek, with the tree lighting at the parkette at 6 p.m.
- Saturday, December 5, 2 p.m. The Stoney Creek Santa Claus Parade on King Street East.
- Friday, December 11, 5 to 8 p.m. The second Light Up the Creek evening, which is also the date shown on the City's event listing.
- Friday, December 18, 5 to 8 p.m. The third and last Friday evening, one week before Christmas.
- Thursday, December 31. The lighting period ends, according to the BIA.
Admission to Light Up the Creek is free, according to the City. Vendor and farm inquiries for BIA events go to [email protected].
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