Skaneateles Sings Moves to Dickens Kickoff Day This Year. Here's How the Village Gets Ready
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
Last year, Skaneateles Sings had a Friday evening to itself in early December, a week after Dickens Christmas opened. This year it moves to the gazebo on Friday, Nov. 27, the same day as the noon World's Smallest Parade. The two community traditions that used to bookend the opening week now share one day. That day is the day after Thanksgiving.
The village plan shows that this Friday is weeks in the making. The banner goes up, the lights get strung, the gazebo gets decorated and the parking signs get placed, all on a schedule that starts nearly three weeks before the first costumed actor arrives. Dickens Christmas is now in its 33rd season. The full calendar, from the November setup through the shorter Christmas Eve program, is below.
At its June 25, 2026 meeting, the Skaneateles Village Board took up a request from Chamber Executive Director Lindsey Babbles. Mayor Sennett noted that the Chamber brings the village a yearly event plan, and Babbles was asking to change part of it. The meeting minutes record the discussion this way:
"She is looking to have the Skaneateles Sings event occur earlier and at the gazebo. She recognized that this is a change that requires approval. Trustee Zapata thinks it's a good change."
Resolution #2026-168 passed 5-0. It approved holding Skaneateles Sings, which is part of the Dickens event, at the gazebo on Nov. 27, 2026.
The size of the change is clearer next to last year's event. Life in the Finger Lakes reported that the 2025 Skaneateles Sings ran on Dec. 5 as its own evening. Father Christmas greeted children at the gazebo at 6 p.m., candlelight caroling and the tree lighting followed at 6:30, and the night moved on to a reception at the United Methodist Church while village stores stayed open. The Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation organized it with the Skaneateles Girl Scouts and the Skaneateles Garden Club.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Friday, Dec. 5 | Friday, Nov. 27, as approved by the Village Board |
| Relation to Dickens kickoff | One week after opening | Same day as opening |
| Location | Gazebo, then United Methodist Church reception | Gazebo |
| Shares the day with | Open village-store hours | World's Smallest Parade at noon |
The Chamber's Skaneateles Sings event page still lists Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, from 6 to 7 p.m. It describes a gazebo gathering, Girl Scout-led carols and a tree lighting, followed by Father Christmas and a magic show at the United Methodist Church. The Chamber's January planning document also had Sings on Dec. 4, and the June board vote moved it. The approved date is Nov. 27. The evening start time and the church portion are still to be confirmed, and the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce at 315-685-0552 can give the final schedule as kickoff gets closer.
Putting Sings on kickoff day means the gazebo has to be ready by the season's first day, and the Chamber's 2026 Dickens event plan, filed with the village, has it ready a full week early. The plan lays out the run-up in order:
The Chamber is also placing extra signs in front of Kinney, CVS and Tops to direct visitors to public parking. On a weekday errand in late November, those signs are the clearest sign that the opening is a few days off.
The day opens at noon with the World's Smallest Christmas Parade. According to FingerLakes1's September report, Charles Dickens and his entourage travel from Fennell Street to Jordan Street, then on to Genesee Street, and end at the porch of the Hannum House. The Chamber plan lists the participants: Phil Bowen of Rt. 80 Stables, the fire department, the Dickens vehicle and possibly a band. Parade vehicles meet at Village Hall. The Chamber has asked for police at the corners of Jordan and Fennell, Jordan and Genesee, and at the Sherwood Inn.
Phil and Wendy Bowen of Rt. 80 Stables give horse-and-carriage rides from noon to 4 p.m. on kickoff day. They use the same loop as past years, from Sherwood to Hannum, Kelley, Fennell, Jordan, Genesee and back to Sherwood. Caroling at the gazebo starts at 2 p.m., as it does on every Dickens day.
Skaneateles Sings now joins that same gazebo on the same Friday. The plan also asks the village to salt the gazebo steps and sidewalk, and notes that this applies to Sings as well. With the move, the early-December Friday evening that held Sings last year is off the schedule, and the opening day now holds both events.
After Friday, Dickens follows a set weekly pattern. The weekend dates are Nov. 28 and 29, Dec. 5 and 6, Dec. 12 and 13, and Dec. 19 and 20, plus Christmas Eve on Thursday, Dec. 24. Here is what repeats:
On Dickens days, visitors are directed to two free lots, 1 Austin St. and the lower parking lot at Skaneateles High School. A free shuttle runs from both lots into the village. The shuttle and the sandwich-board and yard signs are provided by the Chamber, with sign placement decided with input from the Village Police.
There are a few smaller changes as well. Sawhorses block the alley between M&T Bank and the Masonic Temple on Genesee Street. The Chamber plan calls this setup "a major improvement for pedestrian safety the last two years." The Chamber has also asked for extra trash bags on the street. The village bays are carry in, carry out for all trash during Dickens.
Besides kickoff Friday and the Christmas Eve program, the season has one more weekday date. Shop, Sip & Stroll falls on Thursday, Dec. 10. The Chamber's plan asks the village to honor free parking from 5 to 6 p.m. that evening. The 2026 hours and the list of participating merchants haven't been published yet. For comparison, Life in the Finger Lakes reported that last year's Shop, Sip & Stroll ran from 5 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2025, with free gift wrapping, refreshments, specials and free village-wide evening parking.
Downtown has a new stop this year. Syracuse.com reported that Haley Flannery opened All My Friends Books at 3 E. Genesee St. on July 31. It's her second shop, after the original at 51 Main St. in Cortland. The roughly 800-square-foot store carries fiction and nonfiction, children's and young-adult books, toys, stationery and gifts. Since it opened in July, this will be its first Dickens season on Genesee Street.
Dickens leans on the businesses along that street. The Chamber's plan reports that more than 130 local businesses sponsored and supported the event in 2025. The Skaneateles Chamber donated $4,326 to the Salvation Army from the 2025 kettle drive, and bell ringers have raised more than $74,000 for the Salvation Army during Dickens since 2001. The Girl Scouts and Hope for the Holidays are also listed among the groups that take part. This year the season opens on a Friday that holds a parade at noon and Skaneateles Sings at the gazebo.
If you're thinking about selling a Skaneateles home and wondering how a village listing photographs and shows under December garland, I'd be glad to talk it through. Arlene Reese helps sellers stage for the season so their home looks its best when the lights go up. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll plan your timeline around the Dickens calendar.
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