Severna Park's first holiday event of 2026 is a 5K at Kinder Farm Park on Saturday, Nov. 7. That's 19 days before Thanksgiving. The last community night on the calendar is Cookies & Cocoa with Santa on Friday, Dec. 11. In between are a dozen events run by eight different groups: a nonprofit, the community center, a dance studio, two church congregations, a garden center, the chamber of commerce and a park friends group.
Those twelve events are not spread evenly. November has four, on three dates, with six to eight days between them. December has eight, all between Thursday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 12. If you plan November as a warm-up and keep the first two weeks of December clear, you'll catch most of the season without double-booking a Saturday.
November: Three Dates, Plenty of Room
November's events are spaced out. Here they are in order:
- Saturday, Nov. 7: the 14th Stride for SPAN Turkey Trot at Kinder Farm Park. The Severna Park Assistance Network announced the date back in June. The 5K starts at 9:00 a.m. and the one-mile walk/run starts at 9:25 a.m. The RunSignup registration page recently listed the 5K at $43.40 with fees, or $32.80 for ages 1 to 17, and the mile at $32.80. The 5K price already went up once after Oct. 12, so expect it to keep climbing. Race-day registration is available if you decide that morning.
- Friday, Nov. 13: Holiday Pop-Up Shop at the Severna Park Community Center, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with free gift wrapping, according to the Center's events page. It runs during weekday lunch hours, so it works for anyone who can step away midday.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: two church bazaars on the same morning. Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church at 611 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard runs from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with holiday shopping, Santa and lunch. The St. Margaret's Women's Guild Holiday Bazaar at St. Margaret's Church, 1601 Pleasant Plains Road in Annapolis, runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with vendors, raffles, food and live animals. Both are free.
The two bazaars open at the same hour, but St. Margaret's stays open an hour later. That makes the order easy: Woods Memorial first, before its 1:00 p.m. close, then St. Margaret's. Each bazaar's listing in the Severna Park Voice has the full details.
For a quick stop during November errands, Y'ollk Bakery has opened at 489 Ritchie Highway, Suite 101. It sells pastries, cakes, sandwiches and coffee, and the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce held its ribbon cutting on Sept. 19, as the Severna Park Voice reported.
December 3 to 12: Two-Thirds of the Season in Ten Days
November has four events over 15 days. December puts twice as many into ten. Here's that stretch day by day:
| Date | Event | Host | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Santa Paws pet photos, Severna Park location | Homestead Gardens | 4:00–6:00 p.m. | Reservations required, not yet open |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Tree lighting | Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce | Not yet posted | Not yet posted |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Jingle Bell Hayride | Friends of Kinder Farm Park | 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Not yet posted |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Holiday-decorated Kinder Farmhouse Museum open | Friends of Kinder Farm Park | 10:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. | Park entry |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | The Nutcracker at Severna Park High School | The Dance Center at Severna Park Community Center | 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. | $15 adults, $5 children, seniors and military free |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Taste & Sip | Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce | Not yet posted | Not yet posted |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Cookies & Cocoa with Santa | Severna Park Community Center | 5:30–7:30 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Holiday-decorated Kinder Farmhouse Museum open | Friends of Kinder Farm Park | 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. | Park entry |
Kinder Farm Park is at 1001 Kinder Farm Park Road in Millersville. Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks lists the daily vehicle entry pass at $8. You might see an older $6 gate fee in last year's hayride listings. The county's current park page is the one to go by.
Kinder Farm Park is the only venue that appears in both months. It hosts the Turkey Trot that opens the season in November and two of December's busiest days. If you only follow one calendar this winter, follow the Friends of Kinder Farm Park calendar.
The Weekend of December 4: Five Events in Three Days
Inside that ten-day stretch, the weekend of Friday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 6 is the busiest. The Chamber's tree lighting is Friday. Saturday has both the hayride and the decorated farmhouse. Sunday has two Nutcracker performances.
The Friends of Kinder Farm Park calendar adds more to that weekend. On Sunday, Dec. 6, the Blacksmith Shop holds a workday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., where you can watch members of the Chesapeake Forge Blacksmith Guild forge metal. That overlaps the 1:00 p.m. Nutcracker, so families who want both have a simple choice. Catch the blacksmiths early and take the 4:00 p.m. show, or see the 1:00 p.m. show and skip the forge.
Here's one way to plan the weekend without rushing:
- Friday evening: the Chamber tree lighting. Check gspacc.com for the 2026 time and location before you go.
- Saturday morning: the Jingle Bell Hayride runs 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The farmhouse museum opens at 10:30 a.m. and stays open until 3:00 p.m., so you can visit before or after your hayride slot without paying for park entry twice.
- Sunday: The Nutcracker at Severna Park High School, with one of the two show times paired with the blacksmith workday. Tickets go on sale Monday, Nov. 2, according to the Severna Park Community Center. Seniors and military attend free.
If Dec. 5 doesn't work, you get another chance at the farmhouse. It reopens on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the day after Cookies & Cocoa with Santa at the community center. That gives the season a quieter second weekend for anyone who missed the first.
Same Weekdays as 2025, Fewer Details So Far
The three biggest December traditions each moved back one calendar date from 2025 and kept the same day of the week. The tree lighting was Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, and is Friday, Dec. 4, 2026. The hayride was Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, and is Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026. Taste & Sip was Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, and is Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2026. If you kept the first Friday, first Saturday and second Tuesday of December open last year, your 2026 calendar works the same way.
The details are a different story. Last year's listings named a venue, hours and a price for each event. The 2026 listings so far mostly show only dates:
- Tree lighting: The 2025 event was at 1 Holly Avenue from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. The Chamber hasn't posted a 2026 location or time yet.
- Taste & Sip: In 2025 it was at Chartwell Golf & Country Club. Watch gspacc.com for 2026 details.
- Jingle Bell Hayride: The Friends of Kinder Farm Park calendar lists the 2026 date and hours. Its details link still goes to the 2025 page, which used TicketLeap for registration. Wait for the 2026 ticket link before planning around a price.
- Santa Paws: Homestead Gardens says reservations are required for the Dec. 3 Severna Park session but haven't opened yet.
The events with confirmed times and prices are the Turkey Trot, the pop-up shop, both bazaars, The Nutcracker and Cookies & Cocoa with Santa. Those can go on your calendar today. For the others, it's worth checking the organizer's page again in mid-November.
PCS orders and the holidays tend to collide. If you're new to Anne Arundel County, or planning a move around a winter report date and want to know which weekends here are already booked, The PCS Home Team can help you plan around them. We have your six. Make Your Move Easy: Schedule a Free Consultation.
