This Year, Downtown Delaware's Holidays Run Along William Street

This December, the tree, the ice rink, Santa's chair, the gingerbread tables and the two newest places to get a drink after all of it are on William, on either side of the Sandusky corner. Since last December, the street has added a rooftop wine bar and an Irish pub from the same owner. Over the same stretch of fall, North Sandusky lost a pub that had been open for more than two decades.

So the season has a new layout. The Light the Night parade still runs down Sandusky. Most of the other December events now happen on William, a short walk from one another.

Five Stops on One Street

Here's where Main Street Delaware's holiday calendar puts its December events, along with the two William Street businesses that opened this year.

The Welcome Center does a lot of work on the busiest nights. Santa photos are held there, the rink sits behind it, and since this summer it has a private lactation room that's open during Main Street Delaware special events. On weekdays, Main Street Delaware says COhatch next door offers the same kind of space for downtown workers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Two Newest Places on William Street Have the Same Owner

Open Btl and Hallihan's opened six months apart, and both come from John Cordas, who also owns Shorty's Pizza and Sandbar Station. Together they're most of the reason a December evening on William Street feels different this year.

The Delaware Gazette reported in March that Open Btl took over the former J. Gumbo's space at 39 E. William St. and has the only rooftop patio in Delaware. You can buy a bottle from the shop to take home or have it opened to drink there. The shop opened with about 200 labels, and bottles at that point ran from $10 to $240. Its charcuterie boards come from a partnership with The Greater Gouda. The paper also reported that the shop closes to the public on the third Wednesday of each month for a members-only tasting with a visiting winemaker, so check before planning a midweek visit.

Cordas told the Gazette that the rooftop is what decided the building. He had first looked in Sunbury before this space came up.

"When this one came up, and we saw the possibility of doing the rooftop patio, we were like, 'Okay, we gotta make a move on this one.'"

Hallihan's Irish Pub opened Sept. 14 at 12 W. William St., 614NOW reported. His partner is Mike Barker, whose family surname gives the pub its name. In the Gazette's opening coverage, Cordas talked mostly about the food:

• hand-battered fish and chips with a Cajun-leaning house tartar sauce
• a Reuben made with corned beef cooked for six hours
• bangers and mash as a Sunday special

He also said the pub will open early for big soccer and rugby matches. 614NOW reported a second-floor sports lounge.

That Sunday special lines up well with the season. The Christmas parade is on Sunday, Dec. 6, which gives you something to plan the afternoon around.

November Starts on the Same Blocks

The holiday stretch starts a few weeks before the tree goes up. This Saturday, Oct. 31, is the last Downtown Delaware Farmers' Market of 2026, from 9 a.m. to noon. Trick-or-Treat Down Main Street runs during the same hours. Kids can collect candy from every market vendor and from participating downtown businesses, and Main Street Delaware posts the full list of businesses on its social media that day. Under this year's market format, Sandusky Street is closed between William and Winter during market hours.

November First Friday: Community Harvest is Nov. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. Here's what's planned:

• tables from Delaware County nonprofits and service organizations
• the City of Delaware's Paint-a-Plow display
• a pie-eating contest at Fresh Start
• the start of the Battle of the Businesses food drive, which runs through Nov. 15 and benefits Delaware County United to Fight Against Hunger. Participating businesses collect 1-pound boxes of pasta, and each donation counts toward your favorite business.

The Season of Shopping starts Nov. 21. You can pick up a shopping card at Main Street events, mark off purchases at downtown businesses, and turn it in at The Greater Gouda by Dec. 23 for a chance at the grand prize of gift certificates and items from downtown businesses.

The December Weekends, Day by Day

Main Street Delaware's Christmas in Downtown page lists the full schedule. Nearly every event is on William Street.

Friday, Dec. 4: First Friday Tree Lighting

• 6 to 9 p.m.: Main stage performances by local music groups, community vendors and activities.
• 7:30 p.m.: Remarks, a countdown and the lighting of the tree at William and Sandusky.
• 5 to 9 p.m.: Free skating on the rink behind the Welcome Center, provided by Snappy's Automotive and The Mason Foundation.
• 6 to 9 p.m.: Carriage rides, $2 per person for ages 6 and older.

Saturday, Dec. 5: Dash for Dasher, skating, and gingerbread

• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Dash for Dasher sends families around downtown following clues to find Santa's lost reindeer. Donations are voluntary.
• 11 a.m. to noon: Santa walk-in visits at the Welcome Center.
• 1 to 3 p.m.: Learn to skate with the WarCats Hockey Team, for kids 10 and under.
• 3 to 5 p.m.: Free skate.
• 3:30 p.m.: The second Great Gingerbread Build-Off starts at COhatch. A $25 ticket includes a basic kit, and builders bring their own base, no larger than 20 by 20 inches. Teams get three hours, and judging starts at 7:15 p.m. The public votes by placing canned food in front of their favorite house.

Sunday, Dec. 6: Parade day

• 1 to 5 p.m.: Free skate.
• The Light the Night Christmas Parade steps off from Mingo Park and travels down Sandusky Street to Wilmer Street. The start time hadn't been posted when this was published.

The following two weekends

• Friday, Dec. 11: Carriage rides from 6 to 8 p.m. and Santa walk-ins from 5 to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 12: Santa walk-ins from 11 a.m. to noon, and the Delaware County Historical Society's holiday trolley tour.
• Friday, Dec. 18 and Saturday, Dec. 19: Santa walk-ins from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to noon Saturday.

The Santa photos are free and come with one print and a digital copy. Appointment slots fill the hours around the walk-in times.

Sandusky Street Keeps the Parade, With One Pub Gone

The Old Bag of Nails Pub on North Sandusky Street served its last night downtown on Oct. 11, after 22 years. 10TV reported that the owners said they couldn't reach a long-term agreement with the landlord. The company still runs nine other locations around central Ohio, and its farewell post said it would be happy to return to Delaware if the chance came up. This is the first holiday season in more than two decades without it on that block.

Sandusky added two new stops this year. Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop opened at 17 N. Sandusky St. this summer. Its best-known feature is the $5 candy buffet. Delaware Source describes it as a box you fill with any candy you choose, as long as the lid closes. The shop also carries more than 350 glass-bottled sodas, including flavors like Mint Julep, Almond Cream and Toothpaste. Chris Beers founded the business in Pittsburgh in 2012, according to the company's Delaware page, which also lists ice cream, floats and milkshakes.

Espresso Air is on the south side of the corner at 34 S. Sandusky St. It soft-opened Aug. 11 as the first expansion of a family-run Westerville coffee shop, 614NOW reported. The Delaware Gazette's preview listed locally roasted coffee, chai, matcha, smoothies and baked goods on the planned menu.

That gives you an easy route on parade Sunday. Get coffee at Espresso Air, find a spot along Sandusky between Mingo Park and Wilmer Street, and finish with a box from the candy buffet or bangers and mash at Hallihan's a short walk away on William.

If you're thinking about a home within walking distance of these downtown traditions, or wondering how downtown's changes affect a home you already own, The Grandey Group is glad to talk it through with you, whenever you're ready.