Most years, Wayzata turns on its holiday lights the Friday after Thanksgiving, when the leftovers are still in the fridge. This year the city moved Light Up the Lake to Friday, November 20, one week earlier than its normal date and the Friday before Thanksgiving.
The move changes the order of the whole season. The town lighting now comes first. Thanksgiving week follows, then the shop-local weekend, then a long December run toward Christmas. The last piece is the outdoor rink at Klapprich Park, which depends on the weather.
The countdown runs the week before
The fifth annual Winter Medallion Hunt runs the week before Light Up the Lake. The city's schedule has clues posting Monday, November 9, through Friday, November 13, on wayzata.org, the Wayzata Chamber's site and social media.
The first child or family to find the medallion wins the honor of lighting up Wayzata on November 20. Participants must be 12 or under to win, and the city directs questions to [email protected].
So the person who flips the switch at Panoway Plaza on November 20 may well be a local kid who solved the clues that week. The last clue is scheduled for Friday, November 13.
Two hours on one stretch of Lake Street
Light Up the Lake runs from 5 to 7 p.m. on Lake Street, with Panoway as the hub. Everything on the city's schedule happens within a few blocks: Depot Park, the Historic Wayzata Depot, Panoway Plaza and the Lake Street parade route from Broadway to Barry Avenue. The parade route sets the shape of the evening.
| Time | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| 5 to 7 p.m. | Lake Street | Free glow light wands, handed out only before the parade |
| 5 to 7 p.m. | Depot Park | Llama photo opportunity |
| 5 to 7 p.m. | Historic Wayzata Depot | Hot cider and treats, plus a reindeer food activity for children |
| 5 to 7 p.m. | Panoway Plaza | Letters to Santa and Muni refreshments |
| 5 to 7 p.m. | Lake Street | Horse-drawn wagon rides, strolling carolers and music |
| 5:00 p.m. | Depot Park | Children's Candy Hunt, ages 5 and under only |
| 5:45 p.m. | Lake Street, Broadway to Barry Ave. | Wayzata Firefighter's Parade of Lights |
| Right after the parade | Panoway Plaza | Town Lighting Ceremony with Mayor Mullin |
The schedule sets a few deadlines. Families with children 5 and under will want to be at Depot Park by 5 p.m. for the candy hunt. Glow wands go out only before the parade, so getting them means arriving early. The parade starts at 5:45, and the lighting at Panoway Plaza follows as soon as the last fire truck passes.
What to bring
The evening includes two donation drives. Toys for Tots is collecting at the Wayzata Police Department parade float, and IOCP is running a food drive at Panoway Plaza. IOCP has listed the items it needs most this year:
- Brand-name boxed cereal, such as Cheerios, Lucky Charms or Frosted Flakes
- Canned tuna
- Toilet paper
- Name-brand hearty soup, such as Progresso, Campbell's or Chunky
- Spaghetti sauce in a plastic jar or container
That last detail matters if you're shopping on the way: the sauce needs to be in plastic, not glass.
Dinner after the lights, at two places that changed this year
The lighting ends by 7 p.m., which leaves plenty of time for dinner. Two downtown restaurants have changed since last year's Light Up the Lake.
Bar Eloise sits at 326 Broadway Ave. S., and the parade starts at Broadway. Owner Lindsay Pohlad's restaurant closed August 31 for a short refresh and reopened September 4 as Bar Eloise, a more casual version of Eloise, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune's restaurant roll call. In a press release quoted by Lake Minnetonka Magazine, the team said guests "want a place that feels easier to drop into, more casual and more connected to the neighborhood."
The magazine also described the changes. The bar area added high-top tables, more seating and TVs. More of the restaurant is set aside for walk-in guests. The menu adds handhelds, hearty mains and shareable plates, drawing on sister restaurant The Grocer's Table next door, and it keeps the favorite entrées and desserts. Walk-in space matters on a night when much of the town is on Lake Street at the same time. For the morning after, Sunday brunch runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and started September 20.
Belle & Grey opened in April 2026 at The Hotel Landing, 925 Lake Street East, replacing ninetwentyfive. Lake Minnetonka Magazine's September feature introduced chef de cuisine Tsu-Hung Liu, known as Chef Bam. He is a Culinary Institute of America graduate who trained at The Greenbrier Resort and cooked under James Beard Award winner Nancy Oakes at Prospect in San Francisco. The menu the magazine described includes Lobster Pot Pie, Oysters Casino, Steak au Poivre and Walleye With Wild Rice. Primary owner Steve Bohl told the magazine it is "food that feels familiar but is prepared with real intention and care."
Bohl also told the magazine that Chef Bam builds menus around the seasons, so by mid-November diners will be eating from the fall menu. The restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with weekend brunch. That makes it an option for out-of-town guests arriving the following week for Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving week, and the stretch after it
In past years, the lighting kicked off the season after the holiday weekend. This year Thanksgiving week falls inside the season, and two Lake Street dates land in it.
Tuesday, November 24: The Snowglobe Social Holiday Pop-Up opens at Red Cow Wayzata, 881 Lake Street N. The Wayzata West Metro Chamber's event listing describes holiday cocktails and festive food in a snow globe–themed space. It runs during normal Red Cow business hours through December 31. It opens on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, so it is already running when out-of-town guests arrive for the holiday.
Saturday, November 28: The Chamber is promoting Small Business Saturday – Shop Local. With the lights already up for eight days by then, that Saturday is the first shopping weekend after the lighting rather than its warm-up.
After that, the Snowglobe Social runs through the end of December. The city's next big winter date depends on the weather.
The one date nobody can schedule
Wayzata's outdoor skating and hockey rinks are at Klapprich Park, 340 Park Street East, near the water tower off Wayzata Boulevard East. They are not at Panoway or Depot Park. In winter the park also has an outdoor fireplace and a warming house.
The city's rink FAQ is frank that only Mother Nature knows when the ice will be ready. Public Works needs at least a week of very cold weather and frozen ground before it starts. Crews then pump 800,000 gallons of water into the rink, and a solid base layer takes 10 to 14 days of below-freezing temperatures to form.
Public Works likes to open the rink one week before Christmas and keep it going through mid-February. The FAQ also notes that five of the last six years were warmer than average, which led to late openings and early closings. Put the steps together and a mid-December opening depends on real cold arriving around Thanksgiving, the same week the rest of the season is now underway.
When the rink does open, the warming house and rink have an attendant on duty, weather permitting, during these hours:
- Weekdays: 3 to 10 p.m.
- Weekends and days Wayzata public schools are not in session: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A season calendar for the fridge
- Through Friday, Nov. 13: Winter Medallion Hunt clues post online
- Friday, Nov. 20, 5 to 7 p.m.: Light Up the Lake on Lake Street, with the candy hunt at 5:00 and the parade at 5:45
- Tuesday, Nov. 24 through Dec. 31: Snowglobe Social at Red Cow Wayzata
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday – Shop Local
- About a week before Christmas, if the weather cooperates: Public Works' target for opening the Klapprich Park rink
For more on the town around the lake, our Wayzata community page and Lake Minnetonka overview are good places to start.
We're a family team based just down the shore in Excelsior, and the Friday before Thanksgiving is on our calendar too. If you have questions about Wayzata or any of the lake communities this season, the Kilibarda Real Estate team is happy to talk. Contact us whenever it suits you.