On Saturday morning, November 7, the Secrest Auditorium parking lot will fill with decorated floats and veterans' groups getting ready for the Veterans Day Parade. Lineup starts at 9 a.m., and the parade steps off at 11 a.m. Zanesville Rotary groups present it. As of this week, that parking lot is the only part of Secrest with a confirmed role in the season. The auditorium's own events page lists nothing scheduled.
The building is in the middle of a $14 million renovation and expansion. In early September, the Zanesville Times Recorder reported that severe weather in January and August had slowed the work, but that both phases should be finished by the end of 2026. Finishing in December leaves no room for a holiday season inside it. So from mid-November through mid-December, Zanesville's holidays happen somewhere else. More precisely, they happen in about six different places, spread across five weekends.
This summer, the same renovation pushed Zanesville's concerts out to the riverfront. The holiday version spreads even further. It starts out at The Wilds, swings down to South Zanesville, comes back to North 5th Street for Thanksgiving week, and finishes on Putnam Avenue and around the courthouse in December.
The Concert Season Moved to February, With a Detour Through Mt. Vernon
The Zanesville Concert Association's website says its next season will run from February 25, 2027, through May 15, 2027, "due to the renovations at our concert venue, Secrest Auditorium." That first concert is Jazz at Lincoln Center's "World on a String: Swinging Songs of Broadway," dated February 25, 2027.
The association has built a bridge across the gap. Its 87th season includes four Zanesville performances plus seven concerts through its reciprocal partner, the Community Concert Association in Mt. Vernon. Members who buy by December 1, 2026, can attend three of those Mt. Vernon concerts before the Zanesville season starts. Buying by that date also unlocks a preseason special. Each membership level comes with single event tickets for guests: one for adult memberships, up to four for benefactor and headliner levels. Those tickets work at any of the four 2027 Zanesville concerts. Youth 18 and under get in free with an adult ticket holder, and so do college students with a valid ID.
So the December 1 deadline lands right in the middle of the holiday calendar below, the same week as Thanksgiving and the Festival of Trees setup. For anyone who wants concert tickets as a gift, the stocking-stuffer timing works.
Once finished, the expansion will add a 20,000-square-foot addition, a new lobby and an elevator, WHIZ reported in February when the last steel beam went up.
Mid-November Starts Out at The Wilds
The Wilds is hosting Jingle Bells & Giraffes: Holidays at The Wilds on November 14, 15 and 22. Guests choose one of the three dates. Hours on November 14 and 15 are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and every visit requires a reservation.
The Wilds' event page lists:
- Photos with Santa
- Cookie and ornament decorating
- Games, trivia and balloon animals
- Animal ambassadors from the Columbus Zoo
- Holiday performances by local choirs and orchestras
- Local coffee and treats
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults, ages 13 and up | $5.00 |
| Children, ages 2 to 12 | $2.50 |
| Parking | Free |
The Wilds tells guests to RSVP quickly because the dates sell out. A family of four with two kids under 13 pays $15 total, the same as one adult ticket to the Putnam tour in December. Of all the ticketed events this season, it has the shortest booking window, so it's the one to reserve first.
The Parade Runs in South Zanesville on a Sunday Afternoon
The season's Storybook parade has moved in both location and time of day. The Zanesville South Business Association's committee produces "A Storybook Christmas" parade, set for Sunday, November 22, 2026, at 2 p.m. Lineup is at Southpointe Shopping Center on Maysville Avenue, and the route runs about 2.5 miles. A route map is linked on the ZSBA's website.
Downtown parades in past years were weeknight affairs. The 2024 downtown Storybook Christmas Parade stepped off at 6 p.m. on a Wednesday in December and looped back to Secrest Auditorium. This year's parade is in daylight, on a weekend, and nowhere near the auditorium. It also falls on the last of The Wilds' three holiday dates, so a family could book The Wilds for the 14th or 15th and keep the 22nd free for the parade.
Thanksgiving Week Runs Through North 5th Street
The calendar moves back toward downtown for Thanksgiving week, and the busiest address is the Zanesville-Muskingum County Welcome Center at 205 N. 5th Street.
The Chamber's 34th annual Festival of Trees starts there with three drop-off and decorating windows:
- Tuesday, November 24: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Wednesday, November 25: 9 a.m. to noon
- Monday, November 30: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Between those decorating days, Thanksgiving morning brings the 19th Annual Race for Grace at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 26. It welcomes all ages and abilities, from experienced runners to walkers. All proceeds support Eastside Community Ministry's Choice Food Pantry and Noon Rotary's Healthy Bodies Health Minds programs. Registration is through the race's RunSignup page.
The decorated trees go up for auction on Friday, December 4, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Welcome Center. The auction also airs live on AM1240 for anyone following from home or work. Details are on the Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber's event page.
December 4 is also the first Friday of the month, which is when ArtCoZ, the Artist Colony of Zanesville, holds its monthly First Friday Art Walk. The art walk brings galleries, shops and restaurants into one evening downtown. So the auction day and the art walk evening share the same Friday.
December Settles on Putnam Avenue and the Courthouse
By mid-December the calendar settles into two places, both downtown or close to it.
The first is the Putnam Historic District. Holidays of Yesterday: Celebrating America's 250th runs Saturday, December 12, from noon to 5 p.m. Visitors walk Putnam Avenue past decorated historic homes and businesses that show holiday traditions of the past, with music, refreshments, raffles and door prizes along the way. Tickets are $15 per adult. With the country's 250th anniversary as its theme, this is the one holiday event this year built around a specific neighborhood's architecture rather than a venue.
The second is the lights, which have never depended on Secrest. Visit Zanesville describes the Muskingum County Courthouse light show as running every night in December from 6 to 9 p.m., with music on 88.5 FM. The same page lists a holiday light trail at Zane's Landing Park and a 26-foot Ornament Tree in front of the John McIntire Library. Visit Zanesville's holiday lights page has the full description. The courthouse show runs on a nightly schedule all month, so it's the one part of the season that needs no booking at all.
Where to Warm Up Between Stops
Spreading the season across town means more stops in between, and downtown has a few newer places to fill them. Blockhouse Coffee Company at 423 State Street held its grand opening in May. It serves handcrafted coffee, pastries and sweets, and the owners report hours of Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those hours suit the Putnam tour, which starts at noon on a Saturday, or a morning at the Festival of Trees auction.
For evenings, the Downtown Exchange food hall's lineup includes Chapman's Coffee House, Taste of Greece, Tacology, Hayai Hibachi, Village Pizzeria & Kitchen, Bee Sweet Desserts & Eats, Zane's Bites, Twisted Classics and The Lucky Jupiter Bar. Several kitchens under one roof is a handy setup for a First Friday group that can't agree on dinner.
The Season in One List
Seen together, the dates show how the season moves around town. It starts at the Secrest parking lot, goes out to The Wilds, down to Maysville Avenue, back to North 5th Street, and finally to Putnam Avenue and the courthouse:
- Sat., Nov. 7, 11 a.m.: Veterans Day Parade, lineup 9 a.m. in the Secrest Auditorium lot
- Nov. 14, 15 and 22: Jingle Bells & Giraffes at The Wilds, reservations required
- Sun., Nov. 22, 2 p.m.: A Storybook Christmas parade, lineup at Southpointe Shopping Center
- Nov. 24, 25 and 30: Festival of Trees drop-off and decorating, 205 N. 5th St.
- Thu., Nov. 26, 8:30 a.m.: 19th Annual Race for Grace
- Tue., Dec. 1: Zanesville Concert Association preseason membership deadline
- Fri., Dec. 4, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Festival of Trees auction, live on AM1240, and First Friday Art Walk that evening
- Sat., Dec. 12, noon to 5 p.m.: Holidays of Yesterday on Putnam Avenue, $15 per adult
- Every night in December, 6 to 9 p.m.: Muskingum County Courthouse light show, music on 88.5 FM
If Secrest finishes on schedule, the next holiday season will have its main stage back, with a new lobby to go with it.
Hosting family this season, or wondering how Zanesville's events and changing downtown fit into your own plans for the year ahead? Connie Sadowski is always glad to talk about life around Zanesville, and you can find more local guides on her Zanesville neighborhood page. When you're ready, Connie can also give you a free home valuation.
