Fort Wayne events, November 2026 to February 2027

Fort Wayne doesn't go quiet when the weather turns. From mid-November the city fills its theatres, museums and parks with traditions that families plan around year after year, and the calendar keeps going after the holidays with lectures, ballet and a symphony evening in February. Here is what's on between now and the end of February 2027, each with dates as its organizer publishes them. Times, tickets and weather closures change, so check the organizer's page before you go.

Mid-November: lights, music and the first skate

On Friday, November 13, Wild Lights opens at the Fort Wayne Zoo on Sherman Boulevard. The zoo says it has added more than 300,000 lights this year, for over a million in all, along with a nightly tree lighting, s'mores, cookie decorating and rides on the zoo's train. It runs on select nights from November 13 through January 3: Fridays through Sundays in November plus Wednesday, November 25, with the zoo closed on Thanksgiving; Wednesday to Sunday in early December; then nightly from December 16 to 31, with the zoo closed December 24 and 25.

On Friday, November 20, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic presents Messiah by Candlelight at the PFW Music Center, a seasonal favorite for anyone who likes to start the holidays with Handel.

Downtown, the Headwaters Park ice rink returns on Saturday, November 21. The rink sets up under the park's big open-air pavilion on South Clinton Street each winter, and the new city-owned garage at the Lofts at Headwaters Park, in the 200 block of East Superior Street, makes parking close by.

Thanksgiving week: lights, trees, gingerbread and local artists

On the evening before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 25, Downtown Fort Wayne's HolidayFest begins with Night of Lights, when the Santa and His Reindeer display, the Merry Christmas Wreath and the rest of downtown's lighted displays switch on for the season. The lighting runs from 5:45 to 8 p.m., and decorated storefronts and a window-decorating contest carry the season through December.

The Embassy Theatre's Festival of Trees, first held in 1984, fills the lobbies of the Embassy and the former Indiana Hotel on West Jefferson Boulevard with decorated trees from November 25 to December 2. There is live entertainment on the Embassy stage, visits with Santa and holiday windows on Harrison Street. Sensory-friendly hours on Sunday, November 29, offer dimmer lights and no stage programming for guests with sensory needs. The festival is the Embassy Theatre Foundation's largest fundraiser for the historic theatre. Breakfast with Santa runs November 27 and 28, and a late-night Midnight Madness evening is set for November 28.

Downtown at The History Center on East Berry Street, the Festival of Gingerbread runs from November 27 through December 20. Gingerbread creations by local makers of all ages and skill levels, from preschoolers to professionals, fill the History Center's restored Shields Room.

Holidays at Artlink opens on November 28 and runs to December 13 at the Auer Center for Arts and Culture on East Main Street. More than seventy local artists and small creative businesses take part, with markets each Saturday. It lands on Small Business Saturday, a natural day for gift shopping downtown.

December on stage

Fort Wayne Ballet brings back The Nutcracker from December 4 to 13, a run that marks part of the company's seventieth season. Check the ballet's site for the performance schedule and venue.

At the Embassy, A Grande Christmas with organist Cletus Goens on Friday, December 18, is part of the theatre's series of organ shows, an evening of holiday music in one of downtown's grand old rooms.

If you need a break between shows, The Hoppy Gnome, at 203 East Berry Street near the History Center, serves lunch and dinner every day and brunch on weekends.

January and February: history, dance and a symphonic journey

After the holidays, The History Center keeps its free George R. Mather Lecture series going on Sunday afternoons. On January 3, the topic is Knute Rockne and professional football in Fort Wayne; on February 7, the talk looks at Roosevelt Barnes and his legacy, from segregation to upscale. Both run from 2 to 3 p.m.

Fort Wayne Ballet returns with Love Notes, a mixed-repertoire program, on February 12 and 13, just in time for Valentine's Day.

On Saturday, February 13, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic presents Rick Steves' Europe: A Symphonic Journey at the PFW Music Center, pairing orchestral music with the travel writer's stories and images.

The ballet's family series follows on February 27 with The Magic Toy Shop, a good first ballet for younger children.

Every Saturday: the winter farmers market

Through the whole season, the YLNI Farmers Market keeps its producer-only Saturday market going indoors at 3811 Illinois Road on the southwest side, from November through April, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is a good place to pick up local meats, baked goods, produce and handmade gifts, and to see neighbors in the middle of winter.

Before you go

Every event here has its own page, listed in our sources, and those pages are where changes appear first: sold-out shows, weather closures at the rink or the zoo, and final performance times. A cold snap can close an outdoor event for an evening, and many of these traditions sell out, so buy tickets early when an organizer offers them online. Whatever you pick, Fort Wayne's winter calendar is full enough that the dark evenings go by quickly.