Fairborn events, November 2026 to February 2027

Fairborn's calendar does not slow down when the Halloween decorations come off Main Street. Between now and the end of February, the city lights its community tree, the library fills with gingerbread, runners loop Oakes Quarry in the cold, and Wright State University's stages stay busy straight through the winter. Every date below comes from the organizer's own page; check those pages, listed with this article, before you set out, since winter weather can change plans.

Holiday season downtown and at the library

The City of Fairborn's Hometown Holiday Festival and Tree Lighting is set for Friday, December 4, 2026. It is the city's signature holiday night, organized by Parks & Recreation, which also runs the downtown events calendar. The city's park guide lists The Commons, the open space at Main Street and Grand Avenue, as the home of Santa's Candy Cane Lane, so it is worth watching the city's festival page for the evening's details as the date gets closer. Downtown's independent shops make an easy add-on to the night: Bookery Fantasy on West Main Street deals in vintage comics, pulp magazines and old movie posters, and Gem City Collects on East Main Street carries sports cards and Pokemon products.

The Fairborn Community Library on East Main Street, a branch of Greene County Public Library, runs a full holiday program. Its Great Gingerbread Showdown starts with kit pickup at the Youth desk from November 16 to 21, for ages up to 18. The finished houses go on show at the Gingerbread House Reception on Monday, December 14, with snacks and special guests. The week before, Jingle Bell Storytimes run from December 7 to 11 for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, and families are invited to come in festive outfits. The December calendar also has a bottle-brush tree craft on December 12 and 17; it needs registration, which opens about two weeks ahead. The library closes for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

On stage at Wright State

Wright State University sits in what the city's land use plan calls the University District, and its theatre, dance and music programs keep a busy calendar all winter. Highlights through February:

• Pippin plays the Festival Playhouse from November 12 to 22.
• The Jingle Jazz concert by the jazz band is on November 24.
• The Fall Dance Concert is in the Festival Playhouse on December 4 and 5, and no tickets are required.
• The WSU Brass Festival is on January 18.
• The Emerging Choreographers Concert runs February 11 to 14 in the dance studio, with no tickets required.
• The Humans plays the Festival Playhouse from February 12 to 21.
• Ride the Cyclone plays the Herbst Theatre from February 19 to 28.

Student recitals, most of them in Schuster Hall, fill many of the weeknights in between, and the university's music calendar lists them one by one. The box office handles tickets for the ticketed shows.

Sports and the Nutter Center

The Ervin J. Nutter Center at Wright State hosts the OHSAA Girls State Volleyball Tournament in mid-November, a chance to watch state championship volleyball without leaving town. The Nutter Center's own calendar lists its later winter events as they are announced.

Winter miles at Oakes Quarry

Oakes Quarry Park, the former rock quarry off East Xenia Drive, doubles as a trail-running venue in the colder months. The Candy Cane Classic runs there on Saturday, December 12, with a 1.55-mile fun run plus 5K, 10K and 15K distances made up of laps on an out-and-back course. A second holiday race, the Run Ohio Races Christmas run, follows on Saturday, December 26, with the same choice of distances. Both start in the morning, with packet pickup on site, and both offer a virtual option for anyone who would rather run on their own. Spectators get the park's fossil-studded quarry walls as a backdrop.

Plan ahead

A few things to keep in mind. The Fairborn Farmers Market at The Commons has closed for the year; the city's page lists the 2026 season as May 6 to October 28, so look for next year's dates in spring. The library's calendar runs several weeks out and adds programs regularly; January brings adult book clubs and winter craft hours, and registration for most hands-on programs opens about two weeks before each one. Wright State's spring season continues after February with Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 in late March.

For the holiday festival, the city's Festivals and Parades page is the place to check times, road closures and parking. Bundle up, park once downtown and make an evening of it.