Saratoga's Victorian Streetwalk Turns 40 On A Broadway That Looks A Little Different This Year

At 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, a 28-foot balsam fir outside Putnam Market will light up. Canopy of Saratoga donated the tree, and the Downtown Business Association decorated it. Santa's parade starts ten minutes earlier, at 5:50 p.m., according to Saratoga Springs Magazine. From then until 9 p.m., Broadway runs the 40th annual Victorian Streetwalk.

Read through the program and you'll see who puts the night on. A bank serves the hot chocolate. Ballet dancers perform in boutique windows. A candy shop sends out a mascot. The tree comes from a local business and the sponsors are downtown shops. The Streetwalk is built by Broadway's own businesses, so it changes when the street changes. This year that's easy to see at 440 Broadway.

A Night Built Inside Storefronts

The DBA's 2026 plan puts much of the entertainment inside or right in front of local businesses:

• Racing City Chorus sings inside Adirondack Trust Co. from 6 to 9 p.m. The bank is also serving hot chocolate.
• Saxoclause plays in front of Brasserie Benelux from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
• Saratoga City Ballet dancers perform in the windows of Caroline and Main, Violets, and Gilded.
• Menges & Curtis has old-fashioned soda floats and Magic Matt the Magician.
• Saratoga Candy Co. hosts Noel the Spokes-Pig from 6 to 8:30 p.m., promoting the shop's Peppermint Pig.
• Spa City Motor Lodge has Adirondack Kettle Corn and mini cinnamon sugar donuts out front, and The Dance Lab performs there starting at 6:15 p.m.
• Maple Valley Cotton Candy sets up in front of Uncommon Grounds.

Civic buildings fill in the rest of the map. The St. Paul's Lutheran Church Choir sings on the City Hall steps in two sets, 6:30 to 7:15 and 7:30 to 8:15, in Victorian costume and with cookies. A Class Act Competitive Dancers perform at the Saratoga Springs City Center from 6:15 to 6:35. The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Select Choir is listed at the Post Office on Broadway, with a time still to be set.

The DBA's sponsor list reads like a list of Broadway addresses: Saratoga Candy Co., Impressions of Saratoga, Caroline and Main, Union Hall Supply Co., Celtic Treasures, Scallions, G. Willikers, Cudney's Launderers & Dry Cleaning, Violet's of Saratoga, and the City Center. Those are the names the DBA thanks for 2025. So the businesses that sponsor the night are largely the same ones visitors walk past on Broadway.

What Changed At 440 Broadway

When you walk the route this year, one long-running Broadway restaurant will be closed. Wheatfields Restaurant & Bar served its last meal on Saturday, September 26. The Times Union reported that Wheatfields first opened in 1988 and that Tim and Colleen Holmes had owned it since 2004. They kept the fresh pasta tradition started by the original owner, Bobby Mitchell. That means Wheatfields was on Broadway for almost every one of the Streetwalk's 40 years.

The space already has a new tenant. Two days after Wheatfields closed, the Times Union reported that The Scene Coffee & Cocktails, which started in Guilderland three years ago, will take over the nearly 5,000-square-foot space. A publicist for the business projects a summer 2027 opening, and the renovation will turn Wheatfields' dark-wood interior into a version of The Scene's high-gloss look. Owners Mariana and Nick Forbes told the paper they plan coffee and breakfast in the morning, all-day brunch, and small plates in the evening under the name The Scene Cocktail Lounge.

"Being on Broadway in Saratoga Springs is a dream for us, and we can't wait to become a part of the neighborhood," Mariana Forbes said in a statement reported by the Times Union.

The Holmeses still have two restaurants. Wheatfields Bistro & Wine Bar at the Crossings in Clifton Park and Beer Wine Pizza on Weibel Avenue in Saratoga are both open, and gift cards from the Broadway location are good in Clifton Park. If you're holding one of those cards from last year's holiday shopping, that's where to use it.

Bigger Than Last Year, By A Foot

Most of the Streetwalk stays the same from year to year, and that's part of its appeal. Last year's 39th edition was on Thursday, December 4, 2025, as covered by Saratoga TODAY. The tree was outside Putnam Market then too. The Saratogian described a 27-foot tree with about 85 strands of lights and bows, decorated by Samantha Nass Floral Design. It also reported 40 vendors and a Santa's parade with the police mounted unit, high school cheerleaders and a band.

This year's tree goes up in the same spot and stands one foot taller.

How The Evening Runs

If you're bringing kids or meeting friends, here's the order of the night using the published times:

1. 5:50 p.m. Santa's parade starts.
2. 6:00 p.m. The tree lights at Putnam Market, and Santa's Cottage opens there. The Racing City Chorus starts inside Adirondack Trust.
3. 6:15 p.m. The dance performances begin, A Class Act at City Center and The Dance Lab at Spa City Motor Lodge.
4. 6:30 p.m. The St. Paul's Lutheran choir sings its first set on the City Hall steps, and Santa photos run until 9.
5. 7:00 p.m. Saxoclause starts outside Brasserie Benelux.
6. 9:00 p.m. The Streetwalk ends. The Festival of Trees at City Center also closes at 9 that night.

The $5 Night At City Center

The Streetwalk lands in the middle of Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties' 31st annual Festival of Trees, which runs December 2 through 6 at the Saratoga Springs City Center. Regular admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and children 10 and up, and free for kids under 10, with tickets sold at the door. On Streetwalk night, admission drops to $5 and kids under 10 still get in free. Santa chats run from 5 to 8 p.m. that evening for a suggested $5 donation. The DBA describes more than 250 decorated trees, wreaths and holiday items for sale, plus raffle baskets and a Holiday Shoppe, with proceeds supporting Catholic Charities programs.

Here are the general admission hours for the rest of the run:

A preview reception on Wednesday, December 2, runs 6 to 8 p.m. It costs $100 per person and requires a reservation.

After The Streetwalk, Santa Keeps Weekend Hours

Santa's Cottage at Putnam Market stays open on selected days through December 20, so you can skip the Thursday-night line if you'd rather:

The DBA says Santa leaves for the North Pole on the evening of Sunday, December 20.

You can fit a Saturday morning in before the afternoon cottage hours. The Saratoga Farmers' Market is now in its indoor season at Wilton Mall, open Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lake Avenue also has a newer stop. King Kielbasa opened September 19 at 588 Lake Avenue in the former Kaleidoscope Cafe space. Gerard Białek runs it with his parents, Dariusz and Grace, and News10 listed its hours as Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Toy Drive Is Already Running

You don't have to wait until December 3 to give. Discover Saratoga's Toys for Toga is in its 14th year and takes toys from November 2 through December 12 at more than 100 drop-off spots around Saratoga County. Online donations are also accepted. Toys and money are split evenly among Franklin Community Center, CAPTAIN Community Human Services, and the Mechanicville Area Community Services Center. Last year the drive collected more than 5,500 toys and over $18,000. The DBA's Streetwalk plan also puts a Toys for Toga table in front of G. Willikers.

The DBA is still taking volunteers and sponsors for the night. Contact Andrea Mulholland at the Downtown Business Association at 518-587-8635.

Our team pays attention to which Broadway storefronts change hands and when the new tenants open, because it affects how downtown feels to the people who live near it. If you own a home in Saratoga Springs and want to know what it's worth with downtown changing around it, Jamie M Mazuryk can put together a free home valuation before the holidays.