The Town of Ajax lists Santa's Spectacle of Lights for Saturday, November 28, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Downtown stays set up for longer than that. Harwood Avenue South and Achilles Road stay closed until 9 p.m. The Ajax Public Library's warm-up party at the Main Branch also runs until 9.
Parade night in downtown Ajax is a three-hour evening. The rest of the season lines up behind it: a free market at the Ajax Community Centre the next afternoon, then a few December dates that fit in around it.
The closures set the length of the evening
The Town's parade page lists the 2026 route. It starts at Bayly Street and Mackenzie Avenue, heads east on Bayly, then turns north on Harwood Avenue South and ends at Ajax Town Hall at Harwood and Achilles Road. Elexicon Energy presents the parade. Right after it, there's a tree lighting and an after-party at Town Hall, 65 Harwood Avenue South, and at the Ajax Main Library.
The four road closures don't all start or end at the same time:
| Road | Section closed | Hours on Nov. 28 |
|---|---|---|
| Mackenzie Ave. | Bayly to Clements Rd. W. | 4 to 8 p.m. |
| Bayly St. W. | Finley Ave. to Salem Rd. | 5:30 to 8 p.m. |
| Harwood Ave. S. | Birch Cres. to Emperor St. | 5:30 to 9 p.m. |
| Achilles Rd. | Harwood Ave. S. to Salem Rd. | 5:30 to 9 p.m. |
Mackenzie, where the route starts, closes at 4 p.m., two hours before the start. Bayly reopens at 8. The streets around Town Hall at the north end stay closed the longest, until 9. The Town says times may change without notice.
If you live near the route, that last hour matters most. A driveway off Harwood or Achilles could stay closed in until 9, even though the parade ends at 7:30.
Where the car goes
The Town says parking at Town Hall is limited. It suggests parking at the Ajax Plaza Harwood Shopping Centre or Baywood Centre, and it notes that all parking rules and bylaws still apply that night.
This matters because of the closure hours above. If you park on a side street near Achilles Road, you may not be able to drive out until 9 p.m. If you park at one of the two plazas the Town names, you can walk to the route, stay for the tree lighting and the warm-up party, and leave when you're ready.
What fills the hours between 7:30 and 9
The Ajax Public Library lists the Santa's Spectacle of Lights Parade & Warm-up Party at the Main Branch from 6 to 9 p.m. Its description says to follow the parade, then come to the Main Branch for a children's craft and hot chocolate, hosted by the Library's Teen Advisory Committee.
That runs right up to the 9 p.m. reopening of Harwood and Achilles. A family that watches the floats, stays for the tree lighting at Town Hall and then goes inside for the craft table will finish at about the same time the roads reopen.
The Town's parade page doesn't describe the Town Hall side of the after-party. Check the parade page closer to the date.
The library's holiday page also lists Letters to Santa, from Saturday, November 21, to Saturday, December 5. Children write a letter using the library's template and drop it off at any branch, and the library sends it on to Santa. Parade night falls in the middle of that window, so a letter written at home can come along and be dropped off at the Main Branch during the warm-up party. The Main, Audley and McLean branches and the Makerspace are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. On any Saturday other than the 28th, plan to drop off before 5. The library says more holiday programs will be added to its holiday events page.
Sunday moves to Centennial Road
The next afternoon, Sunday, November 29, the It's Almost Christmas Holiday Market runs from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Ajax Community Centre, 75 Centennial Road. Admission is free. This is the second year for the market. The Town's event listing describes small-business bakers and makers from across the GTA, with a focus on Durham Region. The Heart Made Collective organizes it. Vendor applications closed September 30, 2026.
Starting at 2 p.m. leaves Sunday morning free after a late Saturday, and the 7 p.m. finish gives you most of the afternoon and early evening. Saturday night downtown and Sunday afternoon on Centennial Road make one weekend that's easy to plan, and neither event costs anything to get into.
Kingston Road is the other schedule to plan around
The road work that will affect more holiday trips than the parade is on Kingston Road. On October 20, 2026, Durham Radio News reported more lane restrictions, lane shifts and signal changes for the Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit project between Rotherglen Road and Galea Drive. The affected intersections include Westney Road, Chapman Drive/Ritchie Avenue, Harwood Avenue and Salem Road. Some sections will be down to one lane for centre median construction. The report also mentions offset left-turn lanes and new fully protected left-turn signals.
The same report says the work will continue until late spring 2027, and bad weather could affect the schedule. That covers the whole holiday shopping season. Bus routes, bus stops, sidewalks and businesses along the corridor stay open during regular hours.
For December errands to the Kingston Road plazas, the left-turn signals and single-lane stretches will probably add more time than the parade closures do.
The calendar from mid-November to New Year's Eve
The parade weekend is the busiest part of the season. The other dates are spread out on either side of it:
- Saturday, November 14, 6 to 9 p.m. Ajax Superstar, a free show of local youth performers at the Ajax Centre for the Arts, 78 Church Street South. Seating is first come, first served.
- November 21 to December 5. Letters to Santa drop-off at any library branch.
- Saturday, November 28, 6 to 9 p.m. The parade, tree lighting and library warm-up party.
- Sunday, November 29, 2 to 7 p.m. It's Almost Christmas Holiday Market at the Ajax Community Centre.
- Saturday, December 5, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. A Very Merry Magic Show with BenTastic and Magic Mel at the Ajax Centre for the Arts. Each show is an hour, and tickets are $20.
- Saturday, December 12, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Bublé Christmas, Jay Davis's tribute with the Feeling Bublé Band, at the Ajax Centre for the Arts. Tickets are $40.
- Thursday, December 31, 6 to 9 p.m. The free Ajax Family New Year's Eve Party at the Ajax Community Centre. It includes skating and learn-to-skate, public swims from 6 to 8 p.m., activities, and a countdown and balloon drop at 9 p.m.
The December 5 magic show is also the last day for Letters to Santa. A family going to the 11 a.m. show still has the afternoon to drop off a letter at any branch before it closes at 5.
The New Year's Eve party has its countdown at 9 p.m. instead of midnight, so it's an early, family-friendly way to mark the new year.
Skating has two open questions
Indoor public skating at the Ajax Community Centre follows a Fall Skate Schedule posted on the Town's skating page. The Town says holidays interrupt the regular schedule. That page doesn't list holiday-break times, so check that page before planning a skate between Christmas and New Year's.
The outdoor rink at Pat Bayly Square is listed on the Town's skating page as closed for the 2025-2026 season, and that page gives no opening date for this winter. When the rink is running, it's open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and has indoor washrooms and change rooms. The Town asks skaters to call 365-885-3848 to check rink status before heading out. Until the rink opens, New Year's Eve at the Ajax Community Centre is the one confirmed holiday skate on the calendar.
At Fraser & Co., we work across Durham Region, Ajax included. If you'd like to talk with someone who knows this part of Durham about what's next for you, whenever that is, we'd be glad to hear from you. Speak with a Human.
