On Oct. 19, the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners passed Resolution 1283-26. It makes every on-street metered space in town free from Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, 2026, through New Year's Day, Jan. 1, 2027, and suspends parking fines for the same stretch. The resolution gives its purpose as promoting economic development for downtown Bel Air's businesses, shops and restaurants during the holidays.
The rest of the county's calendar points the same way. The 2026 season is built around walking a downtown, from Bel Air's Main Street to Havre de Grace's Washington Street to the center of Aberdeen. All three towns hold their parades and tree lightings between Friday, Dec. 4, and Sunday, Dec. 6. Meanwhile, the end of Harford Mall that used to anchor holiday shopping in Bel Air is a construction site.
What free meters cover in Bel Air
The free parking runs from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day and covers every big downtown Bel Air event of the season. The Bel Air Downtown Alliance calendar starts it off with Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28. The same morning, the Belle Aire Holiday Market opens. It's an open-air artisan market held on the four Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Havre de Grace Beacon's holiday guide lists the market from 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, 12 and 19. The Harford Artists' Association & Gallery also has a Small Business Saturday event on Nov. 28.
The busiest afternoon is Sunday, Dec. 6. According to the town's application page for the 36th Annual Bel Air Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting, the parade steps off at 3:30 p.m. A gathering at Shamrock Park follows, and the tree is lit between 4:45 and 5 p.m. In past years, a parade afternoon meant hunting for a spot and feeding a meter. This year the meters themselves cost nothing, though parade-day crowds will still fill the spaces.
The Macy's end of Harford Mall this season
The mall is open, but the Macy's wing is different this year. Macy's closed in 2025, and the Town of Bel Air said demolition of that section would begin July 22, 2026 and take about two months. That piece of the property is becoming Derby Place. The town describes it as about 95,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, anchored by a 35,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market.
The new center won't be ready for this season, or for the next one. In July, WMAR reported that construction on Derby Place was expected to start in winter 2026–27, and the developer's site still projects a spring 2028 arrival. Later phases add a 249-unit apartment complex, parking and open space.
The town said shoppers could still use the main mall building's shops and restaurants during the work. The restaurants along Baltimore Pike and the newer tenants in the former Sears space on the Tollgate Road side are also still reachable. So the mall is still a holiday stop. It just has a fenced redevelopment site at one end, and that leaves Main Street as the place for a full afternoon out in Bel Air.
Three parades in one weekend
The tightest part of the season comes Dec. 4 through 6. Here is how it lines up across the county's three main downtowns:
| Date | Town | Event | Start | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Aberdeen | 49th Annual Christmas Street Celebration | 4 p.m. | Downtown Aberdeen |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Havre de Grace | Holly Jolly Parade & Tree Lighting | 6 p.m. | St. John St. to Congress Ave. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Bel Air | 36th Annual Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting | 3:30 p.m. | Main Street, Bel Air |
The City of Aberdeen calendar promises decorated trees for sale, a craft fair, breakfast with Santa, a parade and a tree lighting. The listing gives the date as Friday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m., but its "upcoming dates" field also shows Saturday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. Check with the City before you plan around a specific evening.
If Aberdeen does run Friday, Havre de Grace and Aberdeen overlap on the same night. The two downtowns are close enough that a family could see Aberdeen's 4 p.m. start and still reach Havre de Grace for the 6 p.m. parade. The official Holly Jolly listing puts the route from Union Avenue and St. John Street, down St. John and Washington streets, to Congress Avenue, with Santa Land open at 450 Pennington Ave.
Aberdeen has a new place to eat this year, too. WMAR reported in October that Top Nach, a food truck for five years, opened its first sit-down restaurant at 19 W. Bel Air Ave. Owners Missy and Shane Loomis told the station they hope to expand hours and add menu items and events. At the time of that report it was open Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 8 p.m., which would cover a Friday celebration night if those hours hold.
Havre de Grace has the longest season
The parades all land in one weekend, but Havre de Grace spreads its season from mid-November into the second half of December, almost all of it on or near North Washington Street.
It starts with the Veterans Day Parade on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 11 a.m. to noon, along Congress Avenue, North Washington Street and St. John Street. The Cottage-Core Holiday Market follows on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 116 N. Washington St.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, the Holiday Train Garden opens a few doors up. It's hosted by The Luckiest Light, a nonprofit art studio and gallery for artists with and without disabilities at 220 N. Washington St. The Luckiest Light is welcoming back the Mason Dixon Large Scale Railroad Society to run a train garden with vendors starting Nov. 27. Hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays, noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. The host's listing says the garden runs through New Year's, but the Beacon's holiday guide lists dates only through Dec. 20. Check with the gallery before a late-December visit.
The calmest night comes after the parades. The Lock House Museum holds its 54th Annual Candlelight Tour on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 3 to 8 p.m. The Lock House Boutique is open that day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 13, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A weekend-by-weekend plan through Dec. 20
Put the downtown calendars together and the season breaks into six blocks:
- Wednesday, Nov. 11. The Havre de Grace Veterans Day Parade, 11 a.m. to noon.
- Saturday, Nov. 14. The Cottage-Core Holiday Market at 116 N. Washington St., Havre de Grace, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26–29. Bel Air's free meters start Thursday. The train garden opens Friday at The Luckiest Light. Saturday brings Small Business Saturday on Main Street, the first Belle Aire Holiday Market from 9 a.m. to noon, and the Harford Artists' Gallery event.
- Dec. 4–6. Aberdeen's Christmas Street Celebration, the Holly Jolly Parade in Havre de Grace, the Dec. 5 Belle Aire market, and Bel Air's parade and tree lighting on Sunday.
- Dec. 12–13. The Lock House Candlelight Tour and boutique, plus the third Belle Aire market on Saturday morning.
- Saturday, Dec. 19. The final Belle Aire Holiday Market, with Bel Air's meters still free through New Year's Day.
If the holidays have you wondering what your home might sell for, or what a move within Harford County would look like next year, The Lacey Real Estate Group can give you a straight, local read whenever you want one. Get Your Free Home Valuation, and enjoy the parades first.
