Hudson NY Winter Walk 2026: The 30th Walk and Holiday Season

Angela Lanuto November 5, 2026

"Winter Walk is a treasure, so everyone that was approached was very enthusiastic about helping keep it alive," Christine Jones, president of the Hudson Development Corporation, told the Register-Star. She was describing how the festival was saved this year. The 30th Winter Walk, set for Saturday, December 5, had been at risk of cancellation because there was no money for it.

It's going ahead, and how it got there matters for the rest of December. The Walk is now funded by local businesses. The holiday season around it is also mostly run by individual local venues, each on its own schedule: a flea market at a former factory on the waterfront, a four-weekend market at the Cannonball Factory, a church concert series and a youth art show at Hudson Hall. On December 5 those schedules all overlap on Warren Street.

How the Walk Got Paid For

The Register-Star reported that last year's Winter Walk was funded by a partnership between the City of Hudson and The Foundry, an arts organization funded by the Galvan Foundation. The Foundry closed after that event. In early March, Mayor Joseph Ferris and the Hudson Development Corporation began working on another way to fund it.

According to the paper, a Winter Walk costs between $60,000 and $100,000. HDC asked Columbia County businesses to sponsor it, and the event was fully funded within weeks of the corporation reaching out to more than a dozen of them. Jess Wallen, HDC's executive director, said the board decided the event was "too important to Hudson residents and businesses, Columbia County and surrounding communities to let it be canceled." Mayor Ferris credited both HDC and the Hudson Business Coalition.

Jones also told the paper that contributing is "not an easy thing for a business to contribute to an event like this, especially in tough times economically." So the businesses that light their windows on Warren Street that night are, as a group, also the ones paying for the street to be lit.

Hudson Hall created Winter Walk in 1996. This year it's still part of the night, but as one participating venue among many, with a youth art exhibition opening during the Walk. The festival itself is presented by HDC.

What December 5 Looks Like

The 2026 Walk runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on Warren Street. The theme is "Jingle All the Way," and the Visit Hudson event page promises "bells, sparkle, holiday cheer," with live music, performances, holiday shopping, competing window displays, treats and fireworks.

The window contest is the part business owners take most seriously. Last year, the City of Hudson's contest announcement said HDC sponsored it and an anonymous panel of local gallerists and artists judged the windows. The 2025 results were announced in Gold, Silver and Bronze tiers. With so many contributors behind this year's festival, many windows on the street will belong to businesses that helped pay for it.

Two events off Warren Street are scheduled for the same night:

First Presbyterian Church Holiday Sing, 5 to 7 p.m. The Hudson High School Choir and Band, directed by Scott Vorwald, perform Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs, with hot chocolate and a bake sale. It ends an hour before the Walk does, so you can catch the students first and still be on Warren Street for the fireworks.
Community Canvas at Hudson Hall. The youth exhibition of work by local and regional students opens during the Walk and runs through December 20. If the street is too crowded to stay long on the 5th, the show is still up for two more weeks.

The Weekend Before: Thanksgiving Sets It Up

Hudson's season starts a week before the Walk. Both big holiday markets open the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Basilica Hudson, at 110 S. Front Street, holds the Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market November 27, 28 and 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The organizer lists more than 140 regional independent businesses, plus food and craft activities. It runs only that weekend, so it's done before the Walk begins.

The Cannonball Factory holiday market opens the same weekend and continues for three more. Its site lists 50+ local and regional vendors, live music and indoor-only vendor spaces. It's the only event that runs across the whole season, and its weekends line up with almost everything else on the calendar.

Four Weekends, One Market Running Through All of Them

The Cannonball Factory's four weekends give the season its structure. Here's what else is scheduled on each of them:

Cannonball Factory weekend	Also in Hudson that weekend
Nov. 27–29	Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market, 110 S. Front St., 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily
Dec. 4–6	Winter Walk on Warren Street, Sat. Dec. 5, 5–8 p.m.; First Presbyterian Holiday Sing, 5–7 p.m.; Community Canvas opens at Hudson Hall
Dec. 11–13	Community Canvas continues at Hudson Hall
Dec. 18–20	Crescendo Chorus at First Presbyterian, Fri. Dec. 18; Hudson Hall Kwanzaa program, Sat. Dec. 19; Community Canvas closes Sun. Dec. 20

The second weekend is the busiest. The Walk, the Holiday Sing, the Community Canvas opening and the Cannonball market all happen within the same three days. If you're bringing family or friends to Hudson for only one weekend in December, that's the one.

December 11 to 13 is the quietest stretch on the calendar. The market and the Hudson Hall exhibition are open, and nothing else is scheduled. That makes it the easier weekend for shopping and for seeing the student work without a crowd.

How the Season Ends: December 18 to 20

The season closes with a busy final weekend.

On Friday, December 18, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., First Presbyterian Church hosts Crescendo Chorus in "A Celtic Wintertide," a program of seasonal Yuletide music. First Presbyterian appears twice on the season's calendar: the high school students' sing during the Walk and this choral concert two weeks later.

On Saturday, December 19, at 3 p.m., Hudson Hall and Operation Unite NY present their Kwanzaa celebration. It's free and includes children's arts and crafts, dancing, drumming, a candle-lighting ceremony and the Nguzo Saba.

Sunday, December 20, is the last day of the Cannonball Factory market and of Community Canvas at Hudson Hall. If you missed the student exhibition on Walk night, this is your last chance to see it.

Planning Around the Fixed Dates

Some details for December 5 are still to come. The Visit Hudson page tells readers to "watch this space for Winter Walk updates," so check it as the date gets closer. These dates are already set:

Friday, November 27: Basilica Farm & Flea and the Cannonball Factory market both open.
Sunday, November 29: Last day of Basilica Farm & Flea.
Saturday, December 5: Winter Walk, 5 to 8 p.m.; Holiday Sing at First Presbyterian, 5 to 7 p.m.; Community Canvas opens at Hudson Hall.
Friday, December 18: Crescendo Chorus, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 19: Kwanzaa at Hudson Hall, 3 p.m.
Sunday, December 20: Cannonball Factory market and Community Canvas both close.

Last year, the Register-Star reported, the Walk drew thousands to Warren Street for the decorated windows, holiday food, music and dance, and special events at shops along the street. This year many of those shops are also among the businesses paying for the night.

Our team works up and down the river, and seeing local businesses keep Winter Walk going for its 30th year is exactly why we love being part of this community. If December in Hudson has you thinking about a place of your own near Warren Street, or about how to show a home you already own at its best, reach out to The Angela Lanuto Team and let's chat!