Why College Station's Holiday Season Runs Through Post Oak Mall This Year

On Saturday, Dec. 5, Beachy Central Park will be closed to cars all day. That's the park where College Station's light display has grown since 1984, when one local family paid for a small set of light panels. It now holds more than one million lights across 47 acres. On that same day the Christmas Parade starts at Post Oak Mall at 4 p.m., and a shuttle starts running from the mall parking lot at the same hour.

The season's busiest day runs in a line from the mall on Harvey Road to the park off Krenek Tap. The mall has also picked up a new anchor tenant, and it keeps its own holiday schedule. Those two things together decide where you park and when you show up.

A Former Sears Space Opens First

Dave & Buster's was set to open Oct. 26 inside Post Oak Mall at 1502 Harvey Road, Suite 100. Sears used to be in that space, and Conn's after it. Community Impact reported the project as a roughly 31,000-square-foot, $12.8 million build-out. The Conn's store there closed in summer 2024, so the space sat empty for about two years.

In a walkthrough with KBTX, General Manager Matt Shoemaker described more than 150 games and a five-minute video game escape room. He also showed a collegiate hoops game with the Texas A&M logo. He told the station it's the only one of its kind among Dave & Buster's locations, since every other store has the NBA version. There's a 40-foot screen that can show eight games at once. KBTX reported closing times of midnight or later every night of the week, with a 1 a.m. close on Fridays and Saturdays.

Those late hours matter here. The Dec. 5 shuttle from the mall lot runs until midnight. So on parade night, the mall end of the route has a full restaurant open for the whole evening on both sides of the park event.

Thanksgiving Night, the Mall Is Closed and the Park Lights Up

The season starts at the two ends of that line on different nights.

1. Nov. 13: Santa's Wonderland's posted calendar lists its first operating date, with the run ending Jan. 3 and hours that change by date.
2. Nov. 19: Santa photos start inside Post Oak Mall and run through Dec. 24. From Nov. 19 to Dec. 10 the hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. They get longer from Dec. 11.
3. Nov. 26, Thanksgiving: The mall is closed. That same evening, Lights On starts at Beachy Central Park. It runs every night from 6 to 11 p.m. through Jan. 1, admission is free, and you can drive or walk through.
4. Nov. 27, Black Friday: Per the mall's posted holiday hours, it opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m.
5. Dec. 5: The parade, the Jingle Bell Fun Run and the Christmas in the Park event all happen on the same day, and the shuttle runs between the mall and the park.

From Nov. 26 to Dec. 24, kids can drop letters to Santa in the North Pole mailbox outside the Parks and Recreation Administrative Office. The city also posts a printable letter template. During the drive-through, Willy 97.7 FM plays holiday music from Bryan Broadcasting.

December 5, Hour by Hour

On a normal night of the light display, you can park inside Beachy Central Park. Dec. 5 works differently. According to the city's Christmas in the Park page, Recreation Drive closes from 7 a.m. to midnight and cars can't go through the park.

The parade route leaves Post Oak Mall heading west on Holleman. It turns south on Dartmouth, crosses Southwest Parkway, turns east on Krenek Tap and ends at Beachy Central Park. Fun Run participants finish at the park in time to watch the parade arrive and then stay for the evening.

The evening event has hayrides, cookies, hot cocoa, live entertainment and photos with Santa, plus food vendors. Admission is free. The activities need a wristband, and you get one at an information booth after filling out the city's online waiver. Filling it out at home saves you a step at the gate. The city doesn't provide a professional photographer for the Santa photos, so bring your own camera. Accessible parking is at the Beachy Central Park softball complex, which you reach from State Highway 6.

The Fun Run costs $15 through Nov. 15, and that price includes a shirt and jingle bells. Late registration from Nov. 16 to Nov. 30 is $20 and includes jingle bells, with shirts only while they last. Kids 3 and under run free. Packet pickup is Dec. 2 and 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Dec. 4 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Parks and Recreation Administrative Office.

Same Route, Same Times, Earlier Start Dates

If you went last year, the route and the times will feel familiar. Opening night and the Dec. 5 events each moved up a day as the calendar shifted, and the last night of the lights is still Jan. 1.

According to KBTX's 2025 parade coverage, last year's parade also started at Post Oak Mall and followed the same Holleman, Dartmouth, Southwest Parkway and Krenek Tap route. The bigger change for 2026 is the parking plan the city has published. If you remember parking inside the park on event night, plan on the mall lot this year.

On the following day, Sunday, Dec. 6, Century Square hosts Jingle on The Green from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It has free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, cocoa, a station for writing letters to Santa, and a forecast of fake snow. Saturday night at the park and Sunday midday at Century Square make an easy pair.

One event is off this year's calendar. KBTX reported that Live At The Station canceled its Nov. 7 festival at Aggie Park. Organizers said ticket buyers will get refunds and they're planning to return in 2027.

What's Inside the Mall Between Errands

The Post Oak Mall you park at in December has changed since last holiday season. In the food court, Community Impact reported, Asia Wok opened Sept. 6 where Manchu Wok used to be; Manchu Wok closed in May. Oliver's Boutique opened in early September. The same outlet reported that Vans closed its store on July 18 after nearly 15 years at the mall. Wacked Out Weiner closed its mall location on July 19 after about a year.

There are bigger plans for the property, but nothing that changes this season. According to KBTX, the City of College Station bought the former Macy's property at the mall in 2022 for $7.3 million. In 2026, Community Impact reported that council agreed a future recreation center should go in that building, though no formal action had been taken. An earlier report said a bond vote could come as early as 2027. The city is also working on a year-long redevelopment plan for about 466 acres along Harvey Road, from Texas Avenue to Highway 6, which includes parts of the mall district. Adoption is expected in spring 2027, and no immediate changes are expected.

Later in the month, the mall stays open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 14 through 19 and Dec. 21 through 23. On Christmas Eve it closes at 5 p.m., and it's closed on Christmas Day. Hours on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 1 is also the last night of Lights On at Beachy Central Park, so both ends of the season wrap up on the same day.

I'll be marking Dec. 5 on my own calendar and printing the city's shuttle map before that weekend. If you have questions about getting around College Station this season, or about the Harvey Road corridor plans and what they could mean for your part of town, I'm always glad to talk. Reach out to Lamanda Jatzlau. Let's Connect.