On Saturday, November 28, downtown Morgan Hill holds three holiday-season markets at three addresses, and their hours overlap only in part. The Jingle Market on E. 3rd Street opens at 9 a.m. The Morgan Hill Farmers' Market opens at the same hour, but at the Caltrain parking lot off Butterfield Boulevard. The Chamber of Commerce's Merry Market Holiday Bazaar doesn't open until noon at the Community & Cultural Center. If you show up at the wrong place at the wrong hour, you'll miss part of the day.
That's new this year. Through last season, the Saturday farmers market and the 3rd Street pop-ups shared one corner of downtown. In May the market moved, and some calendars haven't caught up. Below is the order the day runs in. After that comes the following Saturday, when the same downtown closes to traffic for the Holiday Lights Parade.
The order the Saturday runs in
Each of the three events has its own organizer, its own address and its own hours. In the order they open:
- 9 a.m., Jingle Market on 3rd Street. This is a holiday edition of Sidewalk Saturdays. It runs until 2 p.m. on E. 3rd Street with 40-plus vendors, Santa, holiday music and activities for kids. The Downtown Morgan Hill Improvement District lists Downtown Business Bingo, holiday arts and crafts, and mushroom festival mini golf on the same block.
- 9 a.m., Morgan Hill Farmers' Market. It runs until 1 p.m. in the Caltrain parking lot at 17295 Butterfield Blvd., with 35-plus farmers and vendors and free parking in the lot.
- Noon, Merry Market Holiday Bazaar. It runs until 4 p.m. at the Community & Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Rd., and attendees get in free.
The farmers market closes at 1 p.m. and the bazaar opens at noon. That leaves one hour when all three are open at once. If produce is on your list, go to Butterfield in the morning, while 3rd Street is also open. The Chamber bazaar fits better as the afternoon stop, after the farmers market has packed up and the Jingle Market is winding down toward 2 p.m.
The market moved, but some listings didn't
The California Farmers' Markets Association runs the market. Its page says the Saturday market has been in the Caltrain lot on Butterfield Blvd. since May 16, 2026. Visit Morgan Hill's market listing still gives the Caltrain Station at 3rd Street and Depot Street as the location. Its Jingle Market page still describes the pop-up as "adjacent to the Morgan Hill Farmers Market."
That wording dates from when the two events shared one footprint. For November 28, use the operator's address: 17295 Butterfield Blvd. Shoppers who park near 3rd Street expecting produce stalls next to the maker booths won't find them there.
The second half of the day runs through the CCC
The Chamber bazaar is the largest of the three by booth count. It has 51 vendor spaces: 35 outdoor 10x10 booths and 16 indoor 8x6 booths inside the Community & Cultural Center. The Chamber says vendor space is sold out, so the layout is set. Santa will be there, according to the Downtown Morgan Hill Improvement District.
The entrance isn't on Monterey Road. The Chamber's event listing puts it at the back of the CCC, at 5th Street and Depot. If you're walking down from 3rd Street, go to Depot, not to the front of the building.
This is also the first of three straight weekends that put the CCC at the center of downtown's holiday calendar. On Friday, December 4, Night of Music and Magic runs from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Downtown Amphitheater, listed at the same 17000 Monterey Road address, with a Christmas concert and holiday entertainment. The next evening, the parade ends at the CCC.
Seven days later, the same blocks close to cars
Morgan Hill Kiwanis puts on the 2026 Holiday Lights Parade on Saturday, December 5. It starts at 5:30 p.m. and travels south in the northbound lanes of Monterey Road from Main Street to Dunne Avenue. It ends around 6:30 p.m. with the city's tree lighting at the CCC, on the corner of Monterey and Dunne, followed by festivities and visits with Santa.
The parade lasts about an hour. Traffic is disrupted for about seven. The Kiwanis parade overview lists this schedule:
- Noon: No parking on either side of Monterey Road from El Toro to Dunne, or on Dunne from Monterey to Butterfield, until 8 p.m.
- 1 p.m.: Crews begin closing Monterey Road and its side streets.
- 2 p.m.: Dunne Avenue between Butterfield and Monterey closes.
- 3 p.m.: All roads in the zone are closed, and water barricades and city vehicles go into place.
- 4 p.m.: Parade staging begins on Monterey Road near Britton.
- About 7:30 p.m.: With Morgan Hill Police Department approval, crews begin reopening roads.
The resident and merchant notice lists the closed streets. They include Monterey Road from Wright/Britton School to Dunne, Main Street at Monterey, 1st through 5th Streets at Monterey, and Depot/Church access to Dunne. The overview adds that Depot behind the CCC will be closed with no access to Dunne. It tells people to expect the detour to last from 1 p.m. to about 8 p.m. The 5th Street and Depot corner that serves as the bazaar entrance on November 28 is inside the closed zone on December 5.
Santa's detour at 5th Street
At 5th Street, Santa and the Magic Ship of Christmas leave Monterey Road and go behind the CCC. They reappear at the bicycle sculpture in front of the building. Kiwanis asks the crowd not to follow Santa behind the CCC and to keep walking down Monterey Road toward the tree. While the ship is out of view, the barbershop chorus The Peninsulaires sings at the bicycle sculpture.
The parade overview places the emergency medical team at 3rd Street and Monterey, announcer trucks at 2nd and 4th Streets, and portable restrooms in the construction lot just south of Wells Fargo. The parade goes ahead rain or shine. If significant rain is forecast, though, the Kiwanis advisory team and the Merry Morgan Hill team will decide by 1 p.m. on parade day whether to cancel.
The dates on either side
Two events fall just outside those two Saturdays.
The nearest one is Saturday, November 7. The Morgan Hill Downtown Association hosts its second annual Whiskey Week Tasting Tour & Competition. The City of Morgan Hill calendar lists it from 3 to 8 p.m. downtown. The Humanitix ticket page gives the same hours and lists Morgan Hill Grange 408. Visit Morgan Hill shows 4 to 10 p.m., but the city and the ticket page agree on 3 to 8. The event has 15 whiskey tasting stops, a VIP masterclass, and an after-party with live music and small bites. The ticket page also lists a mixologist competition, bagpipes, bluegrass and cigar rolling.
The other is the night before Small Business Saturday. On Friday, November 27, South Valley Civic Theatre stages White Christmas from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Morgan Hill Community PlayHouse, 17090 Monterey Road. That makes the weekend after Thanksgiving a Friday-night show followed by the three-stop Saturday.
After the tree is lit
Visit Morgan Hill's Merry Morgan Hill page carries the rest of December. Holiday Tea at Villa Mira Monte runs December 5 and 6, so the first one falls on parade day. Merry Market at Granada, billed for last-minute shopping and requests to Santa, is December 17. South Valley Civic Theater presents Pajamas and Pancakes: Breakfast with Santa on December 19, with a custom holiday play and hot cocoa. The same page says to stay tuned for more 2026 holiday events and activities, so expect other items to be announced as December gets closer.
Rajiv Kohli keeps track of Morgan Hill's streets, closures and calendar shifts as closely as he tracks its home sales. If you live near Monterey Road or Butterfield and want to know what your home is worth this season, Rajiv Kohli can provide a free home valuation, or you can schedule a consultation.
