"Tuesdays and Thursday leading up to the week of Christmas." That's how the Williston Convention & Visitors Bureau describes this year's Keel Boat Christmas Market. The market will be open December 1, 3, 8, 10, 15 and 17, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Last December the same market ran 12 nights in three Monday-through-Thursday blocks, Dec. 1-4, 8-11 and 15-18, according to The Roundup's holiday roundup. That's half as many nights this year. All six remaining dates also appear on the CVB's activity-night schedule, which means the visits worth planning at Spring Lake Park this year center on six evenings at the Keel Boat.
The gate hasn't changed much
The Spring Lake Park Holiday Lights Drive runs November 29 through December 31, 2026. The drive-through lights are on from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., and activities run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., weather permitting. The CVB lists more than 75 displays and admission of $5 cash.
Those numbers have barely moved in recent years. The 2024 drive opened one day later, on Nov. 30, at $5 per car with more than 75 displays. In 2025 The Roundup listed admission as $5 cash or $6.65 for electronic payment. The 2026 listing mentions only the cash price. Until the CVB says otherwise, bring a five-dollar bill.
Each night's gate money also does local work. The CVB says half of each night's admission goes to a local nonprofit. Nonprofits that registered by Oct. 19 went into a drawing to staff the gate for a night and keep 50% of that night's proceeds.
The market nights and the activity nights now overlap
The CVB's activity-night schedule lists 18 themed evenings, and each has a local sponsor. Six of them are market nights. On most of those six, the activity itself happens at the Keel Boat or in its parking lot, so whatever brings you to the drive that night also puts you at the market door.
| Date | Day | Activity night | Sponsor | Where it happens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 1 | Tuesday | Unicorns Under the Lights | CHI St. Alexius Health | Keel Boat parking lot |
| Dec. 3 | Thursday | Bumble's Big Night Out | A local orthodontics practice | Along the route |
| Dec. 8 | Tuesday | Mean Green Meet & Greet photos | Red Rock Ford | Inside the Keel Boat |
| Dec. 10 | Thursday | Festive Sweater Night | Stallion Infrastructure Services | Ticket booth craft |
| Dec. 15 | Tuesday | Polar Express Pajama Party | Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative | Hot cocoa at the Keel Boat |
| Dec. 17 | Thursday | Pics with Saint Nick | Western Cooperative Credit Union | Inside the Keel Boat |
December 17 does the most work. It's the last market night of the season and the night Santa is inside the Keel Boat. It's also the deadline for letters to Santa. The CVB says to drop letters in the big red mailbox inside the Keel Boat by December 17, and to include a return address. Blank letter forms are available at the ticket booth. That one evening covers the letter, the photo and the last chance at the market.
The market is small. The CVB's vendor form lists three spaces of about 10 by 8 feet and seven of about 7 by 8 feet, so ten booths at most. Booths are limited to crafts, products and food, and informational booths aren't accepted. Vendors pay $25 per day, and the CVB assigns booth sizes based on how many dates a vendor signs up for. A vendor who books all six nights is more likely to get one of the three larger spaces. Expect a tight room of handcrafted gifts and baked goods, not a long aisle.
The building has a new arrangement
The Keel Boat itself changed status this year. Williston Parks & Recreation District lists it as a facility at Spring Lake Park on Highway 2 North near Circle K. That page says the Keel Boat is moving to Spring Lake Nature Center and is no longer available to rent.
The district's partnership announcement is specific about what that means. The Keelboat remains 100% owned by WPRD. Spring Lake Nature Center, a local 501(c)(3), holds a revocable, non-exclusive license to run programming there for an initial one-year term. The district describes the building as "underutilized and in need of modernization" in recent years. New reservations are paused during the transition.
Because the license is non-exclusive, other groups can use the building in December. In its August 2026 newsletter, the Nature Center said it had decided on "select pop-up exhibits and field trip opportunities at Spring Lake Park and the keel boat building," and that it would "share the space with other vendors and organizations who utilize the building throughout the winter months as well." Through December, one shared public building hosts the market, the Santa mailbox, character photos and the cocoa stop.
The Nature Center has been building a following of its own. In March, The Roundup reported on founder and president Lee Lusht's monthly rotating exhibits in the Keel Boat, starting with real North Dakota fossils visitors could examine. Its second Roots & Wings Festival was held on July 11, as The Roundup announced, and the organization reported that it drew about 1,000 visitors. Families who visited the fossil table this spring will find the same building decorated with Christmas backdrops in December.
The other twelve nights mostly happen from the car
The activity nights without a market lean toward things you can do from the car or the ticket booth, and they cluster on weekends and the days after Christmas. In order:
- Dec. 5, Squishies and Holiday Wishes, sponsored by Creedence: a squishy toy handed out at the ticket booth.
- Dec. 6, Cowboy & Space Ranger Christmas, sponsored by Typhoon Excavation, Inc.: a themed craft at the booth.
- Dec. 11, Sirens & Snowflakes, sponsored by Equipment Share: first responders and emergency vehicles in the Keel Boat parking lot.
- Dec. 14, Reindeer Round-Up, sponsored by Williston Community Builders: reindeer in the Keel Boat parking lot.
- Dec. 16, Mean, Green & on the Loose, sponsored by Wolla Trucking and Wolla Oilfield Services: the green character turns up along the route.
- Dec. 20, Luminary Sunday, sponsored by Gate City Bank: hundreds of luminary bags along the roadway.
- Dec. 22, Goats, Pajamas, & Holiday Magic, sponsored by Liberty Energy: goats in holiday pajamas.
- Dec. 24, The Great Elf Send-Off, sponsored by City of Williston Economic Development: elves around the park and the last night to finish an Elf on the Shelf Bingo card.
- Dec. 27, Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?, sponsored by Industrial Automation & Communication Systems: a take-home snowman craft.
- Dec. 29, Holiday Superhero Headquarters, sponsored by the Williston Convention & Visitors Bureau: superheroes inside the Keel Boat.
- Dec. 30, Free Car Night, sponsored by a local electrical company: free admission for every vehicle.
- Dec. 31, Summertime in the Snow, sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute Williston Basin Chapter: glow sticks at the ticket booth.
Luminary Sunday and Free Car Night change the drive itself. One lines the road with candlelight, and the other drops the $5 gate. Since half of each night's gate goes to a nonprofit, a paid visit on a regular night still sends money to a local group. Dec. 29 is the only post-Christmas night with something happening inside the Keel Boat.
How the season lines up
Opening weekend has a lead-in. The Williston Area Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Lights Parade runs down Main Street on Friday, November 27, and ends at Harmon Park. The lights drive opens two days later, on Sunday, November 29, and the first market and activity night follows on Tuesday, December 1.
In order, the dates to hold:
- Nov. 27: Holiday Lights Parade, Main Street to Harmon Park
- Nov. 29: Lights drive opens
- Dec. 1 to Dec. 17: six Tuesday and Thursday market nights at the Keel Boat
- Dec. 17: Santa letter deadline and last market night
- Dec. 20: Luminary Sunday
- Dec. 30: Free Car Night
- Dec. 31: Last night of the drive
Two cautions before you go. The CVB's activity page still carries a "2025 Activity Nights" header above the 2026 dates, and some sponsor names on it are misspelled, so recheck the schedule closer to your night. Activities are also weather permitting, so a cold snap can cancel the reindeer or the cocoa even while the lights stay on.
Carla Kemp keeps track of what's changing around Williston, from the Keel Boat at Spring Lake Park to new development along Highway 2. If you're planning a move this winter, whether to a home closer to the park or across town, start with a free home valuation and a conversation with someone who follows these details.
