Most of Lincoln Square's holiday season happens on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., on a few blocks of Lincoln, Damen and Ravenswood. The Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce bills the day as Small Business Saturday. It starts with Santa photos and ends with the annual tree lighting in Giddings Plaza. The Chamber's page also suggests that the lighting is a good time to "get together right before going to dinner at one of the many local restaurants in the area."
The dinner part has changed this year. Several of the restaurants within walking distance of the plaza are names the neighborhood already knew. One moved closer to the plaza, one reopened under a shorter name, and one space went back to serving the dumplings it was known for. The plaza's schedule is the same as in past years, but the restaurants around it have changed.
Nov. 28, Hour by Hour
According to the Chamber's Small Business Saturday page, the day runs in this order. All of the Chamber's events are free. The Old Town School concert is ticketed.
- 10 a.m. to noon. Children's photos with Santa at The Perfect Cup, 4700 N. Damen Ave.
- 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Lincoln Square Victorian Carolers perform in Giddings Plaza, 4731 N. Lincoln Ave. Each 30-minute set starts at the top of the hour. DANK Haus German American Cultural Center pours glühwein and hot cider.
- 1 to 3 p.m. Santa moves to Urban Pooch Canine Life Center, 4501 N. Ravenswood Ave., for pet photos.
- 2 p.m. At Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., Mariachi Herencia de México plays the first of three shows of "A Mariachi Christmas" in the Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall. The other two shows that day are at 5 and 8 p.m., with one more on Sunday, Nov. 29, at 3 p.m.
- 4:45 p.m. Santa is back in Giddings Plaza for a meet-and-greet.
- 5 p.m. The tree lighting pre-show begins. Derek Bish, host of the live variety show "Welcome to the Show," emcees and talks with Santa and Alderman Martin on stage.
- 5:30 p.m. The tree is lit.
There's one scheduling catch. The 5 p.m. mariachi show at Old Town School starts during the tree lighting pre-show. If you want to see both, take the 2 p.m. show, or catch the lighting and go to the 8 p.m. show after dinner.
The Chamber's page says local shops will run discounts that day. As of this writing, the specific promotions listed there are still last year's, with a note that 2026 offers are coming soon. Check the page again closer to the date before you plan around a particular deal.
Goosefoot Picked an Address on the Holiday Route
The biggest change sits about a quarter mile south of the plaza, at 4520 N. Lincoln Ave. That's where Goosefoot, the contemporary French-American fine-dining restaurant, now operates. Block Club Chicago reported that owners Chris and Nina Nugent closed their earlier location at 2656 W. Lawrence Ave. in 2024 after 12 years. They quietly opened the new spot in March and held a grand opening on Oct. 10.
The move put Goosefoot onto Lincoln Avenue itself. "We always wanted to be on Lincoln Avenue," Chris Nugent told Block Club. The couple has lived in Lincoln Square for 25 years. They were looking for a storefront with an apartment upstairs, and in the winter of 2024 they bought a building that used to house an Italian restaurant. Nina Nugent told Block Club that the Lawrence Avenue location was more of a destination, while many of the new location's customers live within walking distance.
That matters on Nov. 28. Block Club lists Goosefoot's hours as 5:30 to 11 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, with Sunday hours planned. The first seating opens the same minute the tree is lit, a short walk away. The restaurant takes reservations, so book ahead for that night rather than counting on a walk-in.
Old Town School's concert hall at 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. is on the same stretch. That puts a holiday concert and a fine-dining table on a single block, a quarter mile from the plaza.
Next to the Plaza, a Familiar Menu Under a Shorter Name
The restaurant closest to the tree is at 4761 N. Lincoln Ave., on Giddings Plaza's own block. For 36 years that storefront was Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna, a Lincoln Square fixture since 1989. Block Club reported that it closed suddenly in late August 2025.
It's open again as Grecian Taverna. The name drops the "Barba Yianni" and keeps the second half of the original. The Infatuation noted on Oct. 12 that the menu still has many of the classic dishes, including gyros, moussaka, and a broiled half chicken with lemon, oregano and olive oil. Grecian Taverna's website lists the same address and offers online ordering.
North of Lawrence, at 5047 N. Lincoln Ave., Hazar House has opened in the small space that used to be Jibek Jolu. The Infatuation listed it on Oct. 22. It writes that manty and pelmeni are back on the menu there, along with shawarma, lagman and braised lamb shank. That makes three of these restaurants returning names or returning dishes in a new form.
There's one genuinely new arrival nearby. Izakaya By Aiya, at 4833 N. Western Ave., was in its soft opening when The Infatuation listed it on Aug. 3. It's a block north of DANK Haus, which comes back into the calendar in December.
The Weeks Leading Up to Nov. 28
A few events in November come before the big Saturday:
- Lena Rose Beauty's Holiday Gift Shop at 4645 N. Rockwell St. opened its holiday shelves on Nov. 1. They include its Handmade House Line.
- The 2026 Lycée French Market runs Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Lycée Français de Chicago, 1929 W. Wilson Ave. The suggested donation is $5.
- DANK Haus's Laterne laufen, the German lantern walk, is the evening of Saturday, Nov. 14, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
- The last outdoor Tuesday farmers market of the season is Nov. 17, from 7 a.m. to noon at 2301 W. Leland Ave., according to the city's farmers market schedule.
That leaves Nov. 28 as the next fixed date on Leland and Lincoln after the market closes.
December Has a Second Big Saturday
In December, the calendar shifts indoors. Most dates belong to Old Town School and DANK Haus, and they cluster on one more Saturday.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Dec. 5, 10:30 a.m. | Let It Snow Show!, family sing-along | Old Town School, 4545 N. Lincoln Ave. |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 5 and 8 p.m. | Irish Christmas in America | Old Town School, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 4:30 p.m. | The Nut Tapper, with Reggio "The Hoofer" McLaughlin | Old Town School, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. |
| Thu., Dec. 10 through Sun., Dec. 13 | 28th annual Songs of Good Cheer | Old Town School, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | DANK Haus Weihnachtsmarkt | DANK Haus Ballroom, 5th floor, 4740 N. Western Ave. |
| Thu., Dec. 17, 5 to 8 p.m. | The Great Bake Walk: Holiday Edition | Participating Lincoln Square businesses |
Dec. 12 is the second stacked day. The DANK Haus Weihnachtsmarkt has German-inspired shopping, food, drink and music, plus Santa photos from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The suggested donation is $5. That afternoon, Songs of Good Cheer has its 3 p.m. caroling party, followed by another at 7:30 p.m. The market and the concert hall are about four blocks apart, and Izakaya By Aiya and Hazar House are both north of Lawrence, close enough for dinner between them.
The Great Bake Walk: Holiday Edition wraps up the season on a Thursday evening. You stop into participating businesses to sample seasonal baked goods from local bakeries and fill a free holiday bakery box as you go. The Chamber says tickets and the list of participating businesses and bakeries will be posted in mid-November. Tickets go on sale around the time the farmers market closes, so watch for the announcement that week.
Our team pays the same attention to the blocks around Giddings Plaza that we pay to marketing a listing: which storefronts reopened, which addresses changed hands, and how those changes shape the street. If you're thinking about what this stretch of Lincoln Avenue means for a home you own or one you're considering, Jason O'Beirne and the team would be glad to walk it with you. Schedule a consultation.
