The holiday season next to Pembroke Meadows takes up one plaza and about thirteen evenings. Town Center's Fountain Plaza hosts nearly every free event between this Saturday and New Year's Eve. All of them come from the Central Business District Association, the group the Town Center businesses formed to run the district's events. If you know the dates, you can plan the whole season before Halloween.
The schedule starts this weekend. Saturday, Oct. 24, has two events. Town and Treat runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with trick-or-treating at Town Center businesses, games and costume contests. After dark, the last free Movies in the Plaza screening of the fall series plays at Fountain Plaza. CBDA tells people to bring blankets and chairs, and the free popcorn runs out.
Who Pays For a Free Season
The free calendar has a sponsor list, and CBDA publishes it. CBDA's New Year's Eve announcement says the event is "provided for your enjoyment by the businesses of Town Center of Virginia Beach, AH Realty Trust, Marathon Consulting, MitSA Group, WVEC, and the City of Virginia Beach." On its main events page, CBDA says all the entertainment events on its calendar are free. On the Snow Globe page, CBDA also says that "Parking is always free in Town Center."
For a neighborhood this close, that changes what a holiday night costs. The free events don't need tickets, a parking budget or a commitment to stay all evening. If you go to a Snow Globe night and leave after twenty minutes, you've lost nothing.
Here's the free calendar, all at or around Town Center Fountain Plaza:
| Date | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Town and Treat | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Movies in the Plaza, final screening | After sunset |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Grand Illumination and the Arrival of Santa | 5 to 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Snow Globe Spectacular opening | 6 p.m. |
| Dec. 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 | Snow Globe Spectacular | 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | Last Night on the Town | Starts at 6 p.m. |
Counting both Oct. 24 events as one date and both Nov. 28 events as one date, that's thirteen dates. Outdoor events depend on the weather, and CBDA warns that changes "may occur with little advance notice." It asks people to check its Facebook and Instagram pages before heading out.
Nov. 28 Is the Hinge
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is when the season changes over. The Grand Illumination runs from 5 to 6 p.m. at Fountain Plaza. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive and the Town Center Holiday Tree is lit for the year.
When the tree lighting ends, the Snow Globe Spectacular starts at 6 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus sit inside a life-size snow globe for visits. CBDA says dancing elves, violinists, tap dancers and other performers appear in snow globes of their own. If you come for the tree, you can stay for the snow globes.
After opening night, the Snow Globe runs on a set pattern. The first two December weekends get Friday and Saturday nights, Dec. 4 and 5, then Dec. 11 and 12. Then it runs every night from Friday, Dec. 18, through Wednesday, Dec. 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. That last stretch of six nights in a row is the easiest time to fit in a Santa visit, since it covers school-week evenings as well as the weekend.
One note on the listing: CBDA's Snow Globe page prints a date range ending "December 23, 2025," but its own schedule lists the 2026 show dates above. The schedule is the version to go by. Check CBDA's social pages before you go.
The Ticketed Nights Fill the Gaps
The Sandler Center for the Performing Arts sits right next to the free calendar, and its holiday lineup mostly lands on nights when the plaza is quiet. These shows need tickets, which the Sandler Center events page sells:
- Sat., Nov. 21: Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis, 3 p.m. show
- Wed., Nov. 25: NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet, 3 p.m. show
- Dec. 4 to 6: Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, from Virginia Musical Theatre
- Dec. 11 to 13: Ballet Virginia presents The Nutcracker, with Symphonicity Orchestra
- Tue., Dec. 15: Vienna Boys Choir
The two Nutcrackers are separate productions about two weeks apart. The Nov. 25 matinee is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Ballet Virginia's run, with a live orchestra, is a December weekend. If you have family coming to town for one holiday and not the other, the dates may decide which one you see.
The Million Dollar Quartet Christmas and Ballet Virginia weekends overlap with Snow Globe Fridays and Saturdays. A family could see a show and then walk out to the plaza while the snow globes are still running until 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 12, Stacks Up
One Saturday has more going on than any other. On Dec. 12, the Snow Globe Spectacular runs at Fountain Plaza from 5 to 8 p.m. Ballet Virginia's Nutcracker is in the middle of its Dec. 11 to 13 run at the Sandler Center. Over at Mount Trashmore Park, Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation is holding Chill at the Hill from 3 to 8 p.m. It has live music, public art and ice sculptures, plus a drone show at 7:45 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
That makes Dec. 12 the one Saturday when a free afternoon at Mount Trashmore and a free evening at Town Center fall on the same date. Expect more traffic than usual on the roads between them.
Pembroke Square Is Still Building Its Version
Pembroke Square, the redeveloped mall across Virginia Beach Blvd from Town Center, adds things to do this season but doesn't have its own gathering spot yet. Its entertainment block is open. Funny Bone Comedy Club was set to reopen there on Jan. 2, with the DraftCade arcade bar opening next door on Jan. 22, according to The Virginian-Pilot. The developer's own media page lists Fogo de Chão, Funny Bone and DraftCade among the center's open attractions. That's a full set of indoor options for after the snow globes go dark at 8.
Much of Pembroke Square is still under construction. On Sept. 23, REBusinessOnline reported that Pembroke Realty Group's $300 million redevelopment has a 163-room Tempo by Hilton underway. The Pembroke, a 284-unit apartment community, was "set to break ground in the coming months." Delivery dates for both have not been released. According to the same report, about 26,000 square feet of retail is expected through 2028, and the stores already there include Target, The Fresh Market, REI Co-Op, Nordstrom Rack and Latitude Climbing + Fitness.
The Pembroke Square residential page describes a planned event lawn but gives no opening date for it. Until that lawn opens, Fountain Plaza remains the place for the area's free outdoor events, including every date on this year's Town Center calendar.
New Year's Eve Closes It Out
The season ends with its biggest free night. Last Night on the Town is in its 13th year. This year it falls on Thursday, Dec. 31, and the CBDA and IMGoing announcement dated Oct. 1 says festivities begin at 6 p.m. The CBDA event listing shows 7 p.m., so plan for the earlier time and check the listing as the date gets closer.
Big Boi, the Grammy winner best known as one half of OutKast, headlines. Rocky 7 is the special guest, a six-piece Virginia band that covers everything from Black Sabbath to Ariana Grande. CBDA's announcement also lists DJ A1, an LED dance floor and a children's dance contest for kids 12 and under. 13 News Now will cover the night live, and its team will emcee. Several Town Center restaurants are taking dinner reservations with special menus before the festivities.
The main celebration is free. The one ticketed part is a 21+ VIP balcony party on Commerce Street at $175 per person. It includes a view of the main stage and the ball drop, small bites and casino-style activities. Tickets went on sale Oct. 14.
The kids' dance contest and the midnight headliner both take place at Town Center, where the season started with trick-or-treating on Oct. 24.
If you'd like help working out which of these Town Center nights fit your household, or you have family coming for the holidays who need a furnished place close to Fountain Plaza, reach out to Coco Hanauer. Let's Connect.
