Glenside's holiday season is spread across several small districts. A business association, a community association, a creative space, a church and a theater each put on their own events on their own corner, on their own day. The calendar works best read as a map. December 5 is the busiest day on it, with events on Mount Carmel Avenue, in Wyncote and in Ardsley from morning to night. December 13 belongs to Keswick Village, and its celebration ends at the same hour the theater's holiday show begins.
The season starts before any of that, inside a parish hall.
The weeks before December run on single institutions
The St. Luke the Evangelist Christmas Bazaar opens Thursday, November 19, with an adults-only evening from 6 to 8:30 p.m. It continues Friday, November 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, November 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. The schedule includes food, vendors, games and crafts, raffles and auctions, performances, photos with Santa, and an "attic treasures" table. It's held in Father Fitzpatrick Hall at St. Luke the Evangelist Church, which lists its address as 2316 Fairhill Avenue.
The same three days, Arcadia University is staging Our Town in its Black Box Theater at the corner of Church and Waverly roads. Performances are November 19 and 20 at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee and an 8 p.m. show on November 21.
For holiday shopping on West Glenside Avenue, Potluck Findings at 379 W. Glenside Avenue is selling off its antique and vintage inventory this month. Glenside Local reported that owners Joe and Denise Hector aim to clear the stock by the end of November.
Each of these is one institution running its own program. In December, several of those programs land on the same day.
December 5, from first coffee to the last encore
On Saturday, December 5, three organizers in three parts of greater Glenside hold events, and the Keswick Theatre adds an evening show. Here is the day in order:
- 6:30 a.m. New Rising Sun Cafe opens inside the Ardsley Train Station at 2617 Jenkintown Road. It's open Tuesday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The third annual Krampus Kristmas Market runs at Glenside Lanes, 2256 Mount Carmel Avenue.
- 4 p.m. A free Christmas handbell concert starts at Calvary Presbyterian Church, 217 Fernbrook Avenue, Wyncote.
- 6 to 9 p.m. The Ardsley Community Association holds its Christmas Tree Lighting at the Ardsley Community Center, 2828 Spear Avenue.
- 8 p.m. EagleMania, billed as an Eagles tribute band, plays the Keswick Theatre.
Each stop is run by someone different, which explains why the details vary so much.
Mount Carmel Avenue: a market run by a creative space
Glenside Lanes describes itself as a collaborative community space for creatives and aspiring creatives, planned around workshops, community events, pop-up shops and maker markets. Its website still announces the space as coming soon, with work underway on the interior. It's affiliated with The Dovetail, and the site directs visitors to use The Dovetail's entrance. The market fits that plan. Glenside Local reported that the December 5 market will have local art vendors outside the storefront and free photos with Krampus. The organizer's vendor page says the market will be outdoors in a heated tent.
The market has been held at the same address before. Last year, under the name The CO Lab of Glenside, the second annual market ran from noon to 5 p.m. with 12 local vendors selling original art, apparel, jewelry, ceramics and holiday decor, according to Glenside Local. This year's hours start two hours earlier, at 10 a.m.
Wyncote: an afternoon concert
The 4 p.m. concert at Calvary Presbyterian features ringers from the Philadelphia Handbell Society. It's free and open to the public, per its Patch listing. It starts when the Krampus market closes, so you can do both before dark.
Ardsley: the community center's evening
Ardsley's tree lighting belongs to the Ardsley Community Association. Its 2026 calendar describes a family evening with photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 6 to 9 p.m. at 2828 Spear Avenue. Abington Township's calendar lists the same date. For times and the address, use the association's page.
That makes the Ardsley Train Station a natural place to start the day. New Rising Sun Cafe has been run by co-owners John Gerlach and Michael Coleman since April. It serves focaccia sandwiches and house-made bread and pastries, as Glenside Local profiled this month. The cafe closes at 2:30 p.m., so stop in the morning if you're going to the tree lighting that night.
Driving between them while Tyson Avenue is closed
Moving between villages on December 5 means planning around a closure. Tyson Avenue is closed around the clock over Susquehanna Road, between Albright Avenue and Easton Road, from November 2 through December 18 for bridge rehabilitation. Glenside Local reported that the posted detour uses Edge Hill, Jenkintown, Fitzwatertown and Susquehanna roads. The closure lasts through both December 5 and December 13. Jenkintown Road is on the detour and also runs past the Ardsley station cafe, so expect extra traffic there on the busiest Saturday of the season.
December 13: Keswick Village, then the theater
Eight days later, it's Keswick Village's turn. The Keswick Village Business Association holds Christmas in Keswick on Sunday, December 13, from 4 to 7 p.m., with pop-up shops, photos with Santa, entertainment and "village-wide cheer throughout Keswick Village." The rain date is December 20. Abington Township's calendar lists the same hours and names the association as host.
The festival ends at 7 p.m. That's when Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's "Wild and Swingin Holiday Party" starts at the Keswick Theatre. If you have tickets, plan to leave the festival a little before it ends so you're in your seat by 7 p.m. If the rain date is used, Christmas in Keswick moves to the following Sunday and the two events no longer line up.
The theater fills the nights in between
Outside those two big days, the Keswick Theatre fills Glenside's December evenings. Its events calendar runs from the Sunday after Thanksgiving into the week before Christmas:
| Date | Show | Start |
|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Rocky Mountain High Experience: John Denver Christmas, starring Rick Schuler | 3 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | A Tribute to John Lodge: An Evening of Moody Blues Magic featuring Jon Davison | 8 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | EagleMania | 8 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | The Philly Busk, a fundraiser for Project Home and the Irish Center | 7 p.m. |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Chris Isaak, On Tour for the Holidays | 7:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Blippi, Be Like Blippi Tour | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Old Crow Medicine Show, Holiday Hootenanny | 8 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Wild and Swingin Holiday Party | 7 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 16 | Darlene Love, Love for the Holidays | 8 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Jamison Celtic Rock, An American Celtic Christmas | 7:30 p.m. |
The Philly Busk on December 6 is the most local show on the list. WXPN presents it, and the lineup includes Ben Arnold, John Byrne, Tommy Conwell, Bogside Rogues, Paul Moore, Kevin McCloskey and Maureen Adamson, Charlie Hall of The War on Drugs, and The Silver Ages. It falls the evening after the Ardsley tree lighting and a week before Christmas in Keswick.
Diane has spent more than 39 years watching these village calendars fill up each December. If you're weighing a move within greater Glenside and want to know how Keswick Village, Ardsley or Wyncote feels day to day, Diane Reddington and her team are glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
