If family is coming to Brockway for Thanksgiving, you might save the Christmas Gathering for Black Friday and take everyone out together. The roster from last year's edition points the other way. Several of the stops that make the Gathering feel like Brockway were open only the weekend before the holiday.
That matters more here than it would at a regular craft show, because the Gathering has no single venue. It runs as a map. Shops, churches and private homes all over town open their doors on their own schedules. So the version you see depends on which days you pick.
The 2026 Dates
Visit Jefferson, the county's tourism calendar, posted the 2026 dates in early October.
| Weekend | 2026 dates | Listed window |
|---|---|---|
| First | Thursday, Nov. 19 through Saturday, Nov. 21 | 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Second | Friday, Nov. 27 and Saturday, Nov. 28 | 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
The first weekend starts the Thursday before Thanksgiving. The second starts the day after it.
Treat the 8-to-5 window as the outer edges of the day. When the Courier Express announced the 2022 dates, it said each location's hours may vary. Last year's listings bear that out. Christmas on the Corner ran 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dayna's Craft Shack ran 9 to 5, and 7th Stop on Santa's Radar stayed open until 6 on two of its days.
The 2022 schedule followed the same two-weekend pattern, Nov. 17–20 and Nov. 25–27. This timing around Thanksgiving is how the event has run for years, not something new for 2026.
A Shopping Map, Not a Market
The organizers call it "an annual celebration" spread "all around the town of Brockway," with two weekends of shopping, dining and holiday cheer. The Courier Express put it more concretely in 2022. It is a yearly not-for-profit event where "small businesses and private homes open their doors."
It has also held its size for a long time:
- A 2019 advertisement billed it as the 24th annual Gathering, with 31 crafters.
- In 2022, it had 30 participating locations.
- The 2025 roster on the organizer's website ran to 32 numbered stops.
Thirty-some stops spread across a borough, rather than packed into one hall, is why the map matters. Last year's stops ranged from 205 Egypt Road and 8407 Route 28 at the edges of town to 1104 9th Avenue and 1200 Wood Street off the main drag. In 2022, printed maps were available in local businesses and online. The map on the website right now is marked "2025 Map Only," so plan on the 2026 version before you set a route.
Where the First Weekend Pulls Ahead
Once you know the Gathering is a collection of separate hosts, the schedule makes sense. Each stop decides its own days. Last year, a good number of them chose the first weekend only.
Here is how the 2025 listings split:
| Stop | Address | 2025 schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Brockway Block Parent Group | 794 Game School Road | Nov. 20–22, first weekend only |
| Paesano Pizza | 527 Main Street | First weekend only |
| 7th Stop on Santa's Radar | 1081 7th Avenue | Nov. 20–22, first weekend only |
| Wood Street Deli | 1200 Wood Street | Nov. 20–22, first weekend only |
| Lighthouse Community Church | 732 Main Street | Nov. 20 only |
| Dayna's Craft Shack | 205 Egypt Road | Both weekends |
| Christmas on the Corner | 1104 9th Avenue | Both weekends |
| The Tique by paularae | 1325 Main Street | Both weekends |
The first-weekend-only stops were some of the most distinctly local. Paesano Pizza served its full menu and sold homemade Christmas ornaments. The shop at 1081 7th Avenue, called Christmas Day on Church before it became 7th Stop on Santa's Radar, offered homemade canned goods, Rocky Mountain Wassail and hot cider. Wood Street Deli baked breads, pizzelles and hard tack candy and shared its space with local vendors. Lighthouse Community Church held a soup and chili luncheon for one day, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and took pre-orders for takeout.
The 2026 roster isn't posted yet, and any host can change its days. Last year's pattern is still the best guide available. If you can only go once and you want the fullest version, the week before Thanksgiving was it.
The Stops That Feed Into December
Some stops raise money for other holiday events in town. Last year, the Brockway Block Parent Group sold fresh-baked cakes, cookies, bread and candy, offered free refreshments and drawings, and sent all proceeds to the Kids Free Christmas Party in Brockway, held December 6, 2025. The group was there for the first weekend only. A Black Friday visit would have missed its table.
The bigger December tradition is the community tree lighting. In its coverage of the 2024 celebration, the Courier Express described a parade down Main Street led by the Brockway Police Department. Brockway Ambulance, Brockway Hose Company, the Horton Township Fire Department and other fire departments followed, with Santa riding behind the PA Wilds Jeepers.
The tree stands by the American Legion's memorial walkway, which carries 600 names from Brockway and the surrounding area. The Legion serves hot chocolate and acts as the hub for the night. Scouting BSA Troop 40 gets the tree ready and decorates it with Brockway Cable. April London of Troop 40 told the Courier Express the tree lighting was then in its sixth year and that "every year, I feel like we get more people."
The 2026 tree lighting date hasn't been announced. Taken together, the Gathering, the Kids Free Christmas Party and the tree lighting make up Brockway's holiday season, and the Gathering comes first.
Building a Main Street Loop
Last year, Main Street had the tightest cluster of stops, so it's the natural place to anchor a morning. Grounded Cafe & Eatery at 429 Main Street served coffee, homemade bagels and paninis, opening at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on Saturday. A few doors down, Sunrise Coffee Bar at 525 Main Street listed award-winning coffee, baked goods and locally made gifts and art. Paesano Pizza sits next door at 527.
The newest Main Street addition on last year's list was The Scoop Shoppe by Lane's End Farm, which opened in late April 2025. Its Gathering listing put it at 414 Main Street, selling the farm's own milk, yogurt, gelato and eggnog alongside candles, soaps, local honey and maple syrup. It was open Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., hours that run well into the evening after many Gathering stops have closed.
Farther up the street, The Tique by paularae at 1325 Main Street stocked women's fashion and its Into The Woods scented candles on both weekends. At the Wood Street end of town, the Brockway Center for Arts & Technology shared the 1200 Wood Street address with Wood Street Deli, so one parking spot covered two stops. If you're heading out on Route 28, Rosie's Take A Break at 8407 Route 28 listed home-baked bread, pizza and from-scratch bakery items, and took holiday orders.
For updates through November, the organizers post on Facebook and Instagram. Once the 2026 map is out, it will show which stops chose the Thursday before Thanksgiving and which are holding out for the 27th.
We'll be out on Main Street and the side streets during the Gathering this year, the same as plenty of our Brockway neighbors. If you have questions about the town between stops, or you'd like to know what a home on one of those streets is worth right now, Nelson Realty can help with a free home valuation.
