Christmas in the Dells Returns December 4–6, on a Fourth Street That Has Changed Since Last Year

At 6:25 PM on Saturday, December 5, Dell Rapids' Citizen of the Year will light the Christmas tree downtown. Five minutes later the Parade of Lights starts through downtown. The Dell Rapids Chamber describes the whole thing as "three days of lights, shopping and small-town Christmas," and it always falls on the first weekend in December.

Look at how the Chamber built the weekend. Santa visits businesses that ask for him. The free movie plays in a downtown theater. The gift card the Chamber is promoting can only be spent in town. Even the parade and tree lighting take place on the downtown streets. Nearly every piece of the season sends people to a storefront, so the businesses open on Fourth Street are this year's holiday program. That lineup looks different than it did last December.

Two dates on the calendar, and the rest of the weekend

The season starts a week before Christmas in the Dells. The Chamber is promoting Small Business Saturday on November 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It notes that many Dell Rapids businesses run specials that weekend and suggests checking their Facebook pages before heading out.

Here is what the Chamber has posted for both weekends:

The Chamber also says it has something "brand new" planned for this year's Christmas in the Dells, with a "big reveal" still to come. New details tend to show up first on the Chamber's Christmas in the Dells page and its Facebook page. The Chamber says parade entries, Homes That Shine registration and other announcements go out on Facebook and by email first.

Parade entrants get line-up details by email four days before the parade. If your business, church group or team wants a float, that means everything should be settled by Tuesday, December 1.

What's different on Fourth Street since last December

Most of the season happens within a few blocks of East Fourth Street. Here's what has changed along it in 2026, listed by address.

320 E. Fourth St., PINZ Bowling Center. Fire broke out at the bowling alley around 6 a.m. on Thursday, June 4. Sioux Falls Live, carrying reporting from The Dakota Scout, reported that the building also held a restaurant, bar and arcade, and that officials expected a total loss. No one was hurt. A week later, KELOLAND reported that PINZ had announced on Facebook that it plans to come back:

"I am rebuilding."

The same post said investigators at the local, state and federal levels had finished their work, the insurance company had what it needed, and "the rebuilding process is moving forward." That means this is the first Christmas in the Dells in years without PINZ open on the parade route. It's also why the businesses down the street matter more this December.

415 E. 4th Street, The Meridian. The owners behind The Fun Nook are planning a new spot at this address. They describe afternoon tea, charcuterie, cheese and dessert fondue, mocktails, wine and mimosas, herbal teas, classes and private events. The Fun Nook website says the grand opening will be announced through its email list.

428 E. 4th Street, The Fun Nook. If you used to stop at The Meeting Nook for a drink or a sandwich, those favorites have moved. Many of them are now served inside The Fun Nook, the downtown indoor glow mini golf and games spot. The menu includes boba drinks, Lotus energy drinks, smoothies and malts, along with sandwiches and pizza. For a parade night with kids, an indoor place to play right on the street adds a lot.

Fourth Street, Tashi's Yarn Bar. Natasha "Tashi" Berg opened her combination yarn shop and wine bar in February after a ribbon cutting, as SiouxFalls.Business reported. That makes this its first Christmas in the Dells and its first Small Business Saturday. For a lot of people, yarn and a glass of wine are holiday gifts on their own.

503 E 4th St, The Local. The City of Dell Rapids lists The Local as a downtown retailer. It's one more storefront to add to a shopping loop.

The free movie plays on a projector community fundraising helped bring in

One item on the Christmas schedule goes back to a community effort from earlier this year. The free showing of A Christmas Story is at the Dells Theatre. In February, Dakota News Now profiled owner Brian Anderson, the theater's fourth owner. The station reported that the theater shows movies Friday through Monday and that a replacement projector had arrived from Germany after community fundraising.

So the movie on the holiday calendar runs on equipment that local donations helped buy. The Dells Theatre bills itself as a first-run movie theater and posts its showtimes on its own site. Once the Chamber sets the date for the free screening, check that it fits the theater's Friday-through-Monday schedule.

Chamber Bucks is how the Chamber keeps holiday spending in town

The Chamber's main tool for keeping holiday money local is Chamber Bucks, the Dell Rapids gift card, and the Chamber's page labels its eGift version "New." The eGift that arrives by email within minutes. You can send it straight to the recipient or email it to yourself and print it to hand over in person. A small processing fee is added at checkout.

The rest of the setup, from the Chamber Bucks page:

• It's a prepaid Mastercard gift card, so businesses run it like any other card.
• The balance never expires, and there are no monthly fees.
• It works as soon as it's loaded, and you can check the balance online.

The page lists the participating Chamber members. It also says the card works at most other Dell Rapids businesses that accept Mastercard, as long as their card processor is registered in Dell Rapids. Mail and shipping deadlines tend to squeeze the last week before Christmas. An eGift that shows up in minutes takes care of the last name on your list and still sends the money to a Dell Rapids business.

Homes That Shine takes the season off Fourth Street

The rest of the weekend stays downtown, but Homes That Shine spreads across town. The Chamber's self-guided holiday light tour and home decorating contest is back for 2026. Homeowners can register now so their house lands on the tour map, and tour dates go up on the Chamber's page. If you go all out on lights every year, register your home through the Chamber so neighbors can find it.

The map also works for a weeknight drive with family who are in town for the holidays. You can take the tour any evening once the map is out, without waiting for parade night.

Putting together Saturday, December 5

Here's one way to spend the main day of Christmas in the Dells using what's on Fourth Street right now. Check each business's own posted hours before you go.

1. Spend the afternoon shopping downtown. Tashi's Yarn Bar and The Local are on Fourth Street. Bring a Chamber Bucks card if one was a gift, or buy a few for your own list.
2. Let the kids play glow mini golf at The Fun Nook, 428 E 4th Street, and grab a malt or a boba drink while you're there.
3. Check the Chamber's page for the A Christmas Story showtime. If it lands on this weekend, the Dells Theatre is a warm place to wait.
4. Be on the street by 6:25 PM for the Citizen of the Year tree lighting.
5. Stay for the Parade of Lights at 6:30 PM.
6. On the way home, drive past the Homes That Shine houses if the tour map is out.

When you walk past 320 E. Fourth St., you'll see the gap PINZ left. The owner has said the business is rebuilding. Until then, the rest of Fourth Street carries the weekend.

If you're thinking about a home within walking distance of the parade route, or wondering how being close to downtown affects what your Dell Rapids home is worth, Berberich Real Estate Group is glad to talk it through. Schedule a consultation and we'll go over the details with you, whenever the timing works for you.