On Friday, November 20, the Downtown Oakville BIA will count down to its holiday tree lighting at 6 p.m. in Towne Square. It is the same square that Council has approved for a $7.5 million rebuild, with completion scheduled for around September 2027. According to Oakville News, the BIA announced that the tree lighting will stay at Towne Square for the 2026 season.
Keeping the tree there was a planning decision. The rebuild timetable was drawn around the holidays, and if it holds, this is the last tree lighting before the new square opens. Three new kitchens have also opened on or beside the square this year, ahead of the new paving and planters.
A Schedule Drawn Around the Holidays
The Town's phasing plan, approved by Council in May, is called the "Optimal Phasing Plan." Stakeholders chose it as the least disruptive option. It breaks the work into ten stages by storefront, so that at any one time only one tenant, or a small group, has active construction at its door. The fall stages in the May plan read like a walk around the square:
- Stage 1, Soontorn Bahn Thai and Raymond James frontage, September 2 to 23
- Stage 2, 7Enoteca frontage on the east side, September 24 to October 11
- Stage 3, the south-side frontage listed under its former tenant Hexagon, October 13 to 26
- Stage 4, Burrows Clothiers at the northwest corner, October 27 to 29
- Stage 5, Towne Square Gallery on the west side, October 30 to November 9
- Stage 6, an over-winter pause with no construction from November 2026 to February 2027, with the site secured and every tenant's access kept open
The Town calls these dates a best-case scenario. No one can know how much repair the parking-garage slab under the square needs until the old waterproofing comes off. The calendar has already moved once since May. In early September, Oakville News reported a later, tentative start in the week of September 14, so the stage dates above are the May version of the schedule. Town sources described the holiday pause as tentatively planned for at least two months starting in November, with work picking up again in the first quarter of 2027, weather permitting.
The square was still in full use this fall. Oakville News described Towne Square as packed for Acorn Fest, two days of fall entertainment and shopping held the first weekend of October. The delays explain the timing. Reconstruction was first approved in 2018 and paused by the pandemic in 2020. It was then scheduled to start in January 2026, until Council pushed it back to keep construction out of the summer. After summer and the holidays were both protected, fall and late winter were the only windows left.
What November 20 Looks Like on the Square
Light Up The Night runs from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 20. The BIA lists live music by The Ault Sisters, a visit from Santa, horse-drawn wagon rides, hot chocolate and holiday carollers, with the tree-lighting countdown at 6 p.m. Lakeshore Road East closes to cars from Thomas Street to Dunn Street for the evening.
That evening sits in a run of three events over two weekends that covers most of Oakville's lakefront:
| Date | Event | Where | Key times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, November 14 | Oakville Santa Claus Parade, theme "North Pole sweets and treats" | Downtown Oakville and Kerr Village | Parade 9 to 10:30 a.m.; free shuttle from Oakville GO, 8 to 11:30 a.m. |
| Friday, November 20 | Light Up The Night | Towne Square, with Lakeshore Road East car-free from Thomas to Dunn | 5 to 9 p.m.; tree countdown at 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, November 21 | At Home in Bronte for the Holidays | Bronte Market Square, 2445 Lakeshore Road West | 3 to 7 p.m.; tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. |
The parade details come from Visit Oakville, and the Bronte event is listed by the Bronte BIA. The parade's morning slot and the GO shuttle mean a family can watch it on Lakeshore and still have the afternoon free.
Oakville News also reported that the BIA plans to hold its other winter events at Centennial Square, 120 Navy Street. The BIA's holiday page had no events posted for those dates as of late October, so it is worth checking again in December.
Three New Kitchens That Opened Before the New Square
Three restaurants opened on or beside the square this year, after the rebuild had been approved and scheduled. Look Local covered all three in September.
Café Panchita, 94 George Street. The café opened at the start of summer, downstairs in Towne Square. It is the latest venture from chef Humberto Sanchez, who has more than 20 years in kitchens in Spain, Italy, France, Peru and Florida. The menu runs Latin American-style eggs all day, omelettes, tostadas and lunch plates, with sourdough baked in house. Catalina, a Spanish restaurant from the same team, is planned for the space upstairs.
Centro on the Square, 210 Lakeshore Road East. Centro opened this summer in the former Hexagon space, serving dishes from around the world built on seasonal ingredients, with original cocktails and an international wine list. The Town's phasing table still lists that south-side frontage under Hexagon, with its stage set for October 13 to 26. So the restaurant with "on the Square" in its name took over a frontage the construction plan had already scheduled.
Pii Nong Thai, 266 Lakeshore Road East. The restaurant was in soft opening in September, with a grand opening date still to come. It is an offshoot of a three-in-one restaurant, Thai market and massage spot at Yonge and Lawrence in Toronto, which Toronto Life named one of its best new restaurants of 2025. Founder and chef Pii Nong grew up in Bangkok selling street food with her mother. The Oakville location opens with the restaurant and a Thai market at the front, and massage is planned for later.
The Town has said that businesses inside an active construction zone will stay open and accessible throughout the project. All three opened on that promise and on the square that comes after it.
Bronte has its own newcomer for the evening of November 21. Oakville News reported that Mi Amor Taqueria, a father-and-son family business, opened at 111 Jones Street over July 4 and 5. It planned Friday to Sunday hours, 1 to 9 p.m., which would cover the Saturday tree lighting.
The Square These Kitchens Are Betting On
The plan includes amphitheatre-style seating for gatherings and events, a water feature, raised planters, new trees, an updated central lawn, decorative lighting and accessible paving throughout. Amphitheatre seating suits a square that already fills for Acorn Fest and the tree lighting. The work is aimed at the gatherings Towne Square has hosted for more than 35 years.
The budget grew along with the plan. The last estimate, in October 2025, was $4.3 million. The current total of $7.5 million reflects a longer list of work added during this year's revisions. The Millennium Tower Clock is set to be removed and stored before construction begins, and Town staff have confirmed it will come back when the work is done.
The bigger disruption is scheduled for next year. Stage 7, the main central square, runs from February 9 to August 2, 2027. From spring 2027 until the project wraps in September, part of George Street between Lakeshore Road East and Church Street will close so other downtown events and activities can carry on next summer. Access to the CIBC parking lot and Municipal Lot 3 stays open. That makes this November the last holiday evening on the old square and the last full season before the centre is fenced. If the September 2027 finish holds, the 2027 tree goes up on the new paving.
Planning the Evening Around Parking
Downtown Oakville's regular parking rules work in your favor on November 20. The BIA's parking page says parking is free on Sundays, on holidays and after 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday. The tree countdown starts at 6 p.m., so anyone arriving for the lighting and staying for dinner parks free from the countdown on. For dinner afterward, Centro and Pii Nong Thai are both on Lakeshore Road East, where the road is car-free until 9 p.m.
At Barry Cohen Homes, we follow the Towne Square rebuild the way downtown neighbors do, stage by stage. If you own near Lakeshore Road East and want to know how a renewed square and next summer's George Street closure fit into your plans, we're glad to schedule a confidential consultation.
