Last December 6 was a frigid Saturday on Washington Road. Visitors sampled chili from the 911 Chili Showdown, more than a dozen businesses gave away cookies, hot chocolate, mulled wine and churros, and the afternoon ended at 5 p.m. with a tree lighting in Clearview Common. The Mt. Lebanon Partnership also used that afternoon to launch something new, a window decorating contest for Uptown businesses. Mt. Lebanon Magazine's recap described it as "a new business window decorating contest," with voting that continued through December 17.
In 2025, the windows and the market arrived on the same day. This year they don't. The 2026 contest opens for voting on November 28, a full week before the Uptown Winter Market. That gap turns Uptown's holiday season from one Saturday afternoon into eight days, with stops on Washington Road, on Beverly Road and at the Frank Gill Ice Rink.
The Windows Now Come First
The Partnership's 2026 contest page asks Uptown businesses to have their windows decorated and ready by Saturday, November 28, which is Small Business Saturday. Public voting opens online that day, and businesses compete for cash prizes. Behind the scenes the schedule starts earlier. The contest page's key dates set the business entry deadline for Friday, November 20. The official rules require finished displays by Wednesday, November 25, the day before Thanksgiving.
The Partnership's pages list more than one closing date for voting, ranging from December 13 to December 18. Check the contest page before the final week if you plan to vote late. The page also says a map of participating businesses and the voting link will be posted there once voting begins.
The timing matters because the finished windows will be on display for more than a week before the market. Over the Thanksgiving weekend and the evenings after it, a walk up Washington Road is already part of the season, and there's a voting link waiting at the end of it.
Several storefronts on that walk have changed since last year's contest:
- Jade Nails moved to 246 Washington Road, as Mt. Lebanon Magazine reported in September.
- J. Jones Evening Wear held its grand opening at 660 Washington Road on June 30. T2 Hair & Nails opened at 671 Washington Road in July, according to LeboBeat's summer business roundup.
- On Beverly Road, the former Lisa Marie Salon is now Stevie's, under owner Stevie Covart Garvey. Mt. Lebanon Magazine reported that the staff stayed on and the changes were mostly updates such as the interior.
None of these businesses has been announced as a contest entrant. Still, these four storefronts weren't part of the Uptown that voters walked past in 2025, three on Washington Road and one on Beverly.
The Eight Days, Mapped
The municipality's December 2026 events calendar lists two municipal events in the first week of December, Beverly Brite Nite on Thursday and the Uptown Winter Market on Saturday. With the windows opening the Saturday before and the ice rink running its regular sessions, the week looks like this:
| Day | Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | All day | Window contest voting opens | Uptown storefronts |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | 5–6 p.m. | Meet The Mari Lwyd! | Mt. Lebanon Public Library, Meeting Room A |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | 7–8:30 p.m. | Beverly Brite Nite | Beverly Road |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | 7:40–10 p.m. | TGIF Late Skate | Frank Gill Ice Rink, Main Rink |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Noon–5 p.m. | Uptown Winter Market | Washington Road |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | 7:10–9 p.m. | Public skate, limited to the first 30 skaters | Frank Gill Ice Rink, Studio Rink |
Each event is in a different place, and that's what makes the week work. Every evening sends you to a different part of town.
Thursday Belongs to Beverly Road
Beverly Brite Nite runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 3. The municipal listing promises extended shopping, holiday festivities, a visit from Santa and free admission.
Two hours earlier, the Mt. Lebanon Public Library is hosting Meet The Mari Lwyd!, a family program about the Welsh Yuletide tradition of the wassailing horse. It runs from 5 to 6 p.m. in Meeting Room A, and details are on the library's events calendar. The library program ends an hour before Brite Nite begins, so families can make a full evening of it, with dinner in between.
If you're planning that dinner, LeboBeat reported in August that Carbonara's Ristorante added Monday service, planned to add Tuesdays in September, and refreshed its menu with some longtime favorites back on it.
Friday Is the Rink's Night
The Frank Gill Ice Rink sits in Mt. Lebanon Park just off Cedar Boulevard. It opened in 1977 and has a 200-by-85-foot main rink and a 60-by-80-foot studio rink. It doesn't add special holiday sessions to its posted fall and winter schedule, and the week doesn't need them. The TGIF Late Skate runs every Friday from 7:40 to 10 p.m. on the main rink between September 11 and May 28. That puts it on December 4, the night between Brite Nite and the market. Admission is $13 with skate rental included.
Weekend public sessions run from 2:10 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on the main rink. There's also a Saturday evening session from 7:10 to 9 p.m. on the smaller Studio Rink, open to the first 30 skaters. On market day, that 2:10 session overlaps the market's hours. The evening session doesn't, so families who spend the afternoon on Washington Road can still skate after dinner if they arrive early enough to make the 30-skater cutoff. Weekend and holiday rates are $10 for adults and students ages 6 to 17, $9 for seniors 62 and older, and $7 for children 5 and under. Skate rental is $4.
Before the week begins, note one date. The rink lists Tuesday, November 24 among its closed days, and Christmas Day is closed as well. If you're planning a skate during Thanksgiving week, go on a day other than that Tuesday.
Saturday on Washington Road
The Uptown Winter Market takes over Washington Road on Saturday, December 5, from noon to 5 p.m. The Mt. Lebanon Partnership and the Mt. Lebanon Municipality present it together. The Partnership lists handmade crafts, baked goods, specialty foods, holiday décor, visits with Santa, a model railroad, festive music and the 911 Chili Cook-off.
The chili contest has a reigning champion. At the 2025 market, the fire department won with chili made by Firefighter Patrick Mcree. Police entered a batch made with smoked beef shoulder, and MRTSA brought a slightly sweet version with chorizo. Each team used the event to collect donations: firefighters for Toys for Tots, police for coats for the Salvation Army and their Presents with Police event at UPMC Children's Hospital, and MRTSA for care kits kept in its ambulances, according to Mt. Lebanon Magazine. The fire department comes into this year defending its title.
The biggest difference from last year is when the market falls in the season. Last year the contest opened on market day, so shoppers saw the decorated windows for the first time that afternoon. This year the displays are due by November 25, and voting will have been open for a full week by market day. The market becomes the busiest day of the contest rather than its first.
One 2025 tradition isn't on this year's published schedule yet. Last year's market ended at 5 p.m. with a Christmas tree lighting in Clearview Common, which added a lighted menorah and kinara for the first time. The Partnership's 2026 market page and the municipal December calendar don't mention a tree lighting. Until one is announced, plan your Saturday around the noon-to-5 market.
Planning the Week
Anyone hosting family over Thanksgiving has a reason to walk Uptown with guests that weekend, and they can vote on the windows on the way. Thursday, December 3 offers two events about two hours apart, the Welsh wassailing horse at the library and Santa on Beverly Road. Friday's late skate needs no planning, since it's the rink's regular Friday session. Saturday's market runs from noon to 5, and the Studio Rink's 7:10 session takes the first 30 skaters.
If walking past Uptown's windows this season has you wondering how your own home would show to buyers this spring, Wendy Weaver is happy to talk it through, from presentation to pricing. Start with an instant home valuation, and we can take it from there.
