Corvallis's 50-Year Bazaar Sets the Clock for the Saturday After Thanksgiving

Three Bitterroot holiday traditions share Saturday, November 28 this year. The Corvallis Christmas Bazaar has run for more than half a century. Daly Mansion's Festival of Trees is in its second year. Hamilton's Downtown Christmas Stroll fills Main Street until 8 p.m. All three are close together and keep overlapping hours.

As of late October, the oldest of the three is also the only one with its whole schedule posted. The bazaar's hours, location, parking, and vendor setup are all published. The other two have dates but are still filling in details. If you live in Corvallis, start your plan with the gym doors at 9 a.m.

The Bazaar's Hours Are Already Set

The Corvallis Christmas Bazaar has announced its 2026 date, Saturday, November 28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free admission. The organizers say the event goes back more than 50 years. It started as a small community gathering and grew into one of western Montana's best-known holiday events, with shoppers and vendors coming from across the region. The Wolsky family organizes it, and volunteers run it.

The location page has the practical details:

• Address: Corvallis High School, 1400 Meridian Rd., Corvallis
• Footprint: The bazaar uses both the old and new gyms, which connect, so follow the signs when you arrive
• Parking: Parking in the school lots is free. Organizers say the bazaar draws a large crowd and suggest arriving early
• Scale: The organizers advertise 50-plus vendors each year

The vendor schedule explains why opening time works well for shoppers. Booths cost $50 per table space, which includes a table, chair, and tablecloth. Setup starts at 6:30 a.m. and has to be finished by 8:30. When the doors open at 9, every table is ready and nothing has sold yet. The site also posts a fraud alert. The bazaar will never ask for payment through Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, or any other payment app, and vendor fees are paid only by mailed check.

The bazaar also closes first. It wraps up at 3 p.m., hours before Hamilton's Stroll ends. Anyone who wants both should do the bazaar in the morning.

Daly Mansion Has the Longest Run and the Fewest Details

Daly Mansion at 251 Eastside Hwy is hosting its second annual Festival of Trees. Local nonprofits decorate Christmas trees that go on display and are considered for the mansion's holiday auctions. Only 25 trees are available.

This event runs well beyond one Saturday. Here is the mansion's posted schedule:

1. Tree setup and decorating, November 18 and 19
2. Early tree showing, November 20 to 22
3. Toasting in the Trees, Friday, November 20
4. Festival of Trees Weekend, November 28 to 30
5. Tree auction, Monday, November 30

That long run gives you options. The festival's own page says "Save the Dates: November 28, 29, & 30!" and "More details to come." The mansion says viewing information for visitors will be shared separately. As of late October, public hours and admission for the festival weekend haven't been posted.

Don't plan on a quick look inside the house that day either. The mansion's tour page says the grounds are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays from October through December, but the mansion is closed to walk-in tours during those months. Private tours need a call 48 to 72 hours ahead. For now, treat the festival as the flexible stop of the weekend. If your Saturday fills up, the mansion's own calendar has the early showing the weekend before and two more festival days after.

Hamilton's Stroll Runs Latest

The Hamilton Downtown Christmas Stroll and Tree Lighting is set for Saturday, November 28, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Hamilton Downtown Association, which organizes it, hasn't posted a 2026 program yet. No lighting time, entertainment lineup, or vendor list is out.

Last year's schedule is the best guide, as long as you remember it's from 2025. The Bitterroot Star reported that the Hamilton Downtown Association and the Hamilton Downtown Foundation co-hosted the 2025 Stroll. It had vendors, carolers, food, stage entertainment at 5:30 p.m., and the tree lighting at 6 p.m. If 2026 follows the same pattern, the Stroll's big moment comes after dark, hours after the bazaar closes. Check the organizer's page before you head south, because last year's times aren't a promise for this year.

One Way to Order the Day

The bazaar has fixed hours and closes first. The Stroll's main event probably comes in the evening. Daly Mansion's hours are still unknown and its run is the longest. That suggests this order for a Corvallis household:

The coffee stop and dinner bracket the day close to home. Florence Coffee Company's Corvallis location opens hours before the bazaar does. The Wild Mare serves dinner on Saturdays, so you can eat in Corvallis if you leave Hamilton before the lighting. Restaurant hours change over the holidays, so call ahead the week of Thanksgiving.

Sunday and Monday Take the Overflow

Not everything has to happen on Saturday. Daly Mansion's festival weekend continues Sunday, November 29, and Monday, November 30, which is also auction day. Two other events fall on that Sunday, but only one has firm details.

Cultivating Connections Montana is holding a free Farmstand Open House on Sunday, November 29, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Homestead Organics Farm in Hamilton, with local gifts and seasonal activities.

Treasure Chest Events' Holiday Sip & Shop at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds in Hamilton advertises craft vendors and a Grinch appearance. Its page gives two different date ranges, November 27 to 28 and November 28 to 29. Further down, it lists public hours of 2 to 6 p.m. on November 28 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 29. Confirm with the organizer before you build it into either day.

Stacie has lived through more than 25 Bitterroot holiday seasons. If friends or family are visiting over Thanksgiving and want to see the valley beyond Main Street, Montana Dream Homes is glad to help you plan a day that fits around the bazaar and the Stroll. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll talk about the parts of the valley your visitors have been asking about.