"Due to high demand, we're extending the evening portion of Holidays on Higgins by an hour this year!" That's how the Downtown Missoula Partnership's event page puts it. The result is that North Higgins Avenue now stays closed to cars and full of the celebration from 3 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5.
The longer evening still ends on a schedule, and the food on the street is meant to tide you over. The organizers say food vendors are limited "due to colder weather and the shorter evening schedule," and the vendors who do get spots are mostly selling snacks you eat on your feet: popcorn, cotton candy, candied nuts. The event page also says plainly that one main goal is to "bring thousands of people to downtown" and send business to its stores and restaurants. When the evening ends at 7, the event's own last line is "Keep the party going by shopping and dining local."
So Holidays on Higgins hands its crowd off to downtown for dinner. This year some of the places taking that handoff weren't open last December.
What the extra hour holds
Holidays on Higgins runs all day on the first Saturday in December. The evening portion on North Higgins, from Broadway north to the tree in front of the North Higgins Train Station, is the part most people plan around. Here's the day in order:
| Time | Where | What's happening |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Missoula Public Library, second floor | Free photos with Santa. Be in line by 2:15 p.m., and bring your own camera because there's no professional photographer. |
| Noon to 3 p.m. | East Pine, near the Missoula Art Museum | Free horse-drawn carriage rides from Out West Wagon Rides |
| 3 to 7 p.m. | North Higgins from Broadway north | Stationary float stroll, Missoula Makers Collective market, burn barrels, live music |
| 6 p.m. | The tree in front of the North Higgins Train Station | Santa and Mayor Davis go up a fire truck ladder to light the downtown tree |
| 7 p.m. | Downtown | The street program ends |
There's no moving parade. The floats stay put and you walk past them, a format the organizers say lets more businesses and groups take part, supports the makers market and costs entrants less. The street will have more than 40 makers, free hot chocolate at the Missoula Downtown Foundation tent, two Rhino bars serving spiked cocoa, adult drinks and mocktails, and coffee from Lighthouse Coffee and Funk It Coffee. You'll also find the Paws Up hay bale and s'mores bar, plus the tuba Santas who wander the crowd every year.
Organizations that want to enter a float can still sign up. Stationary float submissions are due Friday, Nov. 20, and the organizers are looking for interactive displays like holiday karaoke, games and photo spots.
Before the street closes: coffee and brunch
With the evening starting at 3, the morning is free for a slow start downtown.
Sumac Cafe is in the Florence Building at 111 N. Higgins Ave. The Helena Independent Record reported that the cafe has an entrance in the alley, along with a second door near the Florence's indoor lobby. On weekends it serves brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to KYSS FM, so you can eat there and still make it to the library before the 2:15 Santa cutoff. The menu is Mediterranean breakfast and lunch, including crepes, shakshuka, pita and other bakery items, bowls, wraps and falafel.
Liquid Planet opened a downtown store with a drive-thru at 400 W. Broadway on Oct. 5, Zootown Lowdown reported. The store shares a building with The UPS Store. The company posted hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, according to Newstalk KGVO, so it closes around the time the tree lights up. Get your coffee there on the way in, not on the way out.
After 7 p.m.: where the crowd eats
This is the part the extra hour changes most. A street program that ends at 7 lines up neatly with a dinner reservation, and downtown has new options since last year's tree lighting.
Atomic Tacos is in the old James Bar space at 127 W. Alder St. After nearly two decades, James Bar closed on July 25, NBC Montana reported. The owners' farewell post promised that "these doors will reopen to the next chapter," and they named the Kalispell taco shop as the new tenant. Atomic Tacos opened in October as its second location. KYSS FM reported hours of Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., which would cover the Dec. 5 evening. Call ahead before you plan around those hours. In Kalispell, the restaurant is known for tacos that draw flavors from around the world, according to the Daily Inter Lake.
Double K Bar opened at the end of June at 125 S. Higgins Ave., in the Coffee Annex of the Hammond Arcade building, just north of the Wilma, the Missoulian reported. The menu covers burgers, Neapolitan pizza, fries, charcuterie and salads, along with beer, liquor and specialty cocktails. It's open every day except Tuesday, so the bar is open on Saturday night and on the carriage-ride Sundays.
Pastrami Franks is planned for 311 W. Front St., with old-school hot dogs, half-pound pastrami sandwiches and fresh-baked rolls. It was expected to open sometime in December, according to Zootown Lowdown.
The extra hour also changes how the evening goes for families with kids who are too young for a 7 p.m. dinner. You can see the floats and the market from 3 to 5, eat early, and come back to North Higgins for the 6 p.m. lighting.
The weekend starts Friday, and the season runs to the 20th
The tree lighting falls in the middle of a run of downtown dates, and several of them start before Dec. 5.
- Saturday, Nov. 28. Small Business Saturday downtown. Voting also opens in the Downtown Holiday Window Decorating Contest, with five categories, and runs through Dec. 17.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 8 p.m. The Arts Missoula First Friday art walk, a free monthly event centered at Higgins Avenue and Main Street, the night before Holidays on Higgins.
- Saturday, Dec. 5. Holidays on Higgins, all day, with the street program from 3 to 7 p.m. and the tree lighting at 6.
- Weekends of Dec. 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20, noon to 3 p.m. Free carriage rides from Out West Wagon Rides, first come, first served. Pickup is on East Pine near the Missoula Art Museum, across from Pearl Boba Tea.
- Dec. 12 and 13. Teddy Bear Tea Parties with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Residence Inn, 125 N. Pattee St. They're designed for children ages 2 to 10, who are invited to bring a favorite stuffed animal.
- Thursday, Dec. 17, 5 to 7 p.m. Third Thursday at the Missoula Art Museum, 335 N. Pattee, with the opening celebration for its auction exhibition.
The Friday art walk and the Saturday tree lighting take place in the same downtown blocks less than 24 hours apart.
Getting there and staying warm
Parking is free on weekends in every downtown space, including the garages. Leased garage spaces are open to the public on evenings and weekends, and you won't be ticketed or towed. Every Mountain Line route comes downtown, and the buses are zero-fare. The organizers suggest leaving dogs at home. Any dogs that do come need to be leashed and kept at least 10 feet from food vendors. Burn barrels and a fire wok will line the street.
The street program, the Santa photos and the carriage rides are free, though some daytime activities hosted by businesses may charge a small fee.
Ashley loves helping neighbors get to know the downtown blocks where Missoula celebrates, and if you're thinking about what's next for your own place in town, Ashley Inglis is happy to sit down with you. Get in touch with Ashley for a personalized market consultation.
