Woburn's holiday season this year centers on one building. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Common outside City Hall will be lit, and character story time will be held inside. Before that, the season has a quieter stop at City Hall. At 5:30 this evening, Thursday, Nov. 12, the Woburn License Commission meets in the Committee Room at 10 Common St. Two of the items it expects to take up would add something new to Woburn's December.
The first application is for a library fundraiser with carols and cocktails. The second is for a brewery's pouring permit on Gill Street. Both are pending tonight. Neither will change the main event on Nov. 28, which has been run by the same local service clubs for 32 years.
Thursday at 5:30, in the Committee Room
The agenda the City posted on Nov. 4 lists six items. Two of them matter for the holidays.
The first is from the Woburn Public Library Foundation. It has applied for a special one-day liquor license for a "Cocktails and Carols" fundraiser at the library, 45 Pleasant St. The event would run from 7 to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12.
The second is from Fable Brewing Co., which has applied for a new Farmer Brewer Pouring Permit at 3 Gill Street, Building G. The agenda lists it as continued from the Commission's Oct. 15 meeting. Fable lists 121 Francis Wyman Road in Burlington as its business address on the application. In late July, Boston Restaurant Talk reported that the Gill Street location had partly opened, with tasting pours and cans to go as a first phase. A pouring permit is the next step in that process.
Both items are on the agenda. Neither has been decided. The Commission also notes in the posting that it may change the order of items at the meeting.
Nov. 28, from the steps outward
Sixteen days after the hearing, the season's main event takes over the same block. The 32nd annual Festival on the Common runs from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28, in Woburn Center.
The organizers' About page lays out the afternoon.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. | 5th Annual Small Business Saturday Holiday Fair, 50+ local vendors, crafters and small businesses | Hilton Boston/Woburn, 2 Forbes Road |
| 3 to 6:30 p.m. | Polar Express with live entertainment | Woburn Center |
| 3 to 6:30 p.m. | Woburn Guild of Artists Open Community Art Exhibition, free | First Baptist Church Hall |
| Throughout | Ice carvings | Woburn Center |
| From 4 p.m. | Santa collects wish lists | Woburn Center |
| During the festival | Making Magic Character Story Time | Inside City Hall |
| After the reading | Lighting of the Common | The Common |
The festival has a clear high point. The Common is lit after Mayor Michael Concannon reads "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." Concannon ran unopposed in the last city election, the Daily Times Chronicle reported, so the tradition has the same reader this year. The organizers tie the lighting to the reading rather than to a set time, so a spot near the Common in the last hour of the festival is the safest plan.
Two features have changed since last year. Making Magic Character Story Time is back inside City Hall, and "Reindeer" pony rides are new. The City's event listing also mentions live local music and carolers.
The art show is a good choice if you want a break from the cold and crowds. The Woburn Guild of Artists calls this year's exhibition at First Baptist Church Hall an open community show. It includes work from both members and non-members, and it runs the full 3 to 6:30 window.
The morning fair takes place outside downtown, at the Hilton on Forbes Road. The Patch community listing gives a 10 a.m. start. You can shop for gifts from local makers there before the afternoon events at the Common.
The people who hold it together
The festival keeps its schedule year after year because the same groups run it. According to the organizers, the evening is "organized and run by a committee of volunteers mainly from various Woburn service groups." Those groups are:
- Woburn Host Lions Club
- Rotary Club of Woburn
- City of Woburn
- Woburn Middlesex Lions Club
- Kiwanis of Woburn
- Woburn Elks
- Woburn Breakfast Lions Club
That's three separate Lions clubs alongside the Rotary, Kiwanis, Elks and the City. The City's listing adds that various local groups sell festive drinks and snacks during the event.
The funding also connects back to City Hall. On the organizers' sponsorship page, donors are offered advertising in the Daily Times Chronicle and a banner at City Hall. Local businesses that support the festival are promoted on the building at its center.
A block or two down Main Street
When the festival ends at 6:30, many restaurants are within a short walk. The City's own 2026 Trick or Treat map makes a useful dining guide, since it lists Main Street food and drink spots by address.
- Bakery and dessert: Roma's Bakery at 312 and Boba Tea & Snow Ice House at 317
- Coffee and casual: Studio Café at 327 and Casa Nova Butcher Shop & Cafe at 494-A
- Sit-down dinner: Peppercorn House at 318, Ixtapa Restaurant at 349, Plearn Park Eatery at 383, Spicy Hunan Kitchen at 390, IL Ponte at 428 and Gulozitus at 502
- Tapas, tacos and late plates: Pintxo Pincho Tapas Bar at 385, Dora Taqueria at 446, Fox Den at 482, Dion's at 485 and The Vig Kitchen and Bar at 489
The newest of these spots isn't at street level. In February, Patch reported that The Down Low had opened in January in the basement of The BrickYard at 371 Main St. It is a retro cocktail bar with 80 seats in a 2,200-square-foot space. At the time, Patch reported that it was open Wednesday through Sunday evenings with live music each night. The food menu is short: Detroit-style pizza, sandwiches and appetizers. Curtis McMillan, who has served as a cocktail judge for the U.S. Bartenders' Guild, runs the bar. Those hours were reported in February, so check them before you go.
December goes back to Pleasant Street
After Nov. 28, the season shifts to the library at 45 Pleasant St. The Woburn Public Library's December calendar already lists several holiday programs:
- Dec. 12, 7 to 10:30 p.m. Cocktails and Carols, the Library Foundation fundraiser covered by tonight's license application
- Dec. 14, 10 to 10:30 a.m. "Baby Rave: Holiday Party!" in the Program Room
- Dec. 18, 1 to 2 p.m. Brian Rose presents "America's Favorite Holiday Movie: It's a Wonderful Life," in person with a virtual option
- Dec. 29, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. "Holiday Slime Time" for ages 5 to 11 in the Storytime & Craft Room
The Dec. 12 event is the one tied to tonight's hearing. Its one-day license application is the first item on the Commission's agenda. The Fable pouring permit is listed second, under its Building G address on Gill Street.
Every event on this calendar has a fixed date and address. That kind of detail matters if you're thinking about a home close to Woburn Center, or about how to time a sale around the busiest weeks downtown. If you'd like a clear, step-by-step plan for either, Neran Rohra can walk through it with you. Let's Connect.
