Light Up the Lake Runs Later This Year, and Wayzata's New Restaurants Are Ready for It

Where will you be at 6:30 p.m. on the Friday before Thanksgiving? Last November, Light Up the Lake was ending at that hour. On Friday, Nov. 20, the town lighting will have just wrapped up at Panoway Plaza, and the event will still have half an hour to go.

The City of Wayzata moved the whole evening 30 minutes later for 2026. The celebration runs on Lake Street from 5 to 7 p.m., and the Wayzata Firefighter's Parade of Lights starts at 5:45 p.m. Last year the event ran from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and the parade started at 5:15. The later start moves the lighting closer to dinnertime, and several downtown Wayzata restaurants have opened or changed since last November.

The schedule shifted, and one animal changed

Both years' event pages are on the City of Wayzata calendar. Here's how they compare:

The candy hunt is the one thing that didn't move. It still starts at 5:00 p.m. in Depot Park and is limited to children 5 and under. Last year, the parade started 15 minutes after the hunt. This year there are 45 minutes between them. That's enough time for a family with little kids to finish the hunt, warm up with hot cider inside the Historic Wayzata Depot, and still find a spot along the parade route before 5:45.

"One week early" has now happened two years in a row

The 2026 event page says this year's date is "one week prior to the normal date" and falls on the Friday before Thanksgiving. The 2025 page says the same thing, word for word, about Nov. 21, 2025. The City hasn't said whether it's permanent. Still, two straight years on the Friday before Thanksgiving makes that a fair guess for your 2027 calendar, too. It also means the lighting no longer lands on the long holiday weekend, when many households are hosting family or traveling.

How the evening runs, in order

All of this happens within about two blocks. Here's the order the City has published, with where each piece takes place:

1. 5:00 p.m. to the parade. Volunteers hand out free glow wands on Lake Street, but only until the parade starts. If you're bringing kids, get there early.
2. 5:00 p.m. The Children's Candy Hunt starts in Depot Park, and the llama photo stop is set up in the same park. Inside the Historic Wayzata Depot, there's hot cider, treats, and a reindeer food activity for kids.
3. All evening. Horse-drawn wagon rides and strolling carolers on Lake Street. At Panoway Plaza: Letters to Santa, refreshments from the Muni, and the IOCP food drive.
4. 5:45 p.m. The Wayzata Firefighter's Parade of Lights travels down Lake Street from Broadway to Barry Avenue.
5. Right after the parade. Mayor Mullin leads the Town Lighting Ceremony at Panoway Plaza.

If you'd like to give, bring a toy to the Wayzata PD parade float and a non-perishable food item for IOCP at Panoway Plaza. The City's event page lists the food items IOCP needs most this year, starting with brand-name boxed cereal.

With the lighting now right after a 5:45 parade, the ceremony ends close to dinnertime, and three restaurants near the route are new or reworked since last year's lighting.

Bar Eloise reopened as a walk-in friendly restaurant

The closest new option to the parade is on Broadway, the street where the parade begins. The Star Tribune's restaurant roll call reports that Eloise reopened as the more casual Bar Eloise on Sept. 4. Before the relaunch, Wayzata.com reported that owner Lindsay Pohlad's goal was a more casual neighborhood restaurant that's easier to drop into. The restaurant's team explained the change in that same article:

"Over the last few months, we've listened closely to our guests, and one message came through clearly: they love the food and the spirit of Eloise, but they want a place that feels easier to drop into, more casual, and more connected to the neighborhood."

Several of the changes suit a busy event night. Wayzata.com reported added bar seating, high-top tables, and a large front window that opens toward Broadway Avenue. A substantial share of the indoor dining room is held for walk-ins. The menu now leans toward shareable plates, handhelds, and hearty entrées, drawing partly on Pohlad's sister restaurant, The Grocer's Table, and Bar Eloise added a more family-friendly menu too. The Star Tribune and the restaurant's own website list the address as 326 Broadway Ave. S. The website says reservations are available and walk-ins are welcome.

The relaunch article listed Friday hours of 4 to 10 p.m. That means you could eat before the candy hunt or after the lighting. It's open on event night either way. Sunday brunch runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the current website, in case your out-of-town family arrives the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Belle & Grey and Tono, on Lake Street East

The other two new restaurants are on Lake Street East, and they serve two very different dinners.

Belle & Grey opened in April at The Hotel Landing, 925 Lake Street East, in the space that used to be ninetwentyfive. Lake Minnetonka Magazine reported that primary owner Steve Bohl describes the food as familiar, chef-driven American cooking. Chef de cuisine Tsu-Hung Liu, known as Chef Bam, runs the kitchen, and the restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. According to The Hotel Landing, the kitchen is open until 10 p.m. on Fridays, and the restaurant page has a reservation link. For a group who wants to sit down after the lighting, this is the restaurant where you can book a table ahead of time.

Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks opened May 29 at 810 Lake Street E., in the former D'Amico & Sons space. Wayzata.com covered the opening. Co-founders Shaz Khan and Antonio Gambino run Tono as a fast-casual spot that serves both individual brick-oven pizzas and Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks. Tono's Wayzata page lists hours of 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and a link to order online. For a family with a 5-year-old who has just finished the candy hunt and watched a fire truck parade, a personal pizza can be the easiest dinner of all.

Here's how the three compare on event night:

Still to come: Parcelle, and a Dec. 1 date for Chilly Open golfers

One downtown space is still waiting to open. Parcelle, an LA-inspired organic cafe, announced a Wayzata location in January, and the Star Tribune reported the hope was to open in spring. Parcelle's website still shows the 641 Lake St. E. location as "Coming Soon," with no opening date. Check before you plan a pre-parade coffee there.

The next big downtown event comes after the holidays. The Wayzata West Metro Chamber has set the 42nd Wayzata Chilly Open for Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wayzata Bay. Golfer tickets go on sale Dec. 1, according to the Chamber's event listing. If your group plays every year, put that date on the calendar now, so you're not scrambling between Thanksgiving leftovers and holiday shopping.

Our team will be on Lake Street on Nov. 20, probably with a cider from the Depot. If the lights going up have you thinking about selling or buying in Wayzata in the new year, Nicole Stone Real Estate can get the staging, photos, and contractors lined up during the slower winter months. Schedule a Free Consultation, and we'll talk it through over coffee downtown.