November 2026 Events in Bergen & Hudson Counties: Your Month-Ahead Guide

October ends with Halloween, and November opens with a very different rhythm. The street-fair circuit has wound down, the farms are finishing their pumpkin runs, and the community calendar shifts indoors and into the holidays. That does not mean the month is quiet. It is when some of the region's best food events run, when the big county light shows start lighting up, and when towns start hanging the decorations that carry them through December.

Below is my month-ahead rundown, organized roughly by week. As always, community calendars shift: confirm details with organizers before you head out, and check back here as I add new announcements.

The Week of November 2: Markets, Fashion, and the First Holiday Dates

The month opens on Sunday, November 1 with a two-county food day. In Paramus, the Paramus Fall Food Truck Festival rolls into the Bergen Town Center, a newly confirmed afternoon of food trucks and family fun at one of the state's busiest shopping destinations, while down in Jersey City, the Riverview Farmers Market hosts a Día de los Muertos celebration with vendors, music, and community activities. It is a fitting handoff: the Halloween weekend's energy carries one more day, then the calendar settles into November's quieter rhythm.

The month starts with some of the year's earliest holiday shopping and a few lively fundraisers. On Wednesday, November 4, the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce holds its Liberty Cup Golf Outing, a countywide networking tradition that pairs a round of golf with a good cause. On Friday, November 6, Hoboken hosts Closet-to-Community: A Thrifted Fashion Show, a fundraiser that turns donated and thrifted pieces into a runway show at 7 p.m., with tickets supporting local community programs. It is a creative, affordable way to spend a Friday night in Hoboken, and a reminder that the city's social calendar runs year-round, not just in summer.

Several newly confirmed dates fill the days around those. On Sunday, November 1, the Artisan Market at Bergen Town Center in Paramus opens the month with an early holiday market of local makers and seasonal goods, a low-crowd first pass at holiday shopping. On Thursday, November 5, the Hoboken Biergarten hosts its comedy night, an evening of live standup on the waterfront as the beer garden winds down for the season. And on Saturday, November 7, the Jersey City Mac & Cheese Festival brings mac-and-cheese vendors, live music, and family activities downtown (1-5 p.m.), one of the month's most food-forward Saturdays. The same day, Abma's Farm in Wyckoff hosts its Giant Pumpkin Drop (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), the county's favorite way to watch a pumpkin fall, a farm tradition that pairs well with the season's last hayrides and corn maze visits. Dates and details are compiled from 2026 organizer listings, so confirm before heading out.

The October 12 refresh added a fresh wave of arts and music dates to the same week. On Monday, November 2, Hoboken's Artists' Studio Tour opens artists' workspaces around the Mile Square, hosted by the Mile Square Theatre, a free, self-guided look at the city's creative community. On Wednesday, November 4, Little City Books presents Freedy Johnston's Tuesday Night Live with Warren Zanes, an evening of live music and conversation at the beloved Washington Street bookstore. And on Thursday, November 5, the W Hoboken hosts Sinatra Nights (7-9 p.m.), a live tribute to the city's most famous son, while Art House Productions opens "I'm Thankful For… A Thanksgiving Storytelling Show" in Jersey City, a warm, funny way to ease into the holiday month. Over in Bergen, Ridgewood's Holiday Walk-Through and Village Lighting is set for November, the downtown's festive lights-and-carolers kickoff that pairs with the village's holiday shopping season.

Those same days, the Teaneck International Film Festival runs November 5-12, with screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and panel discussions across the township's cultural venues. Tickets went on sale in early October, and the festival is one of Bergen County's most reliably interesting arts weeks, worth a look whether you are a film buff or simply curious about Teaneck's famously diverse civic life.

Then Sunday, November 8 is a two-for-one day. The Hoboken Artisan Market returns to Pier A Walkway (11 a.m.-4 p.m.), an early chance at holiday shopping with local makers along the waterfront, and down in Paramus, the 4th Annual Fall Festival at Bergen Town Center fills the afternoon (12-5 p.m.) with rides, games, and family activities at one of the state's busiest shopping destinations. If you are weighing Bergen and Hudson towns side by side, a November weekend like this one is a great on-the-ground comparison: spend Saturday in one county's downtown and Sunday in the other's.

Hoboken Restaurant Week: November 9-22

The headline event of the month is Hoboken Restaurant Week, running November 9 through 22, and it is the first one the city has ever held. Hosted by the Hoboken Business Alliance, it brings two full weeks of prix-fixe menus, specials, and deals at the city's independent restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and bars, from Washington Street to the waterfront. For anyone curious about Hoboken as a home, this is the single best week of the year to eat your way through the city and see why its dining scene draws people from both sides of the river. Restaurants typically release their menus in the week before the event, so bookmark the businesses you have been meaning to try.

The same week, the Hudson County Chamber hosts its Women of Commerce Conference on Thursday, November 12, a professional-development gathering that draws business owners and leaders from across the county. It is a good calendar item for anyone who runs a local business or is building a professional network in the area.

Veterans Day: Honoring Local Service

On Wednesday, November 11, towns across Bergen and Hudson Counties hold Veterans Day ceremonies, from wreath-layings at local memorials to parades in the boroughs that still do them up right. These are smaller, more quietly meaningful events than the big summer festivals, and they are worth putting on the calendar even if you are just visiting a town: they show a community's character better than any listing. Check your town's website or its social channels for the ceremony time, since most post them only a week or two ahead. The Bergen County Historical Society gets the observance going early with its Veterans Day Wreath Laying in New Milford on Sunday, November 8, and closes the month with "Retreat to Victory, 250th, 1776-2026" at Historic New Bridge Landing in River Edge on November 22, a Revolution-era commemoration that pairs history with the riverside park. That evening in Jersey City, the Fund for a Better Waterfront holds its Connect the Waterfront Annual Celebration on November 11, the nonprofit behind the city's riverfront parks and open-space projects convening supporters downtown.

The same first week, the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood offers two strong family and music nights: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: The Musical on Tuesday, November 3 for the younger set, and a Joshua Bell recital with pianist Peter Dugan on Thursday, November 5 for classical fans. Both are dependable reasons to spend an evening at one of Bergen County's premier stages, and both pair well with a dinner at one of downtown Englewood's newer restaurants.

Mid-November: Markets Wind Down, Holiday Schedules Post

Farmers market season is in its final stretch, and that is by design: it makes the first spring markets something to wait for. The Downtown Jersey City Farmers' Market continues Thursdays (3-7 p.m.) through November 20, the Hoboken Farmers' Market keeps its Tuesday afternoon slot at Church Square Park, and the Ramsey Farmers Market at the train station runs year-round on Sundays, one of the county's few 12-month markets. For a full town-by-town list, see our farmers markets guide.

Mid-November is also when municipal holiday calendars lock in. Tree lightings, menorah lightings, and holiday market dates are typically posted between mid-October and mid-November, and they fill fast once announced. If you want the full picture before the season gets busy, our holiday markets and winter events guide rounds up the county anchors and the December dates already on the books. For music fans, the Avant Radio Festival at Monty Hall in Jersey City runs November 13-15, a weekend of independent and national acts in the Journal Square arts hub that's become a fixture of the city's music calendar.

The same weekend now carries the month's biggest new booking, and it is a milestone for the city: Loew's Jersey Theatre, the restored 1929 movie palace on Journal Square, holds its Grand Re-Opening Weekend on Friday and Saturday, November 13-14. The Trey Anastasio Band plays Friday, November 13 and The War On Drugs play Saturday, November 14, with Jodeci on November 18 rounding out the first slate. For anyone weighing a move to Jersey City, the reopening is a real quality-of-life marker: a landmark venue back in service a block from the PATH hub. And on the Bergen side, the Garden Club of Harrington Park holds a Thanksgiving Centerpiece Workshop on Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m., a small, neighborly evening that is exactly the kind of thing this month does well.

Two Bergen County nights worth circling in mid-November: the county's Music at the Barn series hosts the 16th annual Cider Barn Band bluegrass concert at the historic Wortendyke Barn Museum in the Park Ridge area on Friday, November 20, an old-fashioned evening on a working farmstead; and Fort Lee's Barrymore Film Center kicks off its holiday concert run with Candlelight: A Tribute to Michael Jackson on Saturday, November 21 (8:45 p.m.). Both are dependable end-of-week options that pair well with a fall afternoon of house hunting in the surrounding towns. And for holiday shoppers, the Paramus Fall Artisan Market returns to Bergen Town Center on Saturday, November 14 with 25-plus local art, craft, and food vendors, an early first pass at holiday gifts, while Abma's Farm in Wyckoff hosts a DIY Holiday Candle-making night on Thursday, November 19 at 6 p.m. for a handmade start to the season.

Late November: The Holiday Season Officially Begins

The last week of November is when Northern NJ's biggest seasonal attractions light up, and the 2026 dates are now confirming. In Paramus, Van Saun County Park hosts the holiday season's centerpieces: the Bergen County Winter Wonderland is confirmed to return Friday, November 20, 2026, the region's biggest seasonal village with open-air ice skating, ice bumper cars, carousel and train rides, a heated tent, food trucks, a beer and wine garden, live music, Santa visits, and the Crafts Market Village, with the full season schedule expected to follow shortly (its 2025-26 season ran November 28 through January 4). Right next door, Let It GLOW!, the Holiday Lantern Spectacular at the Bergen County Zoo, with 30-plus illuminated lantern displays, holiday train rides, and fire pits, has not yet posted its 2026 dates; in 2025 it opened November 6 and ran through the holidays. Both are worth planning around for families, and both sell out at popular times, so book early when dates are confirmed.

In Hillsdale, Demarest Farms' Orchard of Lights, the 32-acre drive-through light display, has published its full 2026 schedule: November 21-22, November 27-29, December 4-6, December 10-23, and December 26-29, 5 to 9 p.m. nightly, running right through the end of the year. It is the same farm that anchors Bergen's October pumpkin season, just with the lights turned up, and it is a reliable favorite for kids of every age.

In Hoboken, Pier One Tree returns to Pier 13 on Sinatra Drive from Friday, November 27 through Sunday, December 20, the waterfront holiday tree lot that has become a Mile Square tradition. It is a good excuse to walk the riverfront on a cold afternoon, and it pairs naturally with a stop at one of the city's restaurants during Hoboken Restaurant Week, which runs through November 22.

The same weekend the season officially kicks off in Paramus. The Westfield Garden State Plaza holds its annual Big Santa Lighting on Sunday, November 22 (4-6 p.m.), the mall's traditional season starter with Santa's arrival and the switching-on of the holiday lights, a dependable family moment that has drawn crowds for years. For an earlier, quieter kickoff, the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood hosts its Holiday Market on Friday and Saturday, November 20-21 at 113 Cottage Place, a small church market of crafts and baked goods that opens the village's holiday shopping before Downtown for the Holidays on December 4. And runners get two chances to stretch before the big day: the Hoboken Turkey Trot 5K lands Saturday, November 21 along the waterfront, and the Jersey City Turkey Day 5K follows on Thanksgiving morning (below).

Thanksgiving Weekend: November 26-29

Thanksgiving itself lands on Thursday, November 26. If you want a guaranteed parade seat without crossing the river, Weehawken restaurants along the waterfront have made a tradition of Thanksgiving Day Parade viewing brunches, watching the NYC parade floats from across the Hudson; Gabriel's Restaurant has confirmed its viewing brunch for 7:30 a.m. that morning. Reservations go fast, so call ahead in November. Many Hudson County kitchens also take Thanksgiving dinner orders in advance, which is a low-stress way to host without cooking a turkey yourself; check with your favorite local restaurants in the weeks before the holiday.

Morning for the runners goes to the turkey trots, and this year's board stretches across both counties. In Bergen County, the Racefaster Thanksgiving Day Run in Glen Rock takes the line between 9 and 11 a.m., the borough's long-running family event; the River Vale Run 4 the Love Turkey Trot Charity 5K turns a morning race into a food and funds drive; and the Upper Saddle River 5K runs its 26th annual Thanksgiving edition, one of the county's most established holiday traditions. Across the river, the Jersey City Turkey Day 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run starts at 10 a.m. in the downtown, with a kids' fun run that makes it a whole-family affair. All four are the kind of event that fills fast, so register early and earn the feast.

The long weekend itself is a great time to walk a downtown you have not explored: Ridgewood's, Hackensack's, and Fort Lee's shopping streets are fully decorated by then, and the crowds are lighter than December's. The weekend closes with two craft fairs: the Thanksgiving Craft Fair at Paramus High School on Sunday, November 29, and the Ramsey Christmas Craft Fair on Saturday, November 28 at 187 Wyckoff Avenue, with 60-plus crafters and Santa photos, an early, low-crowd pass at holiday shopping before December's markets fill the calendar.

Looking Ahead: December Kickoffs

December's tree lightings are already on the books, and they are the reason November's calendar matters: book early, plan around them, and the season runs itself. Jersey City lights its downtown tree and menorah on Tuesday, December 1, with the city's main tree lighting on Friday, December 4; Hoboken lights its tree on Friday, December 11; and Fort Lee holds its Holiday Night Market on Saturday, December 5 (4-9 p.m. at Fort Lee Commons), with Santa Saturday on December 5 and again December 12. Two Hudson County dates confirmed this week: Jersey City's Happy Holiday Market returns to the Grove Street PATH Plaza on December 5-6 and 12-13 (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) with handmade gifts and hot cocoa, and Hoboken SantaCon fills the Mile Square on Saturday, December 19. The full winter rundown, including the Bergen County Winter Wonderland and holiday craft markets in nearly every town, is in our holiday markets and winter events guide.

The rest of December's cultural calendar confirmed this week, and it is a strong one. The New Jersey Botanical Garden holds its Holiday Open House at Skylands Manor December 3-6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the mansion decorated room by room. At bergenPAC in Englewood, the holiday run reads "A Very Jenn and Mel Christmas Show" on December 5-6, New Jersey Ballet's Nutcracker on December 11, and Darlene Love's Love for the Holidays on December 12. In Hoboken, the Christmas Tree Lighting is Friday, December 11 at 5 p.m. at 11th and Washington, the Community Menorah Lighting is Monday, December 14 at City Hall Plaza, and the Holiday Market Series runs at 770 Jackson Street Plaza; the 2nd Annual Small Biz Holiday Market at All Saints Episcopal Day School is December 1, 6-9 p.m. Dance and theater fill the rest: Nimbus Dance performs its Jersey Nutcracker December 6-23, and Mile Square Theatre's "A Christmas Carol: A Radio Play" runs December 11-21. The December 2026 events guide tracks the full month as dates confirm.

Scott's Bottom Line

November is the month Northern NJ communities reset for the holidays, and it is quietly the best month of the year to judge a town's everyday character. The street fairs are done, so you see the downtown as it actually is: the market that still draws neighbors, the restaurant week that gets people trying new places, the volunteers setting out wreaths. As someone who has shown homes in these towns for more than three decades, I tell clients the same thing every year: come back in November before you decide. October sells a town on festival energy. November shows you who shows up when the calendar goes quiet, and that is the community you will actually live in.

Already settled, or still deciding? I would love to help you connect with the right town for your next chapter. Reach me at (201) 970-3960 or Scott@sellecksellsnj.com, or book a free discovery call below.