The Village of Suffern has put its three December gatherings on the village calendar, and all three fall inside one week. The tree at the Gazebo is lit on Wednesday, December 2. The annual holiday parade marches up Lafayette Avenue on Saturday, December 5. The 2026 menorah is lit outside Village Hall on Tuesday, December 8. Each one is free and outdoors, and each one is run by the village's Recreation Department.

Suffern is the village at the southwestern corner of Rockland County, in the Town of Ramapo, where Route 59 and the Thruway meet the New Jersey line below the Ramapo Mountains. Its downtown is compact enough that all three events sit within a few blocks of each other, around Washington Avenue and Lafayette Avenue.

Wednesday, December 2: the tree at the Gazebo

The season opens at 6 p.m. on December 2 at the Gazebo, 41 Washington Avenue. The village lists caroling, hot chocolate and treats for the hour, which runs until about 7 p.m. It is a short, early evening event, which makes it one that families with young children can manage on a school night.

Saturday, December 5: the parade on Lafayette Avenue

The Annual Village of Suffern Holiday Parade steps off at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, and marches up Lafayette Avenue, the village's main shopping street. The village's own listing invites people to make an evening of it by eating in the village and catching up with neighbors along the route.

At the end of the parade, Santa is at the Gazebo for photos with children, so the night that started at the Gazebo on Wednesday ends there again on Saturday.

Groups that want to march in the parade, whether a scout troop, a school club, a business or a sports team, can ask to join through Suffern Recreation at cmills@suffernny.gov.

Tuesday, December 8: the menorah at Village Hall

The 2026 menorah is lit at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8, outside Suffern Village Hall at 61 Washington Avenue. The village is serving hot chocolate and donuts, and the lighting runs for about an hour.

Getting there

Suffern station, served by NJ Transit and Metro-North's Port Jervis Line, is a short walk from Lafayette Avenue. Drivers coming off the Thruway use the Suffern exit onto Route 59. The village runs municipal parking lots downtown, and payment is handled through Parkmobile, so it helps to have the app set up before a busy parade night.

The dates at a glance

  • Tree Lighting at the Gazebo: Wednesday, December 2, 6 to 7 p.m., 41 Washington Avenue.
  • Holiday Parade: Saturday, December 5, steps off at 6:30 p.m. on Lafayette Avenue; Santa photos at the Gazebo afterward.
  • Menorah Lighting: Tuesday, December 8, 6 to 7 p.m., Village Hall, 61 Washington Avenue.

Questions about any of the three, and requests to march in the parade, go to Suffern Recreation at cmills@suffernny.gov. The full list is on the village's events calendar.

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