Leonardtown, MD -The Town of Leonardtown is ringing in the holiday season on Friday, November 24th from 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM with the traditional "Christmas on the Square and Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony". Event activities start at 4:30 PM and include live entertainment, rides, balloon art, a living nativity, a holiday light maze, food and much more! Come early so you have time to park and make your way to the Square to enjoy all the exciting activities, and don’t miss Santa’s arrival and the lighting of the Town Christmas Tree at 7:00 PM by the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department!

Thanks to the cooperative efforts of Town officials, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Mary’s County Emergency Management Division, Maryland State Police, Maryland State Highway, St. Mary’s County Public Works, Fire and Rescue Chiefs, the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department and other local volunteer fire departments and rescue squads, plans are in place for increased safety and security. Please note the following measures that will be in effect for this year’s event:

Closures and Restrictions:

Ø Downtown Leonardtown Square – including Washington Street and Fenwick Street – will be closed to through traffic from 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Ø Courthouse Drive, Guyther Drive, Camalier Drive, and portions of Park Avenue, Shadrick Street, Pope Street, and Church Street will also have extremely restricted access before and during the event.

Ø Residents living around Tudor Hall should enter Town via Lawrence Avenue to access their neigh-borhood, as access to Courthouse Drive will be restricted.

Parking/Shuttles:

Ø Parking can be found at St. Mary’s Ryken High School, the Blackbelt Academy lot on Gregory Drive, and the grass lots on either side of Courthouse Drive near Fenwick Street. Once the parking lots are full, spectators will be directed to park at the auxiliary lots at CSM, the Governmental Center or the Leonardtown Library/Garvey Senior Center Lots.

Ø Spectators are encouraged to park at the auxiliary lots noted above and take advantage of the free shuttle bus service which runs between CSM, the Governmental Center, the Leonardtown Li-brary/Garvey Senior Center and the Olde Town Pub parking lot from 4:30 PM – 9:30 PM. Shuttle service for the evening is courtesy of Patuxent Transportation, International Association of Machin-ists & Aerospace Workers Winpisinger Education & Technology Center and Carter Bus Service.

Ø Handicap parking is also available in Town at the Mattingley Gardiner parking lot on the corner of Fenwick St. and Lawrence Ave. and in the public lot next to the Hair Company on Washington Street. Once these lots are full, spectators will be directed to park in one of the auxiliary lots noted.

Ø For cars to exit Town efficiently and safely after Santa’s arrival, the fire truck rides will be shutting down completely at 6:45 PM. Please plan accordingly.

Ø For event safety, spectators are asked to obey all posted No Parking and Reserved Parking signs as well as police and volunteer instructions.

 

Note: there is no rain date for this event. In the event of inclement weather, a decision will be made as to whether the event will need to be cancelled by 9 a.m. on Friday, November 24, 2023. The decision will be announced on VisitLeonardtownMD.com/ChristmasontheSquare and the Town of Leonardtown Facebook page.

Christmas on the Square is sponsored by the Commissioners of Leonardtown, the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department, and the Leonardtown Business Association. For further information, please visit: VisitLeonardtownMD.com/ChristmasontheSquare.