Holiday Lights on Main 2026: How to Plan an Evening in Downtown Mandan

At 6:20 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, Mandan's Holiday Lights on Main come on for the season. After opening night, Dykshoorn Park and Heritage Park stay lit every night from 5 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 9, 2027. The light displays are only part of an evening there. Within a short walk of the parks, along West Main, you'll find a craft cocktail bar, a pizza pub, a waffle cafe, a Mexican restaurant, and soon a fine-dining room planned directly across from Dykshoorn Park. Plan your night around Main Street and the lights become the walk between stops.

Five seasons in, the display has grown

When the Mandan Progress Organization announced Holiday Lights on Main in July 2022, its plan was 15 "larger-than-life displays" in the newly renovated Dykshoorn Park, Heritage Park, the Mandan Depot, the Beanery and the library. KX News reported that executive director Matt Schanandore described the goal as activating "these spaces as a place to go where people can easily create their special holiday moments."

Today, Visit Mandan lists 23 themed displays and a million lights, with smaller miniature displays filling the spaces in between. That's eight more large displays than the 2022 launch plan. The location hasn't changed. The displays still run alongside Main Street, which is why Visit Mandan pitches a drive-by option for nights when it's too cold to get out of the car.

So the display has grown, but it still sits along the same stretch of West Main, with Heritage Park at 301 W Main and Dykshoorn Park at 511 W Main. That puts the lights within walking distance of Main Street's dinner tables, and that changes how you can plan the evening.

Opening night, hour by hour

Visit Mandan's published schedule for the Nov. 27 grand lighting runs like this:

• 5:00 p.m. People gather on Main Street, with Christmas music
• 6:00 p.m. Santa arrives and gives remarks
• 6:20 p.m. Grand lighting of the Holiday Lights
• 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Chat with Santa, free chocolate and wagon rides
• 10:00 p.m. Holiday Lights on Main close for the night

Farmers Union is the presenting sponsor. The schedule leaves an open stretch after 7:30, when the Santa line shortens and the lights stay on for more than two hours. That's a natural window for a late dinner or a nightcap a block away.

The stretch of West Main that makes the evening

Most of downtown's evening options sit at addresses between 200 and 418 West Main, the stretch that runs between the two parks. Here is the lineup by address, using the City of Mandan's dining directory, the businesses' own sites and local news reports.

Thomas & Moriarty's

Thomas & Moriarty's describes itself as "a craft cocktail bar rooted in the classics." It's named for Jerry Thomas, called the father of American bartending, and Professor Moriarty of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Its menu covers an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, a Sazerac and an Irish Coffee, plus a signature list. The kitchen specializes in charcuterie, pot pies, mac and cheese, "old school pickled everything" and cookies. A pot pie and an Irish Coffee before walking the lights in late November makes plenty of sense. Check their website for current hours before you go.

Black Lions Pub

Black Lions moved to its current home in April 2024, taking over the former Station West space on West Main. KFYR reported the new address as 412 Main, which puts it near the MPO office at 411 West Main and a few doors from Aquilon's planned spot at 418. The pub is veteran-owned. Co-owners Garrett Hooker and Robert Puttre both served in the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Black Lions. KX News reported that the pizza menu changes every season. Puttre told KX the best seller is the Goat and Honey, made with goat cheese, pepperoni, parmesan and hot honey.

Copper Dog Cafe

Copper Dog's waffles are made with North Dakota wheat and flour and topped with locally sourced ingredients, and the menu changes often. The cafe is run by two couples, Brittany and Mike Kennedy and Cathy and Randy Ehlis. As a waffle-and-coffee spot, it may suit the Santa Run afternoon or a weekend daytime walk past the displays better than a late evening. Its hours are on the cafe's site.

La Cantina, Strawberry Bar and one block off Main

La Cantina at 308 West Main and Strawberry Bar at 210 West Main fill out the 200 and 300 blocks. Both appear on Visit Mandan's "Eat & Drink" list for the Holiday Lights, along with Rice Bowl, which is just off Main at 107 4th Ave NW.

The newest table faces the lights

The biggest change on Main Street this season is still under construction. Aquilon, an American-Italian fine-dining restaurant, is planned for 418 West Main, in the former Mandan Western Shop building across from Dykshoorn Park. KFYR reported on Oct. 15 that the owners are aiming to open in November.

According to Bismarck Source, the kitchen will be led by Cody Monson, formerly executive chef at Huckleberry House. The plan includes fine wine, specialty cocktails and two dinner seatings each evening. KEYZ says the name is pronounced "aqua-lawn," and reported that the restaurant was hiring servers, a bartender and a bar manager, with interviews starting Oct. 21. No exact opening day or reservation details had been announced as of late October.

The location matters. A dining room facing Dykshoorn Park will look out on the largest set of lights in downtown Mandan for six straight weeks. If the November target holds, Aquilon's first winter will overlap almost entirely with Holiday Lights on Main. With two fixed seatings, guests will likely be planning their evening around a reservation, and the walk through the park sits right outside the door.

More reasons to come back downtown

Visit Mandan built the season for repeat visits, and several of the extras are a short walk from the restaurants above.

1. Themed nights. Sponsors host some evenings, which may add activities or food.
2. Holiday Lights Tree Shop. The Mandan Lions sell Christmas trees on site.
3. Christmas Trees of Charity. These are displayed at the Morton Mandan Public Library, and each tree represents and supports a local cause.
4. Fireplaces, Santa and hot chocolate. The walk-through has fireplaces for warming up, plus Santa and hot chocolate on select nights.

Dec. 12, when Main Street closes for a 5K in Santa suits

The Santa Run 5K changes how downtown works for one Saturday afternoon. Under the race schedule, Main Street closes at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12. The race starts at 4:15 p.m. on Main next to Dykshoorn Park, with free hot chocolate and the lights after the race at 5 p.m. Main reopens at 7 p.m. Every participant 13 and older runs or walks in a Santa suit, which comes in the race packet, and well-behaved pets can join.

Packet pickup runs 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11, in the Morton Mandan Public Library Community Room. It continues 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on race day at the Mandan Progress Organization office, 411 West Main. If you're planning dinner downtown that Saturday, expect to park off Main until 7 p.m. That evening, runners and spectators will be finishing among the lights, right beside the same restaurants.

If you're comparing Main Street to other options, KX News reported in September that Chopsticks and Fries, serving sushi and American food, had opened on the Mandan strip. It's a drive from the lights, not a walk.

Lonna and Mike at Homes 701 Team are always glad to talk about downtown Mandan, from the Holiday Lights to the tables along West Main. If an evening downtown this season has you wondering what it would be like to live within walking distance of the lights, reach out. We'll answer questions about Mandan's downtown streets calmly and without any pressure. Contact Us.