On Saturday, December 5, downtown Matthews has three events spread across the day. The Matthews Farmers Market starts its winter season that morning. In the afternoon, the Matthews Area Chamber of Commerce opens a holiday market that's new this year. At dusk, Winter Wonderlights lights the tree and all of Stumptown Park. The holiday market's vendors will set up in the Free Clinic lots and the back of Stumptown Park.
On November 2, the Town of Matthews posted a statement saying it has no plans to demolish Stumptown Park. The same statement says the Town has long recognized that downtown needs more park space.
What the Town said on November 2
The Town's clarification answered questions about the future of Stumptown Park and Matthews Veterans Memorial Park. It reads:
"The Town has no plans to demolish Stumptown Park or replace it with apartments or any other development."
The statement also says the Town hasn't received any development proposals for the property and hasn't discussed redevelopment with developers. The Town says it "has long recognized the need for additional park space downtown" and bought properties next to the park years ago to make room for growth.
Expansion has been the Town's stated goal for years, and its newer ideas for where that space could go are covered at the end of this post. First, here's the day that will put the most people in the park this year.
December 5, from morning to the tree lighting
Here's the order of events, based on the Town's Winter Wonderlights page and the farmers market's published schedule:
- 9 to 11 a.m.: The Matthews Farmers Market's winter season starts. Winter hours are Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m. through March 2027.
- 2:30 p.m.: The Chamber's Winter Wonderlights Holiday Market opens in the Free Clinic lots and the back of Stumptown Park, and it stays open until 7:30 p.m.
- 3:30 p.m.: Winter Wonderlights starts, with glitter tattoos, holiday crafts, inflatables, balloon twisting by Curley the Clown, and photos with Santa.
- About 5:30 p.m.: The park lighting ceremony begins. Charlotte Academy of Music, the Crestdale Middle School Chorus, Charlotte Dance Alliance and the Metrolina Christian Academy Choir are scheduled to perform, and the Town lists one more performer as TBD.
- About 6:30 p.m.: The tree and the rest of the park light up. The Town lists the festival as running from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.: The holiday market stays open for an hour after the lights come on.
That last hour matters if you're shopping. The market opens an hour before the festival and closes an hour after it. If you want to shop without a crowd, go at 2:30 before the kids' activities start, or right after the tree lighting.
The scheduled food and treat trucks are Sweet & Cozy Bakery, Hungry Howie's Pizza, Worth the Weight with burgers, hot dogs and chicken, and Joy Coffee, plus one more listed as TBD. The Town page also says that under town ordinance, pets and outside alcohol aren't allowed at special events. Plan to leave the dog at home.
After the lights come on: places within walking distance
The festival is over at 6:30, which is early for dinner. The places below have recently posted hours, menus or events on their own sites:
- Seaboard Brewing, Taproom & Wine Bar, 213 N. Trade St. The brewery and taproom pours its own beer and guest beers and has a separate wine room.
- The Exchange Pizza Depot is on Seaboard's patio at the same address. It serves pizza, quesadillas, salads and sandwiches, which makes it the easiest stop for families leaving the park.
- Stumptown Station, 107A N. Trade St., is a cocktail bar that shares its name with the park.
- The Loyalist Market, 435 N. Trade St. #102, serves cut-to-order cheese and charcuterie, sandwiches, beer and wine. It's open until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, so it'll be open well after the tree lighting.
- Matthews Social House, 105 W. Charles St., is a pub and lounge with craft beer, cocktails and food from local vendors.
- Enzo's Italian Market has its largest location open in downtown Matthews. WBTV's QC Life describes it as a market, bakery, butcher shop, café, wine bar and sit-down Osteria in one building. The café serves sandwiches, salads and pizza made from scratch.
If you haven't been downtown since spring, one longtime spot is gone. The Charlotte Observer reported in June that Mac's Speed Shop closed its restaurant at 142 E. John St. after nearly a decade, once it couldn't reach a lease agreement with the landlord. The paper quoted co-owner Wynn Davis: "We love Matthews and would consider another location if the right opportunity was available."
Before and after the 5th
Because December 5 is the start of the farmers market's winter season, the main season ends in the two weeks before it. If you're reading this on publish day, the 2026 main season has one Saturday left: November 21, from 8 a.m. to noon. After that, the schedule changes several times before the end of the year:
| Date | What's happening | Where / hours |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Last Saturday of the farmers market's main season | 8 a.m. to noon |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | Pre-Thanksgiving farmers market | 4 to 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Farmers market closed | |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Jingle Mingle brunch for adults 65 and older | Matthews Community Center, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Farmers market winter season, Holiday Market, Winter Wonderlights | Downtown and Stumptown Park |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Hanukkah menorah lighting | Town Green Park, 232 Matthews Station St., 5:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 10 to 20 | The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Matthews Playhouse | Fullwood Theatre, Matthews Community Center |
| Tue., Dec. 22 | Pre-Christmas farmers market | 4 to 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | Farmers market closed |
The two weekday evening markets let you shop for holiday meals after work. Ticket details for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are on the Matthews Playhouse site.
Across the street: where more park space could go
The November 2 statement names two projects that could create room for a bigger downtown park. The first is Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' rebuild of Matthews Elementary, which is scheduled to open in 2029. The second is Discovery Place Kids, which is coming to Matthews. The Town says those projects "may be an opportunity to build a larger park on the existing school property, across from Stumptown Park," and that the plan could include expanding Matthews Veterans Memorial Park.
The Town and Discovery Place first announced the museum in February 2025. Under that plan, the Town provides the building and Discovery Place handles the build-out and runs the museum. WFAE reported at the time that the council approved it unanimously. The plan called for 18,000 to 24,000 square feet, an estimated construction cost of $4.4 million to $5.8 million after inflation, and a tentative opening in 2030. Construction would be paid for from the Town's Tourism Fund, and Discovery Place would cover operations. Those figures are early estimates from the approval stage.
The Town calls all of this "very preliminary." It says no decisions have been made about Veterans Memorial Park or the current Stumptown Park property, and that residents will get a chance to weigh in before any final decisions. The statement also acknowledges the "tremendous time and effort" local veterans and community members have put into the memorial, and says their views would be part of the planning.
Downtown is also getting easier to reach on foot. In October, the Town started building the Riverbanks Greenway Connector at the north end of Riverbanks Road. It will link nearby residents to the Four Mile Creek Greenway, with better access to downtown Matthews, Squirrel Lake Park and the Sportsplex.
For updates on the park, the Town suggests subscribing to its e-newsletter at matthewsnc.gov.
Want to talk through how downtown Matthews is changing, from Stumptown Park to the projects across the street? The team at Sean Rush Jr. follows the Town's announcements closely. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll walk you through what the Town has published so far.
