On Saturday, Nov. 21, The Village at Rancharrah has both seasons on the calendar for the same day. The new Fall Harvest Market holds its last session that morning on the central lawn. Santa arrives for photos at 4 p.m., and the Village lights its 30-foot tree at 5:30 that evening.
The week after Nov. 21 uses the same storefronts. Thanksgiving dinners get picked up at Perenn on Wednesday, Nov. 25. On Saturday, Nov. 28, a passport-style Sip & Shop sends ticket holders on seven holiday pours across seven Village businesses.
The Market's Final Two Saturdays
The Village Fall Harvest Market presented by Prema Farm launched this fall as what the Village calls a new community tradition. It runs every Saturday from Oct. 3 through Nov. 21, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Readers seeing this on publish day have two sessions left, Nov. 14 and Nov. 21. Edible Reno-Tahoe's event calendar also lists Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There are about 20 vendors. The Village's published list mixes growers with packaged-food makers, crafters and a pet vendor:
- Growers and farms: Prema Farm, Palomino Valley Farm, Growth & Greens Urban Farm, Happy Mushroom, Mountain Mushroom
- Pantry and prepared food: Calolea Olive Oil, Hippie G Jam, Nevada Brining Company, Pasta Fresca, Sasquatch Foods, Zena Food, Segara Coffee
- Flowers, herbs and goods: Sierra Water Gardens Floral, Terroir Herbals, Candidly Said + Imperfectly Crafted, Honed by Jones, Pink Elephant, The Radish Hotel, Zawadisha
- For the dog: Pet Wants Reno
Prema Farm, the organizer, is a certified organic, no-till farm in the Eastern Sierra that grows seasonal vegetables and flowers. The Village's announcement listed a produce mix of squash, pumpkins, apples, beets, cabbage, carrots, greens, potatoes, mushrooms and peppers. The root vegetables and squash on that list are the ones that fit a Thanksgiving menu, and the last market lands five days before Thanksgiving on Nov. 26.
Nov. 21, Hour by Hour
The market closes at 1 p.m. Three hours later the tree-lighting crowd starts to arrive. Here is how the day lines up at 7100 Rancharrah Pkwy:
| Time | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Final Fall Harvest Market | Village central lawn |
| 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. | Santa on-site for photos | The Village at Rancharrah |
| 5 p.m. | Reed High School Intermezzo Choir performs | The Village at Rancharrah |
| 5:30 p.m. | Lighting of the 30-foot tree | The Village at Rancharrah |
| 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Dinner service at Great Gold | Suite 160 |
The Grand Tree Lighting event page includes an RSVP option. It describes the evening as South Reno's most festive family tradition and says the date was chosen as "the weekend before Thanksgiving."
Saturday is one of Great Gold's dinner nights, so it is the easiest table to book once the tree is lit. The modern Italian restaurant opened at the Village in late summer and serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. Great Gold's own Reno page gives the address as 7300 Rancharrah Pkwy, Suite 160. The Village says the menu centers on handmade pastas rolled in-house, pizzas, grilled meats and seafood, with an all-Italian wine list. The restaurant seats 80 inside and 40 on the patio and also has a 40-seat private dining room. That room is worth knowing about for a family group coming in from the lighting.
Why South Reno's Tree Goes Up Before Sparks'
The date stands out next to the other big tree lighting in the area. The City of Sparks holds its tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 4, next to the gazebo at Victorian Avenue and Victorian Plaza Circle East. Mayor Ed Lawson lights the city's permanent living Christmas tree there, a 60-foot Giant Sequoia. The Sparks Hometowne Christmas Parade follows on Saturday, Dec. 5. Its 2026 theme is "Home for the Holidays."
So Rancharrah's 5:30 p.m. lighting on Nov. 21 comes 13 days before the Sparks ceremony, and before Thanksgiving instead of after it. One practical result for South Reno families is that both events fit the calendar. They can see the Village tree the weekend before the holiday and still make it to Victorian Square in early December, when the Sparks Hometowne Christmas weekend runs Dec. 3 to 5 with 39 North Pole's light displays and market.
Thanksgiving Week Runs Through the Same Storefronts
Four days after the tree lighting, the Village handles Thanksgiving dinner. Perenn's Thanksgiving package costs $400 and serves six. It includes sliced herb-roasted turkey with gravy, croissant stuffing with sausage, apple and sage, thyme crème fraîche mashed potatoes, brown butter sweet potatoes with pecans and maple, green bean casserole, roasted orange cranberry sauce, an XL harvest salad, brioche rolls and an XXL caramel apple pie kouign amann. Everything comes in reheatable containers with instructions.
The pickup logistics are specific to Rancharrah:
- Every package is picked up on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026.
- Pickups before 9:15 a.m. happen at Perenn Rancharrah, 7750 Rancharrah Pkwy, Suite 110.
- Pickups at 9:15 a.m. or later move to Perenn Grocery.
- The package takes no substitutions or dietary requests. Cancellations need five days' notice before pickup for a full refund.
Perenn's Nevada catering page asks for at least three days' notice on catering orders. Anyone planning to order should do it early in the week of Nov. 16, not the weekend of the tree lighting.
Perenn's sweets aren't the only ones at the Village. Dorinda's Chocolates brought back its Pumpkin Truffle as a monthly flavor this fall.
Small Business Saturday Turns the Village Into a Passport
The season's last November event is Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28. The Village lists it from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and promotes pastries, handmade chocolates and local gifts. The Waste Less Shop runs a ticketed afternoon inside that window. The Sip & Shop Small Saturday goes from 1 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 each or four for $75. You check in at The Waste Less Shop for a reusable mug and a passport, then walk the Village for a holiday drink at each stop. Each business has its own special for the afternoon.
The participating stops are:
- Seren
- Perenn Grocery
- Armando + Sons
- Dorinda's Chocolates + Rolled Mountain Creamery
- Elixir Juice Bar
- Sunday Pilates
Armando + Sons came into the season with a national mention. The Village reports the butcher shop was voted No. 3 Best Butcher Shop in the USA TODAY Readers' Choice Awards. A passport stamped at every stop gets you into a prize drawing back at The Waste Less Shop. You keep the mug, and bringing it back earns mug-holder discounts at The Waste Less Shop's December Saturday Sip + Shops. The listing says non-alcoholic options will be available. Alcoholic pours are for guests 21 and older with valid ID, and wristbands are handed out at check-in.
A Saturday market, a tree lighting and a Thanksgiving pickup within the same few blocks are part of what a home near the Village offers. When you'd like to see how those details show up in your own home's numbers, Soni Jackson is glad to help. Request a personalized home valuation, and we'll walk you through what's moving in Rancharrah this season.
