This year's holiday events on the McKinney square will go on around a building that is still closed. The old courthouse at the center of downtown has been shut since Feb. 2 for its renovation. The latest city estimate puts substantial completion in mid-to-late December. That means the tree lighting, Small Business Saturday and the Dec. 12 events are all scheduled before the building is expected to be finished.
The city is also lining up a rebuild of Tennessee Street and several blocks near it that would run nearly two years, with a Notice to Proceed expected in November. So the 2026 season comes after one project has run most of the year and right as the next one gets its go-ahead. The calendar, the shopping and the parking all follow from that timing.
The Finish Date Has Moved Later Each Time
The finish date has shifted a few times. In late March, city staff told the McKinney Community Development Corporation they hoped to wrap up by November 2026. The city's project page still shows the renovation phase ending Dec. 1, 2026. The most recent update came at the Aug. 27 MCDC meeting from Andrew Jones, the city's Cultural District director, and it moved the estimate later again:
"So we are reopening as the Courthouse Theater. And with that, we're looking at a mid to late December for estimated substantial completion."
That same update confirmed the new name. The McKinney Performing Arts Center will reopen as the Courthouse Theater, and the exterior sign design has been approved by the Board of Adjustment. No reopening date, grand-opening event or first season has been announced yet.
For now, the city's project page says public access to the building and its restrooms is restricted during construction, and parking on Tennessee Street is affected. Community Impact reported in March that temporary restrooms had been put on South Kentucky Street, one block from the square. Main Street's festival page says restrooms will be set up throughout the Home for the Holidays footprint. The city has handled this before. For Oktoberfest, Jones told the board, it added more public restrooms and ran festival operations out of the Church Street Auditorium at First United Methodist Church.
What's Being Restored Inside
The fence and scaffolding are hiding a fairly detailed restoration. The courthouse was first built in the 1870s with a stone exterior and a mansard roof. In the 1920s, the roof was replaced and the stone was covered with brick. Fort Worth-based Byrne Construction is building the project, and Architexas handled engineering and design. Both firms also worked on the building's last renovation in the 2000s.
Jones's August update included several details that change how the building will look and work:
- Original colors are coming back. Paint analysis found the building's late-1920s to early-1930s colors. The lower plaster level outside is getting a darker green with a lighter green on the windows, and the courtroom theater is going back to its original yellow with restored stenciling.
- The courtroom pieces are being reused. The historic judge's bench is becoming the bar, and the old railing that once separated the courtroom audience from the proceedings will become the front of the stage.
- The back of the theater is being leveled. Before, there were four thresholds to cross at the back of the theater. After leveling, there will be one even, ADA-accessible path.
- The clock is being restored, including the stained glass panels behind it. Nearly every window in the building is also being worked on.
- The old theater organ has left McKinney. It took up about three and a half rooms in the building and now has a new home at the Texas Theater in McGregor.
After the reopening, city officials hope to increase both the "quality and quantity" of shows at the theater. This holiday season, though, the building is still mid-restoration and fenced off while the tree goes up nearby.
Thanksgiving Weekend Around the Closed Courthouse
Home for the Holidays runs Nov. 27 through 29. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free, and only some rides and attractions cost extra. The community tree lighting is Friday at 6:15 p.m. The tree is real, and donations to the Community Christmas Tree campaign pay for it, along with the lights and the ceremony.
The main attractions are the usual ones: a Ferris wheel and carousel over the decorated square, Snow Hill, train rides and a petting zoo in the kids' zone, and life-sized Holiday Post Cards for photos. Saturday is also Small Business Saturday, with more than 180 locally owned shops and restaurants in the district.
Because Tennessee Street parking is already limited by the courthouse work and streets inside the festival footprint close to traffic, the shuttle matters more this year. It leaves from First McKinney Baptist Church at 1615 W. Louisiana St. and runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, about every 15 minutes. There is no shuttle on Sunday. Downtown is part of the Cultural District, so a drink bought from a licensed downtown business or an authorized festival vendor can go with you as you walk. Alcohol is not allowed in city-owned garages or some parks.
New Shops Since Last Thanksgiving
The courthouse is closed, but the shops around it have kept changing. Several businesses have opened, moved or closed in 2026, so this Small Business Saturday looks different from last year's:
- Tyler Kingston Mercantile Men's Shop opened May 22 at 207 N. Tennessee St.
- McKinney Hat Company planned to move in late June to 116 N. Tennessee St., Ste. 101, the former Ambrosia space.
- Sam's Rug Corner opened in late August in the hat company's old shop at 213 N. Kentucky St. It sells imported and antique rugs and also does washing and repair.
- XO GiGi opened Aug. 26 at 216 N. Tennessee St. with art supplies, gifts, classes and workshops.
- Grace+Emma opened Sept. 1 at 101 E. Louisiana St., Ste. 100, selling women's apparel and accessories.
- The Cipher Lounge opened Aug. 12 at 101 S. Chestnut St. with two escape rooms and a cocktail lounge.
- Cadence Cyclery announced an October move from 119 S. Tennessee St. to 210 N. Tennessee St.
LOYO Burger closed its location at 216 W. Virginia St. on Aug. 19, and its owner said the concept may come back somewhere else. Shorty's opened in March at 109 N. Kentucky St. with hot dogs, smash burgers, sandwiches and cocktails. If you last shopped downtown on Thanksgiving weekend 2025, many of these addresses will be new to you.
Dec. 12 Is the Busiest Day of the Season
Most of the season's events fall before the courthouse's estimated finish, and Dec. 12 has the most going on at once.
| Date | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 31 | Downtown McKinney Spooktacular Beer Walk | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Dr. Glenn Mitchell Memorial Park, 300 W. Louisiana St. |
| Nov. 14 | MillHouse Makers Market | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | McKinney Cotton Mill Atrium Hallway, 610 Elm St. |
| Nov. 27 to 29 | Home for the Holidays | See hours above | The square, 111 N. Tennessee St. |
| Dec. 12 | MillHouse Makers Market | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | McKinney Cotton Mill Atrium Hallway |
| Dec. 12 | 12 Wines of Christmas Wine Walk | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Historic Downtown McKinney |
| Dec. 12 | McKinney Rotary Parade of Lights | Listed 2 to 9 p.m. | Historic Downtown McKinney |
On Dec. 12, the wine walk runs until 5 p.m. and the Rotary listing for the parade starts at 2 p.m., so the two overlap by three hours, while the Cotton Mill market runs until 4. If you're checking wine walk dates, an older event page from Lone Star Winery lists Saturday, Dec. 13. That page is from 2025. The current ticket listing gives Dec. 12, 2026.
The city's Aug. 14 manager notes list McKinney Repertory Theatre's "A Christmas Carol" for Dec. 11 and 12 and Dec. 18 and 19. The notes don't name a venue. With the courthouse's substantial completion estimated for mid-to-late December, there's no confirmation that those performances will be the Courthouse Theater's first.
Tennessee Street's Go-Ahead Is Expected in November
The second project is already scheduled. The city requested contractor proposals to fully rebuild Tennessee Street from Virginia to Lamar, Lamar and Hunt from Kentucky to McDonald, and Kentucky from Lamar to Hunt. The work covers underground utilities, storm drainage, paving, ADA-accessible walkways, parking, landscaping, lighting and other street elements.
Procurement opened eight proposals on Sept. 3, ranging from $11,217,289.29 to $16,099,081.20. Staff recommended DDM Construction Corporation, which scored highest at 86.79 out of 100 with a bid of $11,238,026.20. The contract, capped at $12,950,000, is a consent item on the City Council's Oct. 5 agenda, and no final action has been recorded yet.
If the contract is approved, the city expects to issue the Notice to Proceed in November 2026. The contract allows 677 calendar days, with completion expected by September 2028. The council item doesn't describe any holiday phasing, pause or business-access plan. Main Street's festival guidance doesn't mention the project either. For now, the closest thing to a work schedule is the expected November Notice to Proceed, which falls in the same month as Home for the Holidays.
If you own a home a few blocks from the square, the Courthouse Theater reopening and two years of Tennessee Street work are worth tracking as they move forward. Deborah Diviney follows these downtown projects closely and can talk through what this timeline could mean for your property. Schedule a free home valuation and consultation to start that conversation.
