Last December, the people behind Sinterklaas wrote that they drove through Rhinebeck on what would have been festival night and found the village "quiet and dark…except for the bright lights at Foster's Coach House." The Daily Freeman reported that a few days later the crew put together a one-time "Dances with the Polar Bear" gathering in the parking lot by Foster's for two hours on the afternoon of Dec. 20, after many requests from the community.
There won't be a festival this year either. The Sinterklaas site now says "The festival is not scheduled for this year." The difference in 2026 is what has moved in. December in Rhinebeck no longer centers on one large production. It's a series of small events run by several organizations, and most of them land on Saturday, Dec. 5.
What a Six-Figure Festival Ran Into
The scale of Sinterklaas explains why nothing has replaced it outright. The Daily Catch reported in September 2025 that the festival cost more than $100,000 to stage. The village's public-safety and cleanup costs alone required at least $10,000. Founder and director Jeanne Fleming said organizers couldn't raise the money.
Fleming's statement, still posted on the festival's site, is plain about it: "It is hard to believe that something as unique and beloved as Sinterklaas could fall casualty to lack of money—but that is the case." She also wrote that the stars made in India and the lights made in China "have nearly tripled in price, making them unaffordable for most families," and that arts grants "have been cut back or eliminated." The Times Union reported the same mix of lost grant funding and higher supply prices that fall. When asked whether the festival would come back, Fleming's answer in The Daily Catch was "Who knows???!!!!!"
A Tree Lighting Planned for About 200 People
The biggest new item is a holiday evening the Rhinebeck Village Board approved on Aug. 25. As The Daily Catch reported, it's planned for the evening of Dec. 5 in the village municipal parking lot and will light both a Christmas tree and a Hanukkah menorah.
The organizer is Rhinebeck Hometown Holiday Tree Lighting, a community nonprofit that held tree lightings in past years, including 2024, but not in 2025. It had disbanded and has since come back with an entirely new board: Victoria Polidoro, Sara Capozzoli and Lindsay Little. In her pitch to trustees, Polidoro told them, "There was nothing big last year." With no Sinterklaas and no Dutchess County Fairgrounds holiday light display planned for this year, she added, "I just think we need some joy in the winter months."
The plan is much smaller than Sinterklaas. According to the event application:
- The event runs from roughly 5 to 8 p.m., with about 200 people expected.
- The tree and menorah are expected near the Doughboy statue in the municipal lot.
- The tree is temporary, and the nonprofit is donating and paying for it rather than the village.
- Organizers envision a few food trucks and possibly some craft vendors and a choir. Past celebrations included a parade, Santa lighting the tree, a family photo area and a DJ.
Polidoro said she has been in touch with Rabbi Hanoch Hecht of the Rhinebeck Jewish Center about coordinating so the event is "all inclusive." The timing works for that. The Rhinebeck Jewish Center lists Chanukah as Dec. 4 through 12, 2026, so the lighting falls during the holiday.
The board approved the date and location unanimously. The condition was that organizers return at least 45 days ahead with a finalized plan, including a detailed layout of how the lot will be used. The group was also looking for sponsors, donations and volunteers.
Saturday, Dec. 5, Hour by Hour
With no single big event, the day fills up from several directions. Three organizations have scheduled something on Dec. 5, and the Wilderstein holiday tours run that afternoon too.
| Time | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. to noon | A Christmas Carol, presented by CENTER Players | The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck |
| Noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. | Holiday Tours | Wilderstein Historic Site |
| 2 p.m. | Wreath Workshop with Colin Stark of Stark Blooms | Wilderstein Historic Site |
| Roughly 5 to 8 p.m. | Tree and menorah lighting | Village municipal lot, near the Doughboy statue |
The morning show is part of the CENTER's Saturday Morning Family Series. Times are posted with the tickets on the CENTER's event page.
At Wilderstein, the wreath workshop teaches you to make an 18-inch Fraser fir wreath. All materials are provided, and registration is online or through the Wilderstein office at 845-876-4818. If you're taking the workshop, a 1 p.m. tour fits right before the 2 p.m. start, and the evening lighting is still hours away after that.
The Weekends on Either Side
Dec. 5 has the most going on, but the rest of the season is spread across the weekends from Thanksgiving to New Year's. In order:
- Friday, Nov. 27. Wilderstein's Holiday Tours start the day after Thanksgiving and run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. The guided tour covers the grounds, the exterior, the first and second floors of the decorated mansion, the family history and a video.
- Friday, Dec. 4. Chanukah begins, according to the Rhinebeck Jewish Center's listing.
- Saturday, Dec. 5. The CENTER's morning show, the Wilderstein wreath workshop and the evening tree and menorah lighting.
- Saturday, Dec. 12. The Mischievous Elf plays the CENTER at 11 a.m., and Chanukah ends.
- Friday, Dec. 25. Wilderstein is closed on Christmas Day.
- Sunday, Dec. 27. Last day of the Wilderstein tours.
Wilderstein tour tickets cost $20 and are bought on arrival. The site recommends arriving about 15 minutes early because space on each tour is limited. With the Fairgrounds light display not planned this year, according to The Daily Catch's August report, the tours are one of the few things on the calendar that run every weekend of the season.
What the Municipal Lot Is Being Asked to Hold
The tree lighting went before the Village Board because it's held on public parking. Trustee Jennifer Neufeld told the board, "I love the idea of actually having a holiday event this year." Trustees also asked whether the organizers had contacted other groups that have traditionally run holiday events in Rhinebeck. The detailed layout the board asked for will decide where the food trucks, any vendors and the choir end up in the lot.
The 2026 plan expects about 200 people on a single evening in the municipal lot, with the tree and menorah near the Doughboy statue and a temporary tree the organizers are paying for themselves. The 2025 cancellation report put the village's public-safety and cleanup costs for Sinterklaas at $10,000 or more, on top of a production budget over $100,000.
Village events like this one depend on small nonprofits, volunteers and approvals from the board. McGrath Realty has worked in Dutchess County since 1962, and we follow what changes on Rhinebeck's calendar from year to year. If you're weighing a move to the village or deciding when to list a home here, Contact McGrath Realty for guidance from people who live and work in the area.
