Most of the December events that bring people downtown in Lititz go back to the town's Moravian founding, and the two biggest ones are ticketed. Tickets for the Lititz Historical Foundation's Christmas Candlelight Tours are already on sale. Lititz Moravian Church opens Vigil ticket requests on Monday, December 7, and anyone who mails an envelope can get into the queue today.
Lititz turns 270 this year, and the Lititz Historical Foundation turns 65. Both milestones are printed on the 2026 event listings. The traditions that bring people downtown in December are the oldest things the town does, and the rules for getting into them have changed recently.
The tour that sells out goes on sale in October
The Christmas Candlelight Tour runs on Friday, December 11, and Saturday, December 12. Guided groups leave the 1792 Johannes Mueller House at 145 E. Main St. every 15 minutes from 5 to 8 p.m. each night. The guide tells the story of Johannes Mueller and his family and covers the customs of Lititz's early Moravian community in the 18th century. Last year's newsletter put each tour at 40 minutes.
Tickets are $12 per person this year, according to the Foundation's 2026 announcement. The price was $10 in both 2024 and 2025. The Foundation's own copy says the event "always sells out." In 2024, LNP's roundup of holiday house tours reported that some time slots were already gone and that the Friday tours regularly sell out.
The two-night format is a few years old. LNP described 2024 as the second year with two nights. The Foundation added a night and the Friday slots still go first. If you want a particular evening and time, book in late October.
Your ticket covers more than the house. The Lititz Museum serves holiday refreshments both nights, and ticket holders get 10% off in the Foundation's gift shop. If you have out-of-town guests arriving that weekend, it's an easy evening to plan around, as long as the tickets are already bought.
The Vigil ticket process changed, and the in-person handout is gone
The Christmas Vigils at Lititz Moravian Church, 8 Church Square, are the center of the season. The church describes the beeswax candles handed out during the service, raised to "let His light shine not just in us but through us." LNP has explained the lovefeast served during the Vigil: a shared sweet bun with coffee or chocolate milk. Church members make the candles and serve as dieners.
The Vigil used to be a single Christmas Eve service. It now runs as five identical services because so many people want to attend. The 2026 schedule:
| Date | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, December 19 | 5:00 p.m. | Ticket required |
| Saturday, December 19 | 7:30 p.m. | Ticket required |
| Sunday, December 20 | 5:00 p.m. | Ticket required |
| Thursday, December 24 | 5:00 p.m. | Ticket required; also livestreamed on the church website |
| Thursday, December 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Ticket required |
Tickets are free, but you need one. The way the public gets them has changed over the past few years. In a year when the Vigil ran six services, LNP reported a public ticket distribution in Fellowship Hall next to the church, held on a Monday evening from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The church's October 2024 newsletter offered non-member tickets both in person and through Eventbrite, starting December 2 that year. By late November 2025, TownLively reported that "There will no longer be a public distribution event."
The church's Vigil page confirms the same setup for 2026. Non-members have two options:
- Mail-in paper ticket. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Lititz Moravian Church, 8 Church Square, Lititz PA 17543. Include a note with your first and second Vigil choices, plus your name and phone number. You can mail it any time. The office sends tickets back in your envelope closer to or after December 7.
- E-ticketing through Eventbrite. Requests open December 7 through the links on the church's website. You can print the ticket or show it on your phone at the door.
The church asks people not to call with ticket requests, and there's no nursery during the Vigil services this year.
This puts the decision in October and November. Since the paper option takes requests at any time, a household that mails its envelope this week is already in line before the online window opens on a Monday in early December. If you've gone in past years by showing up at Fellowship Hall for the handout, that option is gone.
On Vigil night, the church opens its doors one hour before each service. Prelude music for the evening Vigils starts about 30 minutes before the service. If you can't get a seat, the 5 p.m. Christmas Eve service is livestreamed on the church's website.
The traditions that need no ticket
These events don't require advance planning, and they fall in the gaps between the ticketed ones.
On Friday, December 4, Christmas in the Park takes over the bandshell at Lititz Springs Park, 24 North Broad Street, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The program has local performers, a carol sing with candle lighting, and the lighting of the Community Christmas Tree. Food vendors and restrooms are on site. The event listing has the details.
On Thursday, December 10, the Lititz Historical Foundation and the Lititz Moravian Archives hold their annual Community Christmas Carol Sing on Moravian Church Square from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Moravian Trombone Choir plays, free song sheets are handed out, and everyone is welcome in Fellowship Hall afterward for light refreshments. Admission is free, and donations are welcome. The Carol Sing is the night before the Candlelight Tours start, so it's the easiest way to hear the Trombone Choir without a ticket.
On Sunday, December 20, at 10:30 a.m., the church's Family Lovefeast Candlelight Service is open without a ticket. It's a good option for families with young children, since there's no nursery at the Vigils this year.
The church's Advent worship runs at 8 and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays, November 29, December 6 and December 13. The church's putz, an extended nativity display that LNP has described scene by scene, has been open on December Saturdays in past years. A Moravian star in it represents the Star of Bethlehem. Viewing hours change from year to year, so ask the church for the 2026 schedule.
The season in date order, with the deadlines first
Some of these dates fall before Thanksgiving, which is why the season needs planning now. Three November dates are on the list, including the Lititz Art Association's Holiday Gift Show at Lititz Church of the Brethren, 300 W. Orange St.
- Now: Buy Candlelight Tour tickets for December 11 or 12 at $12 each. Mail a self-addressed stamped envelope to Lititz Moravian Church if you'd like paper Vigil tickets.
- Friday, November 13, 3–7 p.m., and Saturday, November 14, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.: Lititz Art Association Holiday Gift Show.
- Thursday, November 26, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.: Community Thanksgiving Meal at Hosanna! A Fellowship of Christians, 29 Green Acre Road.
- Sunday, November 29: First Advent worship at Lititz Moravian Church.
- Friday, December 4, 6:30 p.m.: Christmas in the Park and the Community Christmas Tree lighting.
- Monday, December 7: Eventbrite Vigil requests open.
- Thursday, December 10, 6:30 p.m.: Community Christmas Carol Sing on Moravian Church Square.
- Friday, December 11, and Saturday, December 12, 5–8 p.m.: Christmas Candlelight Tours at the Johannes Mueller House.
- Saturday, December 19, through Thursday, December 24: Five Christmas Vigil services, plus the ticket-free Family Lovefeast on the morning of December 20.
If you need help planning around any of these dates, or just want to swap notes on your favorite part of a Lititz December, reach out to James T Dunn III. Cindy and I have been part of this town's Christmas season for a long time, and we're happy to talk it through. Contact Us.
