Who Runs Bulverde's Holiday Season, From the Turkey Trot to the Polar Express

Who actually puts on the holidays in Bulverde? Look at the Oct. 13 City Council meeting. According to Comal.News, council's holiday business that night was two park special use permits, both approved by voice vote. One was for a Thanksgiving Day 5K. The other was for a December run that raises money for a food pantry.

The rest of the season comes from groups that each run their own event for their own reasons. A Bulverde-based medical training center hosts the Turkey Trot. The Bulverde Spring Branch Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the Christmas Lighting. A makers market sets up under the oaks on Bulverde Road twice a month, and a Hill Country food pantry runs a 5K in December. The library closes things out with model trains on Dec. 19. Put the dates side by side and Thanksgiving weekend runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday without a gap.

Thanksgiving morning raises money for a training center

The Turkey Trot is the event people are least likely to connect with its host. Council's permit names the HIS Center, and the race page lists the beneficiary as "The Centre." HIS Centre, based in Bulverde, describes its work as training and research in procedural medicine, including education for first responders and advanced practitioners. Its local community-health work includes a free clinic for uninsured and underinsured residents, mobile care, outreach at the Comal County First Footing shelter, and care for people living in homeless encampments.

On the 2026 RunSignup race page, the money goes to programs that prepare future healthcare and science professionals through hands-on learning, internships, mentorship, workforce development and career exploration.

The practical details for Nov. 26:

• The kids' run, for ages 12 and under, starts at 8 a.m. and costs $35 plus a $3.10 fee.
• The 5K starts at 8:15 a.m. and costs $45 plus a $3.70 fee.
• 5K registration closes Nov. 25. Kids' run registration stays open until 11:59 a.m. on race day, and the virtual race closes Nov. 24.

The race page shows lower prices of $40 and $30 that went up after Oct. 31. If you've been putting off signing up, the cheaper price is gone, and the next date to watch is the 5K deadline the day before Thanksgiving.

The race is at Bulverde Community Park, which the City of Bulverde lists at 29815 Bulverde Lane. Runners who come back after the holidays should find more at the park. In the same Oct. 13 meeting, council approved up to $7,000 for outdoor exercise equipment and a volleyball net system there, following the parks and recreation advisory board's recommendation.

Friday night, the Chamber fills the Old Village

About 33 hours after the race, the season moves into the Old Village. The Chamber's 2026 vendor listing puts the Bulverde Christmas Lighting in downtown Bulverde, with the event area between 2265 and 2360 Bulverde Road. Booths open from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, and vendors can start setting up after 2 p.m. Last year's event was billed as the 35th annual, so this one is number 36.

The booth fees hint at what the street will look like. The Chamber charges $35 for an informational booth, $60 for a booth selling products, and $125 for a food truck. Every space is 10 by 10 feet, food trucks included, and electricity costs $25 per connection because hookups are limited. The Chamber's invitation to vendors asks them to plan an activity, share a gift or serve some food, calls the night "our time to give back to this great community," and tells them to "plan for 300 kids."

Last year's lighting, listed as free on the Chamber's calendar, included a tree-lighting ceremony, vendors, pictures with Santa, food trucks and a FunZone. Instead of a ticket, the FunZone asked for a canned good, a monetary donation or a new unwrapped toy. If this year follows the same format, a few cans in the car may be your admission.

Saturday morning, the makers market is a few hundred addresses away

The day after the lighting, Bulverde Market Day sets up at 2545 Bulverde Road, which is also 2545 FM 1863. That's the same road as the Old Village, a few hundred house numbers north. The market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays and is open all year, rain or shine. More than 30 vendors set up under the oak trees.

The market's rules explain how it's different from the Friday booths. It is makers only, with art, products and specialty foods, and no service providers. Vendors pay $45 for a 10-by-10 space, plus $5 if they need electricity, which isn't guaranteed. The organizers say every market for the rest of the year is full, and each date has its own waiting list. So the Nov. 28 lineup is already booked, which is useful to know if you're Christmas shopping for someone who prefers handmade gifts.

Notice the end of the schedule, too. The Market Day site lists Nov. 14, Nov. 28 and Dec. 12. With no Dec. 26 date listed, the Dec. 12 market is the last one of 2026. If you shop local for presents, that Saturday is your last chance here before Christmas.

December belongs to the pantry and the library

The second park permit from October covers the Holiday Hunger Run/Walk 5K on Saturday, Dec. 5. Council approved it on the condition that the organizer submit an amended certificate of liability insurance. The organizer, Provisions: A 25:35 Outreach, describes itself as a nonprofit food pantry serving the Texas Hill Country. It provides food, household necessities, clothing, and referrals for people who need help.

The run is a real source of funding for the pantry. According to Provisions' event page, the 2025 run raised about $25,000, and that money helps keep the pantry open and serving its neighbors. Put that next to the Turkey Trot, nine days earlier on the same grass, and Bulverde Community Park hosts two charity 5Ks for two unrelated causes within about a week and a half.

The Mammen Family Public Library at 131 Bulverde Crossing has the two quieter dates.

1. Holiday Herbs, Traditions and Flavors, Monday, Nov. 9, noon to 1 p.m. The program meets in Meeting Room C, registration is required, and it's for ages 16 and up.
2. Polar Express Festival, Saturday, Dec. 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The library calendar lists model trains, readings, train rides, cocoa, a scavenger hunt, holiday photos and a special visitor. No registration is needed.

The Polar Express Festival falls one week after the final Market Day and six days before Christmas.

Reading the calendar by who hosts it

A medical training nonprofit opens the season on Thanksgiving morning. The Chamber takes Friday night and asks its vendors to give something back. A makers market takes Saturday morning with every remaining 2026 date already full. A food pantry brings the December run that helps keep it open, and the library ends things with cocoa and model trains. City Hall's direct role this fall was approving the two park permits and up to $7,000 for exercise equipment and a volleyball net at Bulverde Community Park.

If you plan your weekend in that order, the key dates are the Nov. 25 deadline for the 5K, a 5:30 p.m. start in the Old Village on Nov. 27, a 9 a.m. market on Nov. 28, and a last Market Day on Dec. 12.

At M. Stagers Realty Partners, we pay attention to the local groups that make Bulverde's calendar happen, because they're the same neighbors our clients live next to. If you're getting your home ready for family over the holidays, or thinking ahead to what the new year could bring, we're happy to talk it through with you calmly, one step at a time.