Last November 15, at Second Street and Avenue C, Rick MacDonald of Katy Home Savers took a microphone to thank City of Katy officials for a $2,500 donation. The Katy Times reported that the money came from proceeds of the Katy Exchange, the market the city runs on Historic Town Square. City Administrator Byron Hebert and Kaci Maris, the city's tourism and marketing events coordinator, presented the check. Katy Home Savers helps seniors and others with home repairs.
The paper's headline said the market was resuming "following Rice Harvest Festival hiatus." That phrase explains how the square's calendar works now. The downtown market is a city program, and it pauses whenever the square has a bigger job to do. Its fall return on Saturday, Nov. 14, opens a string of Saturdays that lasts into mid-December.
A market scheduled around the square
The City of Katy's events calendar lists six Exchange dates for 2026, all at Historic Town Square, 904 Avenue C.
| Date | Edition | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, March 14 | Katy Exchange | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Saturday, April 4 | Easter Exchange | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Saturday, May 9 | Katy Exchange | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Saturday, June 13 | International Food Fest Exchange | 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | Katy Exchange | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Nutcracker Exchange | 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. |
There are five months between the June and November markets. That stretch covers the summer heat and the square's busiest weeks of the year. The Katy Rice Harvest Festival Parade ran Oct. 3, and the festival took over Historic Town Square Oct. 10 and 11 with a carnival, live music, food trucks and a beer garden. The market stepped aside for all of it.
Each holiday-themed edition stays open later than the standard 10-to-2 Saturday. June's food fest ran into the evening, and the Dec. 5 Nutcracker Exchange runs until 8 p.m., which puts it after dark on a December Saturday.
How the city ended up running it
The city did not invent the downtown market. Community Impact reported that Katy Market Day held its last market on Dec. 7, 2024, after roughly three decades downtown. It ran monthly from March through November, plus a special Christmas event in December.
A month later, the city announced its replacement. In Community Impact's January 2025 coverage, the Katy Exchange was set up as six events between March and December, free for shoppers, with proceeds going to nonprofits. That's fewer dates than the old market's monthly schedule, and every one of them raises money for a cause. At launch, the city set vendor fees at $20 for young entrepreneurs and $40 for other vendors, and sponsorships made up the rest of the proceeds. Mayor Dusty Thiele said in the release that the city wanted to "make our Historic Downtown Square the heart of Katy."
The results so far:
- The first market, in March 2025, benefited Katy VFW Post 9182 and Camp Hope's PTSD Foundation of America, according to that same Community Impact report.
- The Exchange's host page on Eventeny says the market gave more than $22,000 to local charities in its first year and that each event highlights two nonprofits.
- Katy Home Savers received $2,500 at the November 2025 market.
- At the first market of 2026 in March, the Katy Times reported a $2,500 city donation to the Katy ISD Education Foundation, and said the market's net profits fund Katy-area nonprofits.
So the Nov. 14 market also raises money for a cause. According to Community Impact, the proceeds come from sponsorship payments and vendor fees, and the money goes to local nonprofits.
Nov. 14 restarts the season, and Dec. 5 doubles it
The Nov. 14 Exchange runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the square. The city describes it as handmade and one-of-a-kind goods from local vendors.
Three weeks later, Saturday, Dec. 5, is the busiest day on the downtown calendar. The Nutcracker Exchange runs 2 to 8 p.m., and the city's Christmas Tree Lighting is at Historic Town Square the same day. As of this writing, the city lists the lighting time as TBA, so check the city calendar before planning dinner around it.
The Eventeny listing for the Nutcracker Exchange shows three vendor categories taking applications: arts, crafts and retail; food trucks; and young entrepreneurs. The final vendor lineup won't be known until closer to the date.
The following Saturday, the holidays move to Heritage Park
After the city's turn on the square, the Katy Heritage Society takes the next Saturday at Katy Heritage Park, 5990 George Bush Drive. Its 2026 events page lists two back-to-back programs on Saturday, Dec. 12.
- TubaChristmas, 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Katy Heritage Park.
- Christmas at The Park, 6 to 8 p.m., with tours of the historic homes and decorated trees, Christmas music, a visit from Santa, a craft and cocoa.
The Society also sells a Christmas Hayride add-on for the same 6-to-8 window. A tractor pulls riders around downtown Katy to see the Christmas lights, and every ride stops at Southern Dough Baking Co. You can't buy the hayride on its own. You need a Christmas at The Park ticket first, everyone over age one needs a ticket, riders sign a waiver and check in 10 minutes early, and all sales are final.
So the Heritage Society night loops back to the same downtown blocks the city lit up a week earlier. The Society also operates the MKT Railroad Depot Museum at Katy Railroad Park, 5615 First Street, a short walk from the square.
Where to sit down between stops
Southern Dough Baking Co., the hayride's stop, is at 908 Ave. B, Suite 100. Its website lists hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. In January 2026, Houston Life on Click2Houston featured its honey buttermilk chicken salad and chicken spaghetti casserole in a segment on Old Town Katy. Saturday hours end at 8 p.m., the same time the Nutcracker Exchange closes on Dec. 5.
Katy Crossing Icehouse, at 5733 Second Street, faces the square. Community Impact reported in August 2025 that it had reopened under new owners, with a weekday 3-to-7 p.m. happy hour, pizza, wings and pretzels served until closing, a new signature-cocktail menu, and events such as wine tastings, Pilates and live music. Its website lists an 11 a.m. opening every day and a midnight close most nights, or 1 a.m. on Friday.
For shopping between market stalls, Travel Katy's directory for the square lists Dovetail Antiques at 5609 Second St., KT Antiques at 5614 Second St., Limited Edition Art & Antiques at 5717 Second St., Sandra V Bath & Body at 5729 Second St., Katy Rock Shop at 821 Avenue C, Sunshine Station Shop at 908 Avenue B, Suite 102, and Vintage Back Roads at 813 Avenue B. Holiday hours vary, so call ahead before making a special trip.
One more event comes before November. The city's Howl-O-Ween at the Katy Off-Leash Dog Park runs 9 to 11 a.m., with costume contests, raffle prizes and local vendors. Costume contest entry is a donation of pet food, supplies or cash for local shelters. The city's page lists the event under Oct. 31 but also says "Saturday, October 30." This year Oct. 31 is the Saturday, so confirm with Katy Parks & Recreation before you load up the dog.
If you're planning December Saturdays in Katy, or thinking about how downtown fits into your routine over the next few years, I'm happy to talk it through. Kelly Henderson has followed Katy's downtown for years and would be glad to compare notes over coffee after the Nov. 14 market. Let's Connect.
