This Year, Eagan's Tree Lighting Is Also the Community Center's Reopening Party
The Eagan Community Tree Lighting is on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Eagan Community Center. This year the city is also using the evening to celebrate the building's Grand Reopening. The city's events page describes a free event with holiday activities, family fun, giveaways and "a chance to explore everything the ECC has to offer." The building at 1501 Central Parkway has been under phased construction since late 2024. Between now and New Year's, most of Eagan's public holiday calendar either takes place there or is planned around it, and that includes the weeks when the area's largest park closes.
The ECC Reinvestment Project is the first major renovation of the center since it opened, according to city staff. The city said it would phase the work through 2026. The plan was to build and open new areas before closing old ones so the main parts of the building stayed open. That's why regulars spent much of the last two years following signs to whichever entrance was open. In May 2025, the city's Phase 2 construction update said indoor work would begin in June, the main upper entrance would close and visitors would use other doors.
The construction also moved events around. Eagan Market Fest spent summer 2025 outdoors at the Eagan Festival Grounds. It then moved to Goat Hill Park from Sept. 3 to Oct. 8 before vendors came back inside the ECC on select Wednesdays. This season's Indoor Market is listed for the Oaks Banquet Rooms, and the dates run through the reopening and into spring.
The city listed the planned improvements when it approved the 2026–2027 budget in December 2025:
The biggest layout change is the fitness center. The city's Refreshing the ECC page says it is moving from the lower level to the upper level so it connects with the walking track and the group fitness studio. The old lower-level space is set to become room for multipurpose activities, rentals and meetings. The city's fitness page currently lists gym equipment, the walking track and more than 40 group classes a week as membership amenities.
The project is also part of this year's city budget. The 2026 levy includes $992,828 for bond payments on the ECC renovation. The same budget set the 2026 General Fund at $60.3 million. When the Star Tribune first reported on the plans in March 2024, it put the renovation at about $10 million. That was an early planning estimate. So Dec. 1 is also the first public look at a building Eagan taxpayers are already paying for.
The ECC matters most in the second half of November, when Eagan's biggest outdoor option closes. Dakota County will close all of Lebanon Hills Regional Park to the public Nov. 16–18 and Nov. 23–25 for managed deer bowhunts, including every trailhead and parking lot. The second closure ends the day before Thanksgiving. Also, as of Nov. 2, the southern section of the West Trailhead hiking trail between trail markers 203 and 227 is closed temporarily while habitat crews run equipment. The mountain bike trails at the West Trailhead are listed as open. County updates are posted on the park and trail conditions page.
The ECC's schedule overlaps with both closures. The Nov. 18 Indoor Market falls on the last day of the first one. The Winter Art Sale, where every piece is made by the local artist selling it, is on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., between the two.
| Date | What | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 16–18 | Lebanon Hills closed for deer hunt | Entire park | All day |
| Wed., Nov. 18 | Eagan Indoor Market | ECC, Oaks Banquet Rooms | 3:30–6:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Winter SKOLstice and Magic of Lights open | Viking Lakes | Lights 5:30–10 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Winter Art Sale | ECC | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Nov. 23–25 | Lebanon Hills closed for deer hunt | Entire park | All day |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Tree Lighting and Grand Reopening | ECC | 4–6:30 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Eagan Indoor Market | ECC, Oaks Banquet Rooms | 3:30–6:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Old Fashioned Holiday | Holz Farm Park | Noon–3 p.m. |
For families with young kids, The Blast, the indoor playground at the ECC, is the other indoor option. Its listed public hours from Oct. 1 through May 30, 2027, are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. Private events can close it, and the city notes that availability can change. Admission is $8 for ages 24 months through 12 years and free for kids 23 months and younger. A 10-visit pass costs $70, which works out to $7 a visit compared with $80 for ten single visits. A six-month unlimited pass is $150, and socks are $2. Blast & Play runs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through May 27, 2027. Check the Blast page before you go.
The reopening comes at the start of the busiest week on the city's calendar. After the tree lighting on Tuesday, Dec. 1, the next Indoor Market is the following afternoon, Wednesday, Dec. 2, in the Oaks Banquet Rooms. It's free, and the city lists bread, baked goods, sauces, cheese, body products and artisan items. On Sunday, Dec. 6, the Old Fashioned Holiday takes over Historic Holz Farm from noon to 3 p.m. with a self-guided tour, a hayride, Santa and his reindeer, and s'mores at the bonfire. Santa is on the porch for photos from noon to 2:45 p.m.
The Indoor Market keeps going after that, on Dec. 16 and Dec. 30 and then once a month from January through April. For anyone who shopped Market Fest outside last summer, the ECC is now the winter version of that Wednesday stop.
The ECC events end by early evening. After dark, the action moves across town. Winter SKOLstice opens at Viking Lakes on Friday, Nov. 20, and runs through Saturday, Jan. 2, 2027. It's free and includes outdoor skating, live music, trivia, bingo and the Warming Haus, a heated space with food and drinks. Magic of Lights presented by SCHEELS is back on the same grounds. It's a ticketed, per-vehicle drive-through display more than a mile long, open 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. In the Viking Lakes announcement, General Manager Kyle Chank called SKOLstice "a great reason to get outside, connect with family and friends and make the most of winter in Minnesota." Tickets are sold through Magic of Lights.
Dinner is nearby. The Star Tribune reported that Copper & Rye, at 730 Vikings Pkwy., opened at Viking Lakes in May 2026 with a menu built around elevated comfort food. That makes the holiday lights its first winter there.
Lebanon Hills comes back into the season's plans after its November closures. Dakota County's free Trails by Lantern Light runs every day from Dec. 18 through Jan. 3, starting around 4 p.m. and lasting until the park closes at 10 p.m. The lantern-lit route circles Schulze Lake on an unpaved, unplowed trail, and the bonfire burns from 5 to 8 p.m. Boots are a better choice than sneakers.
The calendar ends back at the ECC. The Noon-Years Eve Dance Party on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 10 a.m. to noon gives kids a New Year's celebration without staying up until midnight. For more on Eagan's seasonal events, see our Eagan neighborhood page and our August look at what was opening and closing around town.
If the reopened Community Center has you thinking about how city investments like this one affect what nearby homes are worth, Blake Halverson can walk you through it using current Eagan numbers. You can start with a free home valuation and plan your Dec. 1 around the tree lighting.
Whether you are buying, selling or investing in real estate, Blake has a proven track record to be the versatile agent you need. Through strong, aggressive representation, Blake will help you achieve your desired outcomes.
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