For about a year, York Road in Towson has had two different schedules. In daylight it's the corridor everyone knows. On Sunday through Thursday nights, crews replacing Baltimore County's main waterline under the road set up lane closures and shifts. They started at Newell Avenue and have been working north toward the Towson Roundabout.
Downtown's two biggest holiday evenings both fall on Fridays this year. The Baltimore County Christmas Tree Lighting is on December 4, and Towson Winter Garden follows on December 11. Friday is one of the two nights the work zone sits outside its overnight closure window. Each event is also over by 9 p.m., and 9 p.m. is when closures begin on work nights.
The Work Zone Runs Sunday Through Thursday
The project is a joint effort between the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration and Baltimore County. It covers York Road from Newell Avenue, one block south of the Towson Bypass, north to the Towson Roundabout at Joppa Road and Dulaney Valley Road. When the State Highway Administration announced the start in December 2025, it set the overnight hours and the lane rule:
"Motorists can expect overnight single-lane and double-lane closures on York Road Sundays through Thursdays at any time between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. during the waterline work. There will be two lanes open on York Road at all times during this work."
The same announcement says on-street parking may be temporarily restricted during construction and that pedestrian access to every property within the project limits will be kept open. Baltimore County is paying for the $9 million project's waterline work. The state is paying for drainage upgrades, ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps, and rebuilt commercial driveways along the corridor.
The schedule has moved since then. The MDOT SHA project page now estimates completion in spring 2028. The December 2025 announcement targeted late fall 2027. The waterline goes in first, and the roadway improvements and resurfacing come after it. That means the York Road work zone will still be there for next year's holidays too. Through-travelers between I-695 and Baltimore City have been told to allow extra time, and the state suggests the Towson Bypass as an alternate route.
Before December, Two Thursdays Remain on Allegheny
There's one standing downtown routine before the Friday events. The Towson Farmers Market runs Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Allegheny and Washington avenues, and the Towson Chamber of Commerce lists its 2026 season as ending November 19. That leaves two market days: Thursday, November 12, and Thursday, November 19. The market is a midday event, so the overnight work schedule has nothing to do with it.
Once the market packs up, Allegheny Avenue doesn't host another seasonal event until the tree is lit two weeks later.
December 4: Olympic Park and Osler Drive Share an Evening
The Baltimore County Christmas Tree Lighting runs from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, December 4, in Olympic Park in downtown Towson. The Towson Chamber's listing promises live performances, festive music, holiday treats, carolers, local entertainment, and a visit from Santa Claus.
Towson University's free 53rd Annual Holiday Pottery & Art Sale opens the same afternoon at the Center for the Arts, 7700 Osler Drive. Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. on Friday, December 4, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 5.
The sale's Friday hours cover the tree lighting on both ends. It opens three hours before the lighting starts and stays open an hour after it ends. That gives you two ways to plan the evening:
- Sale first. Get to Osler Drive after 3 p.m. and shop while the selection is fullest. Then head downtown for the 6 p.m. start at Olympic Park.
- Tree first. Stay for the lighting, then reach the Center for the Arts before the 9 p.m. close. Or come back Saturday morning, when the sale reopens at 9 a.m.
The tree lighting wraps up at 8 p.m. on a Friday, so the evening doesn't overlap the overnight closure schedule at any point.
December 11: Winter Garden Takes Over Delaware Avenue
A week later, the Towson Main Street Collaborative hosts Towson Winter Garden from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, December 11, at 401 Delaware Avenue. The event listing names the pieces of the evening:
- Craft vendors
- Food vendors
- An "Elf Bar" with free hot chocolate and coffee
- A fire pit
- A holiday movie playing at the Towson Torch booth
- Giveaways from local businesses
The listing describes it as an all-ages event that runs four hours. The Towson Chamber has it on the downtown calendar as well. The two Fridays work differently. The tree lighting is the county's ceremony in its park. Winter Garden is built around downtown businesses, and the giveaways and vendor tables put shops and makers in front of neighbors on a weekend evening. Winter Garden also closes at 9 p.m. on a Friday, the second December evening that ends before a weeknight closure would begin.
Dinner Before or After Either Friday
Either Friday can end at a restaurant that didn't exist last December. In September, the Towson Torch published a roundup of the year's openings arguing that new investment has spread across downtown, East Towson, York Road, and the Joppa Road corridor instead of collecting in one shopping center. Three of those openings fit a holiday evening especially well.
Lib's Grill is at 210 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, across from the courthouse. It's the closest of the three to the downtown events. The Towson Torch roundup describes it as a locally owned, upscale-casual restaurant with a raw bar and weekend brunch. Nottingham MD reported its opening in June 2026, and the Lib's Grill site takes reservations for the Towson location. If you're out on December 4, Saturday brunch there pairs well with the pottery sale's 9 a.m. Saturday opening.
Tarin Thai Cuisine is at 419 York Road, in the space that used to be Mr. Fries. The Towson Torch reported that the opening extends the locally owned restaurant group beyond its locations in Baltimore and Annapolis. It's on York Road, so a Friday dinner there also falls outside the work zone's overnight schedule.
Rocco's Old School Italian & Wine Bar is at 1220 East Joppa Road in East Towson, in the former Glory Days Grill space. Nottingham MD covered its opening in April 2026. According to its own site and Baltimore Magazine, the menu is Italian-American classics, with Sunday brunch and a weekday happy hour. East Towson is a short drive from downtown, and a Friday reservation there fits well after the Winter Garden fire pit.
The same roundup lists a Dunkin' now operating at 925 York Road. That's useful to know if you're getting hot chocolate on the way back from Osler Drive.
The Dates in One Place
| Date | What | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 12 and 19 | Towson Farmers Market, last two weeks | Allegheny and Washington avenues | 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | TU Holiday Pottery & Art Sale opens | Center for the Arts, 7700 Osler Drive | 3 to 9 p.m. |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Baltimore County Christmas Tree Lighting | Olympic Park | 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | TU Holiday Pottery & Art Sale, final day | Center for the Arts, 7700 Osler Drive | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Friday, Dec. 11 | Towson Winter Garden | 401 Delaware Avenue | 5 to 9 p.m. |
From Sunday through Thursday nights between those dates, York Road may have overnight lane closures from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., with two lanes open at all times.
Between the tree at Olympic Park, the pottery tables on Osler Drive, and the fire pit on Delaware Avenue, early December is a good time to get to know downtown Towson. If you're thinking about how downtown Towson, or anywhere else in Baltimore County, fits your next move, the Anthony Friedman Team of Northrop Realty is happy to talk it through over coffee, whether that's before December or after. Contact Us.
