The Train of Lights Sold Out on Day One. The Rest of Niles' Holiday Season Is on the Street

Tickets for the 2026 Train of Lights went on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, according to 510 Families. By the end of that day, the Niles Canyon Railway had updated its page to say every ticket for the season was sold out. The train runs 24 nights between November 20 and December 30, and all of them were gone before Halloween.

The Niles Main Street Association's calendar for the same stretch has a sale, a parade, a tree lighting and Small Business Saturday on it. All of them take place on Niles Boulevard. The one event that sold out pays for an all-volunteer museum. The rest of the season comes from the business district a few blocks from the boarding gate.

What Sold Out, and What It Pays For

The railway calls the Train of Lights "our largest fundraiser for our all volunteer, non-profit railroad museum." The ride is a 1.5-hour round trip through Niles Canyon in antique coaches and open cars, with lights and decorations inside and out, plus refreshments and music. It has been running for more than a decade.

Here are the 2026 details:

That comes to two departures a night across 24 nights, with every passenger age 3 and older needing a seat. The Niles run leaves while there is still enough light to see the canyon and comes back after dark, which is when the lights show best. Families who missed this year's sale are competing with people from all over the Bay Area for a limited number of seats on a volunteer-run train.

The Rest of the Season Happens on Niles Boulevard

The Niles Main Street Association runs a different kind of holiday season. Its events are tied to Niles Town Plaza and the association's base at 37573 Niles Boulevard, and they are built around walking the street. Here are the association's November events, with the November train dates added so you can see where they overlap:

The movie night is the only street event on the list with a price posted, and it costs $10.

The First Weekend Is November 6 and 7

On Friday, November 6, the Essanay Silent Film Museum is screening "The Big Lebowski" for $10. Doors open at 6, the movie starts at 7, and the listing asks guests to wear their best bathrobe. The snack bar will have popcorn, It's-Its and candy, and beer, wine and other refreshments will be for sale. Tickets are sold through the Niles Main Street Association.

The next morning, the Holiday Season Kick Off Sale runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 37573 Niles Boulevard. As of this week, the association's listing still says "More info to follow," so check the event page for the merchant list before you head out.

Thanksgiving Weekend Is When the Train and the Street Overlap

The parade and the train never run on the same night. The Festival of Lights Parade and Tree Lighting is on Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, and that date isn't on the train schedule. The parade goes from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Niles Town Plaza. The association says it has more than 60 floats and other entries, marching bands, specialty service units and costumed characters, and Santa Claus makes an appearance. It is sponsored by Niles and the wider Fremont community, and businesses can sponsor it starting at $250.

Saturday, November 28, is the one day when both calendars line up. If you have Niles departure tickets that day, the timing works like this:

1. Small Business Saturday starts on Niles Boulevard at 9 a.m.
2. The Train of Lights leaves from 37029 Mission Boulevard at 4:30 p.m. Its page notes that departure times can change on some days because of museum events or private charters.
3. Small Business Saturday ends at 7 p.m., so there is still shopping time after the 1.5-hour ride gets back.

People without train tickets can still spend the same day on the same street, shopping the same storefronts.

Two Newer Storefronts to Visit

Some of the shops you'll pass on Small Business Saturday are new. According to the Tri-City Voice, Ashley Wong Sweets opened at 37825 Niles Blvd. on July 25, 2026, with Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan presenting a certificate of recognition at the ribbon cutting. Wong competed on season seven of "Halloween Baking Championship" in 2021. She later taught decorating classes and ran booths at street fairs such as the Fremont Festival for the Arts before opening her own shop. Since the bakery opened in late July, this will be its first holiday season on the street.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal reported in January that partners had opened Tea-Rek'z next to Skillet'z Cafe in Niles.

If Your Plans Take You Up the Canyon

Anyone holding Sunol tickets, or driving toward Sunol for any other reason, should plan for construction. The railway warns that road work on Niles Canyon Road has cut it to alternating one-way traffic. It asks Sunol ticket holders coming from the Niles side to leave extra time so they reach the depot before the 7:30 p.m. departure.

Caltrans District 4 is also replacing the Arroyo de la Laguna Bridge on State Route 84. The current bridge dates to 1939, and Caltrans lists scour and seismic concerns, safety and current design standards as the reasons for replacing it. Construction started in May 2026. Caltrans describes intermittent overnight full closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., followed by daytime work through November 2026. The railway and Caltrans describe the traffic control differently, so check both pages on the day you drive.

Getting on Next Year's Train

The railway says the best way to hear about ticket sales is to watch its Train of Lights page, follow its Facebook page or join the email list at the bottom of its site. This year, everything sold out the same day sales opened, so a sale announcement is worth acting on right away. The railway also asks people interested in volunteering, including helping decorate the train, to reach out through its contact page. Ticket buyers ride the train, and the volunteers are the ones who decorate and run it.

Niles is one of the Fremont neighborhoods we keep up with all year, and that includes its holiday calendar as well as its sales. If you own in Niles or nearby and want to know what your home is worth heading into 2027, Refined Real Estate can put together a local read for you, no pressure involved. Request Your Free Home Valuation.