Downtown White Plains has three Wednesdays of farm stands left this year. The Court Street Downtown Market wraps up its season on November 25, the day before Thanksgiving. That same day, Santa's Mailbox opens at City Hall at 255 Main Street. The produce season and the holiday season change over on the same Wednesday, a short walk apart.
The stage downtown has no November shows. The White Plains Performing Arts Center lists nothing between the end of Dear Evan Hansen on October 25 and the start of Disney's Frozen on December 11. With the theater dark, the month's schedule runs on weekday mornings in a few blocks around Court Street, Main Street and Martine Avenue.
What's left on the calendar
From now through early December, almost every downtown date on the City's calendar falls near the same few streets.
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Veterans Day ceremony, 10:30 a.m. | Veterans Memorial Garden behind City Hall, 255 Main St. |
| Wed., Nov. 11, 18, 25 | Court Street Market, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Court St. between Main and Martine |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Sugar: The Play, 5 to 8 p.m. | White Plains Community Center, 65 Mitchell Place |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Repair Cafe, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | White Plains Public Library, 100 Martine Ave. |
| Wed., Nov. 25 to Sun., Dec. 13 | Santa's Mailbox | City Hall, 255 Main St. |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Mayor's holiday tree lighting, 5:30 p.m. | Renaissance Plaza Park, Mamaroneck Ave. and Main St. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Disney's Frozen opens, runs through Jan. 3 | White Plains Performing Arts Center |
Three of the month's events fall on Wednesdays, and two of those Wednesdays bring a second event to Main Street on top of the market. On November 11, the Veterans Day ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m. in the memorial garden behind City Hall, while the market is already running on Court Street. On November 25, the last market day overlaps with the first day of Santa's Mailbox.
Three Wednesdays on Court Street
Bensidoun USA, which runs the market, lists its season as April 22 to November 25, with stalls on Court Street between Main and Martine every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The City's market notice lists fresh-picked fruits and vegetables, artisan breads and sweet treats, and gives the same end date of November 25, 2026.
The schedule matters because the market is weekday-only. The City and the operator both describe the Court Street market as a Wednesday event, and neither lists a Saturday market downtown. If you plan to buy produce downtown, you have November 11, 18 and 25 left. After that, the Court Street stands are gone until next spring.
With the last day falling on Thanksgiving Eve, the final market lines up with the biggest cooking week of the year. Bread, produce and desserts for Thursday can come off Court Street the day before.
The new table on Martine Avenue
The only restaurant news downtown this fall is on the street where the market block ends. La Botte Ristorante spent about seven years downtown. On October 15 it reopened as South River Bar and Restaurant, The Journal News reported. The changes include new lighting, fresh paint, an Instagram wall and a new menu.
South River is at 14 Martine Avenue and calls itself a New American restaurant. It serves lunch and dinner seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Two details matter in November. The restaurant validates parking in The Seasons garage at 4 Martine Avenue, so you don't have to hunt for a space on a cold weeknight. It also takes private events for birthdays, family gatherings and corporate parties, which helps if your holiday party has no home yet.
Because it serves lunch every day, South River pairs easily with a market Wednesday or with the Veterans Day ceremony on Main Street. Since the theater is dark until December 11, the lunch hours probably matter more in November than the dinner hours.
What replaced the old YMCA building
The other big downtown change this fall is a few blocks east, at 250 Mamaroneck Avenue. On October 14, Southern Land Company held the grand opening of Juliette, a 177-unit rental building on the site where the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester used to be.
Two parts of the developer's announcement affect people who don't live in the building. First, the YMCA did not leave White Plains. It moved to 148 Hamilton Avenue, after a transition the developer says began in 2019. If you knew the Y from Mamaroneck Avenue, Hamilton Avenue is its address now. Second, the building's list of features includes a ground-floor Starbucks, which will add a street-level storefront to that block of Mamaroneck Avenue.
How the holiday season moves down Main Street
The holidays come to downtown in stages, one week at a time, starting on Main Street and moving toward the theater.
- November 25. The Court Street Market closes for the season, and Santa's Mailbox opens at City Hall, 255 Main Street, through December 13.
- December 1. The Mayor's holiday tree lighting starts at 5:30 p.m. at Renaissance Plaza Park, at Mamaroneck Avenue and Main Street.
- December 11. Disney's Frozen opens at WPPAC and runs through January 3, with tickets listed at $50 to $69.
- December 14. Christmas with the NY Tenors plays WPPAC at 7:30 p.m.
Kids who want to drop a letter at Santa's Mailbox have nearly three weeks, from Thanksgiving Eve to December 13. The City's listing gives no hours, so check before you make a special trip. The tree lighting is on a Tuesday evening, a week after the market ends. Ten days later, the theater has crowds again.
The BID's Downtown Holiday Market is not on the list. Its webpage still shows the December 5 to 14, 2025 dates from last year, at City Center's first floor in the former Barnes & Noble space. Until the White Plains BID posts 2026 dates, plan around the four dates above.
Planning the next three weeks
The Wednesdays carry November:
- November 11: the ceremony behind City Hall at 10:30 a.m., the market on Court Street, and lunch on Martine Avenue, all within the same few blocks.
- November 18: a regular market day, and the last one before the Thanksgiving rush.
- November 25: last-minute Thanksgiving shopping on Court Street, then the first day of Santa's Mailbox at City Hall.
The Saturday in between has one downtown event. The Repair Cafe at the White Plains Public Library, 100 Martine Avenue, runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on November 21. The full City of White Plains calendar lists the rest, including Sugar: The Play on November 10 and a Thanksgiving Luncheon on November 24, both at the White Plains Community Center, 65 Mitchell Place.
Three Wednesdays of market, one civic ceremony and one new restaurant on Martine Avenue are most of downtown's November. On December 1, the tree lights go on at Renaissance Plaza Park.
I follow the changes downtown, like the Y's move to Hamilton Avenue and La Botte's reopening as South River. If you're curious what they mean for your corner of White Plains, Tom Flynn is glad to talk it through over coffee. Let's Connect.
