The Ward County Event Center sits at 1525 East Monahans Parkway. Between now and the middle of December, that address shows up on the Monahans Chamber of Commerce calendar more often than any other place in town. It hosts a shopping night in October, a movie afternoon and a blood drive around the turn of November, a dinner-and-auction gala, a two-day Christmas celebration and a gingerbread event.
The Chamber lists eight dated community events from mid-October to mid-December. Six of them are at the Event Center. One is at the Soccer Fields, and one doesn't list a location. The lighted Christmas parade starts across town near the Million Barrel Museum, and its route finishes at the Event Center too.
Six events, one address
Here's the Event Center's run, in order, as the Chamber and event organizers have posted it for 2026:
- Fall Fling Shopping Spree, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 4 to 7 p.m. Admission is free. The Chamber lists local home-based vendors selling crafts, clothing, jewelry, baked goods, specialty foods and gifts.
- Movie Night, Friday, Oct. 30, 1 to 4 p.m. The Chamber calendar gives the time and place and nothing else so far.
- Battle of the Badges Blood Drive, Monday, Nov. 2, 2 to 8 p.m.
- Monahans Kids Zone "Party with a Purpose," Saturday, Nov. 14. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the dance starts at 9 p.m. The program includes dinner, an auction, entertainment from Caleb Young and magician Monte Holder.
- Christmas in the Dunes, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4 and 5. Admission is free, with craft and food vendors.
- Gingerbread Jubilee, Sunday, Dec. 13. The Chamber hasn't posted hours or program details yet.
The Kids Zone party used to be called the MKZ Christmas Party or the Hogg Ranch Christmas Party. If you've gone in past years under one of those names, it's the same event under a new name.
The listings differ a lot in how much they say. Fall Fling and the Kids Zone party have full details. Movie Night and the Gingerbread Jubilee are mostly placeholders right now. Check the Chamber's events page in the week before each one.
The two October dates without the Event Center address
Two October events on the calendar don't list the Event Center.
The West Texas BBQ Bash is Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Soccer Fields. Admission is free, and the Chamber lists food and craft vendors. Its event page doesn't give start or end times.
St. John's Catholic Bazaar is Saturday, Oct. 24. The Chamber listing gives the date and no hours or location.
After Oct. 24, every dated event on the Chamber calendar through Dec. 13 is at the Event Center or ends there.
The parade travels, then finishes at the same door
The fourth annual Christmas in the Dunes Lighted Christmas Parade starts Friday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m. The theme is "Christmas Through the Years," the Big Bend Reporter reported in August. Organizers are encouraging entries built around different eras. Their suggestions include Victorian scenes, 1950s decorations, 1960s and 1970s color, and neon looks from the 1980s and 1990s. They also suggested "Christmas in America" for the nation's 250th anniversary, and a West Texas Christmas with decorated trucks, tractors and cowboys.
Here's the route as published for 2026:
- Start near the Million Barrel Museum.
- Head north to Sealy Avenue.
- Turn east along Sealy to Parkway Boulevard.
- Turn south on the Parkway and finish at the Ward County Event Center.
The 2026 article calls this a new route, but it isn't new this year. The Big Bend Reporter's August 2025 parade announcement described the same path, from the Million Barrel Museum north to Sealy, east to the Parkway and on to the Event Center, as new in 2025. The City of Monahans' 2025 listing adds that the last leg runs south on Monahans Parkway. So December 2026 is the second year on this route. If you found a good spot along Sealy or the Parkway last year, it's on the route again.
The rules carry over from last year:
- No candy or other objects may be thrown from entries.
- Entrants are asked not to dress as Santa Claus, because the parade's official Santa rides on a sleigh.
- First, second and third place win cash prizes.
The no-throwing rule is worth knowing ahead of time if you have kids. Families who show up with bags for candy will go home with them empty.
The route explains why the parade ends where it does. Last year, the celebration kept going inside the Event Center after the parade, with Friday activities running until 9:30 p.m., according to the Big Bend Reporter's October 2025 preview. That 2025 weekend had ice skating both days, plus stage performances, vendors, children's activities, a balloon artist and the Grinch. That was last year's lineup. The Chamber hasn't published the full 2026 program yet.
Here's what's confirmed for 2026 and what's still open:
| Detail | Status for 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | Confirmed: Dec. 4 and 5 |
| Location | Confirmed: Ward County Event Center, 1525 E. Monahans Parkway |
| Admission | Confirmed: free, with craft and food vendors |
| Parade start | Confirmed: Dec. 4, 6 p.m., near the Million Barrel Museum |
| Parade theme | Confirmed: "Christmas Through the Years" |
| Saturday schedule and hours | Not yet posted |
| Ice skating, stage acts, Santa times | Not yet posted; 2025 had skating both days |
| Parade entry fee and deadline | Not yet posted |
Sealy Avenue before the 6 p.m. start
The parade's long middle stretch runs along Sealy Avenue, and that's also where several places on the Chamber's August 2026 restaurant roster are.
- Pho & Italian Restaurant, 117 W. Sealy
- Roma 2 Pasta & Pizza, 203 W. Sealy
- Super Burger, 304 E. Sealy
On North Main, the same roster lists Fermin's at 400 N. Main and El Mexicano at 201 N. Main. For coffee before a Saturday at the Event Center or an afternoon at the Fall Fling, it lists Aurivda Coffee Co. at 810 S. Stockton and Texas Joes Coffee at 111 E. 8th St.
The Chamber's roster doesn't post holiday hours. Call ahead for Dec. 4, since a Friday evening with a parade running down Sealy probably won't be a normal Friday evening for those kitchens.
The dunes run on their own schedule this season
Monahans Sandhills State Park has the one big outdoor draw in town. It isn't adding anything to this calendar.
Texas Parks and Wildlife calls September through March the park's busy season. That covers every date in this post. Even so, the park's events page currently says there are no upcoming events.
The basics, per the TPWD park page:
- Gate hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sand-disc rentals at headquarters: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily
- Admission: $4 per adult per day, free for children 12 and under
The page shows an active alert, but it isn't a closure. It links to a June 13, 2026 screwworm advisory, which is a wildlife and animal-health notice. The park is open.
The Million Barrel Museum is in a similar spot. The Chamber's May 2026 profile says the museum hosts concerts, cook-offs, reunions, festivals and special events alongside its oil, pioneer, railroad and military collections. It doesn't list a specific museum event for October through December. This season, the museum is where the parade lines up, and the parade heads to the Event Center from there.
For a weekend this fall, a typical plan might be a morning on the sand, lunch on Sealy, then an evening on the Parkway.
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