Creekside's Holiday Lights Return To A Mill Street That Looks Different This Year

Five buildings on Mill Street that stood at last year's Holiday Lights Celebration have been torn down, and grass was planted where they stood. As of NBC4's July report, nothing had been built on those lots and no construction date had been set. On Sunday, November 22, Santa will light the tree and set off the fireworks over a Creekside District between two stages: the old buildings are down and the new ones haven't started. For this one season, the city-run plaza and park, along with the restaurants and shops that are still open, carry the whole holiday program on their own.

That shapes how to plan the stretch between now and January 4, starting with a Halloween run that begins Friday, October 23.

What came down, and what was still standing in July

NBC4 reported in July that crews demolished five vacant buildings along Mill Street between January and July 2026. Three were on the west side of the street and two on the east, all just south of Carpenter Road. The city paid for the demolition with a state grant. City spokesperson Dan Pearlman told the station that grass was planted on the lots for erosion control and to make the area "more appealing prior to construction."

As of that July 22 report, one building in the first phase was still standing, at the corner of Mill and Walnut streets. NBC4 reported the city plans to tear it down "in alignment with future grant opportunities."

The Columbus Dispatch reported in November 2025 that Gahanna City Council was moving the roughly $100 million redevelopment forward. The development agreement between Connect Real Estate, Benson Capital and the Gahanna Community Improvement Corporation calls for the cleared lots to become:

• Two seven-story buildings, one on each side of Mill Street
• 263 apartments across the two buildings
• A hotel with 55 to 70 rooms
• Two restaurants, one of them on a rooftop
• A parking garage and a pedestrian bridge linking the two buildings

The plan calls for 24 townhomes in a second phase, on three parcels north of Town Street and south of Walnut Street. As of July those parcels were a city-owned parking area, and that phase can't start until the first one is finished.

As of the July report, the developers had not yet submitted detailed building plans to the city, so there was no construction timeline. The agreement gives them three years to finish the first phase, and that clock starts only after all government and financing approvals are in place.

The plaza runs on the city's schedule

The private project covers the Mill Street parcels. The Holiday Lights Celebration takes place on Creekside Plaza at 117 Mill Street and in Creekside Park, which are city-run spaces with their own separate plans.

The city's Creekside project FAQ describes the public side: a planned amphitheater, an interactive water feature, plaza and park upgrades, and work on the garage and the creek bank. The FAQ describes that public work as still in preliminary design and says the city expected it to begin in fall 2026. It also says the Creekside garage is meant to stay open during construction, with only small interior areas affected. The city's event listing for November 22 includes no notice about construction or changes to access.

That leaves the plaza in an unusual spot this year. It is the one part of the redevelopment the public already uses, and it is hosting the district's biggest night of the year next to grass lots that are waiting for buildings.

The calendar from October 23 through January 4

The late-fall schedule moves around town before it settles at Creekside.

According to the city's September Parks & Recreation newsletter, Goblin Fest at Academy Park includes hayrides, live entertainment, storytelling, s'mores and trick-or-treating. The Gahanna Veterans Memorial Committee presents the Veterans Day Ceremony.

How November 22 is laid out

Visit Gahanna's event page lists Nth Degree as the presenting sponsor and splits the afternoon into two parts. Free activities run across the Creekside District from 3 to 6 p.m.:

• Live music and dance on the Holiday Stage at Creekside Plaza
• Free trackless train rides
• Photos inside a Giant Snow Globe
• A petting zoo and a snow room
• Holiday characters and a stiltwalker
• Face painting and caricatures
• Snow axe throwing
• A festive silent disco

Santa arrives by 6 p.m. to light the tree and set off the fireworks. After that, Visit Gahanna points visitors to a walk through Creekside Park, where the display totals more than 300,000 lights.

Getting there early pays off. The activities wrap up around the time the tree is lit, and the event ends at 6:30 p.m. The display opens every evening starting Monday, November 23, so the park walk can wait for a quieter weeknight, while the stage, train rides and snow globe are on November 22 only.

101 Mill Street is the address to watch

Two businesses already operate at 101 Mill Street: Xochilt Mexican Cuisine and Cold Stone Creamery.

A third is on the way. In August, 614NOW reported that Micheli's Osteria + Wine Bar, a casual, wine-focused Italian restaurant modeled on the restaurants of Florence, was set to open at 101 Mill St. "later this fall." Before opening, the restaurant introduced itself at the Gahanna Chamber of Commerce's Taste of Gahanna. It served roasted porchetta focaccia sandwiches there and ran out of food. It had also taken part in the Creekside Blues and Jazz Fest. As of that report, the final food and wine menus were still being worked out.

That timing matters for this block. A new restaurant is signing on to the existing buildings while the redevelopment parcels nearby are still grass. If Micheli's opens before November 22, it will be part of the first Holiday Lights since the demolition. Check its status before planning dinner around it.

Planning dinner around the display hours

The lights come on at 5 p.m. every night of the display, and Creekside's businesses close at different times. That makes it easy to plan a walk that starts in daylight and ends with dessert.

Before the lights come on. Upper Cup Gahanna, at 121 Mill Street, is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Its doors close right as the display turns on, so coffee works for the afternoon of November 22 but not for an evening walk. Cafe Creekside sits a block off Mill at 53 Granville Street.

Dinner on Mill Street. There are several options within a short walk of the plaza:

• Barrel & Boar Creekside, 121 Mill Street, Suite 130
• Nostalgia Brewing, 81 Mill Street, Suite 150
• Signatures Mill Stone Tavern, 94 Mill Street
• Xochilt Mexican Cuisine, 101 Mill Street

Just around the corner. Marlow's Cheesesteaks, at 93 N. High Street, serves from noon to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On a Friday or Saturday you can get a cheesesteak right up to 9 p.m., an hour before the display goes dark.

After the walk. Cold Stone Creamery at 101 Mill Street is open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. That's later than the display stays lit on any night, so it can be the last stop even after the lights go off.

What to keep an eye on this winter

The private buildings can't begin until the developers submit detailed plans for city review, and as of July those plans had not been submitted. Council meetings and agendas are posted on the City Council calendar, which is the place to watch for Creekside items. Until building plans move forward, the cleared Mill Street lots stay grass, and this year's holiday season takes place on a block with fewer buildings than last year and the same plaza in the middle.

The Perez Team is following the Creekside redevelopment closely, from the cleared lots to the first building plans, because changes like these affect what homes near the district are worth. If you own a home near Creekside and want to know how this block might affect your property's value, Angel Perez can walk you through it. Get a free home valuation and we'll keep you updated as each phase moves forward.