City Place in Spring opens November with a Water Lantern Festival, a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot and the lighting of a 40-foot floating holiday tree.

Craig Hlavaty, City Place public relations manager, outlined the schedule in a post on Woodlands Online. All events take place on or around The Plaza at 1250 Lake Plaza Drive and are free unless noted.

The month starts Saturday, Nov. 7, with the first Veterans Day Community Bake-Off and Market from 1 to 6 p.m. Area bakers can compete in Organic or Traditional divisions. The Vine & Valor Foundation, a veterans-focused nonprofit, is the event's featured partner, and an open-air market rounds out the afternoon.

At 8 p.m. on Nov. 7, the outdoor film series Pix on The Plaza screens "La La Land" (PG-13), sponsored by The Somerlyn Group.

Eight giant illuminated inflatable gnomes from Australian creative studio Amigo & Amigo remain scattered across the City Place urban core through Sunday, Nov. 8. The installation doubles as a nighttime photo backdrop.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Hard Hats and Tutus Walk and Taste runs from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. along the trails, with taste stations, music and activities benefiting energy-industry support professionals. That evening at 8 p.m., the Houston Cinema Arts Society and NASA present CineSpace on the Plaza, a film screening connecting space exploration and cinema.

The Water Lantern Festival takes over the City Place waterfront Nov. 20-21 from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. each day. Ticketed participants personalize lanterns with messages and drawings, then launch them onto the pond at sunset. Spectators can watch the floating display at no charge.

Each ticket includes a lantern kit, an LED candle and decorating materials. Lantern decorating begins at 5 p.m., with the collective launch from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Crews retrieve every lantern after the event.

Good Books In The Woods, a local bookseller, hosts a pop-up on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with more than 300 new, used and rare titles.

City Place holds its first Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot on Thursday, Nov. 26, from 8 a.m. to noon, in partnership with Give Me A Break Fitness & Wellness Social Club. The event includes a run or walk plus free yoga classes, live DJs and local vendors.

The month closes Sunday, Nov. 29, with the annual Oh, What Fun! Holiday Tree Lighting from 3 to 7 p.m. A 40-foot holiday tree rises from the pond at City Place Park.

A Giant Gingerbread Village returns alongside the tree, featuring a candy-lined path leading to a 16-foot gingerbread house and 12-foot windmill. The free event includes snow, live music, photos with Santa, train rides and a holiday market.

Upcoming City Place November dates:

  • Nov. 7: Veterans Day Bake-Off and Market, 1-6 p.m.; "La La Land" screening, 8 p.m.
  • Nov. 8: Roaming Gnomes exhibition closes
  • Nov. 14: Hard Hats and Tutus Walk, 7:30 a.m.; CineSpace screening, 8 p.m.
  • Nov. 20-21: Water Lantern Festival, 2:30-6:30 p.m.
  • Nov. 21: Good Books In The Woods pop-up, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Nov. 26: Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, 8 a.m.-noon
  • Nov. 29: Oh, What Fun! Holiday Tree Lighting, 3-7 p.m.