The Holbrook at Town Center on Gilead Road opened more than a year and a half ago. B & Co Hair Salon moved in about a year ago, and this fall the food and drink tenants finally followed. Lake Norman Publications described them in late October as "long-awaited openings" that arrived "more than 18 months after the development opened."
That timing lands right before the town's biggest downtown weekend. The Huntersville Tree Lighting is Friday, December 4, and Holidays in Huntersville follows on Saturday, December 5. Both are at Veterans Park. This year, the hours posted by the businesses on that stretch fit around the town's schedule closely. A resident can plan a whole Saturday downtown, from a morning croissant to a late-night cocktail, without driving out to Birkdale.
What Changed on Gilead Road This Fall
Three businesses account for most of the difference, and each one covers a different part of the day.
- Cocotte, an artisan French bakery and gourmet market that also has a Cornelius location, soft-opened at 111 Gilead Road on Monday, October 12. The menu covers croissants, baguettes, fresh breads, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and lattes. When it opened, its hours were 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesdays.
- Corkscrew Wine Shoppe & Bar is coming back to Huntersville after almost two decades at Birkdale Village. The original location closed at the end of 2022. Its new home is 111 Gilead Rd, Suite B1, the same Holbrook address as Cocotte. The concept serves 30 to 40 wines by the glass, sells hundreds of bottles at retail, and offers craft beer, cocktails, an upscale bourbon list, charcuterie boards and flatbreads. CLTtoday's restaurant roundup lists it among the region's November openings.
- 760 Craft Works, across the street, added a craft cocktail program this fall. It also added Night Swim, a 21-and-older evening on Friday and Saturday nights from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Night Swim has dim lighting, vinyl listening sessions, signature cocktails, and tinned fish and caviar, served alongside the taproom's house beers, wine, THC beverages and non-alcoholic options. The taproom is still family-friendly during regular hours. Night Swim is on 760's weekly schedule now.
Between the three of them, Gilead Road now has a morning bakery, a wine bar and a late-night program, and that covers every part of a holiday weekend day.
How the Hours Fit the Town's Schedule
Here is the holiday weekend with the business hours laid next to the town's event times. Cocotte's hours are the ones reported when it opened.
| Time | Friday, Dec. 4 | Saturday, Dec. 5 |
|---|---|---|
| 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Cocotte open | Cocotte open |
| 3 to 8 p.m. | Holidays in Huntersville at Veterans Park | |
| 6 to 8 p.m. | Tree Lighting at Veterans Park, lighting at 6:30 | Holidays in Huntersville continues |
| 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. | Night Swim at 760 Craft Works | Night Swim at 760 Craft Works |
On Saturday, the hours line up almost exactly. Cocotte closes at 3 p.m., Holidays in Huntersville opens at 3 p.m., and the festival ends half an hour before Night Swim starts. Friday works the same way: the Tree Lighting wraps at 8 p.m. and 760's after-dark program begins at 8:30.
Friday Night, Built Around 6:30
The Huntersville Tree Lighting is free and runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Veterans Park, 201 Huntersville-Concord Road. The official lighting is at 6:30 p.m. The listing also includes live music, rides, sweet and beverage vendors, and Santa's workshop.
For families, Friday is short: get there for the lighting, let the kids do the rides and visit Santa's workshop, then head home. For adults with a sitter booked, the extra half hour after 8 p.m. is where the new Gilead Road businesses come in. Corkscrew's return gives downtown a dedicated wine bar on the Holbrook side of the street, and Night Swim starts at 760 at 8:30. Since Night Swim is 21 and older, it's for the second part of the evening, after the family portion at the park.
Saturday From Breakfast to Last Call
Saturday is the longer day. Holidays in Huntersville runs from 3 to 8 p.m. at Veterans Park, and it's free. Huntersville Parks & Recreation's event listing pairs it with the Friday Tree Lighting. Here's the lineup from the published event details:
- Free children's rides
- Artisan ice sculptures
- Holiday performances by local groups
- Carolers of Christmas Past
- Face painters and balloon twisters
- Roaming holiday characters
- Pictures with Santa
- More than 50 vendors
With 50-plus vendors, the festival doubles as a holiday market. Cocotte's gourmet market offers another option on the same trip, because the bakery sells breads and market goods along with its café menu. Corkscrew's retail side, with hundreds of bottles on the shelves, is an easy stop for anyone picking up a host gift.
One way to string the day together:
- Morning at Cocotte. Get there early, before the croissants sell out. Remember it closes at 3 p.m., before the festival opens.
- Afternoon at Veterans Park. Holidays in Huntersville starts at 3 p.m. Santa photos and the free rides tend to be what families plan around, so arriving at the start gives you the most time.
- Early evening on Gilead Road. Stop at Corkscrew for small plates and a glass of wine, or for a bottle to take home.
- Late night at 760 Craft Works. Night Swim runs 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. for guests 21 and older.
Before you go, check the Town of Huntersville's official channels in case a holiday event detail changes closer to the date. The same goes for any business's hours, since newly opened places often adjust them in their first few months.
The Town Is Betting on This Stretch
This is also the first holiday season with Huntersville's new Town Hall. It opened January 23, 2026, at 14704 N. Old Statesville Road, as Lake Norman Publications reported. The town's recent votes suggest it expects Gilead Road's new activity to keep growing.
At its October 6 meeting, the town board approved a $907,200 preliminary design contract with Shelco LLC for a parking deck directly above the Town Hall parking lot. It also set aside $1 million from the General Fund for design and site preparation. Lake Norman Publications reported that the public deck "will serve Town Hall, Veterans Park and downtown businesses" and is expected to help drive economic development in the town core. In the town's own plans, the park where the holiday events happen and the businesses along Gilead Road are part of the same downtown.
More is planned. The former town hall is set to become a food, beverage and specialty retail destination, with construction scheduled to start in 2027. Next to The Holbrook, the Dumpling Girls food truck plans to open a restaurant. Next to that, Pint and Page, a bookstore combined with a biergarten and café, intends to open.
For this year's holiday weekend, downtown's options are the Veterans Park events, Cocotte and Corkscrew at 111 Gilead Road, and Night Swim across the street at 760 Craft Works.
If you love how downtown Huntersville is filling in and you're wondering which nearby streets would put Gilead Road in your regular weekend plans, I'd be happy to walk through the options with you. Reach out to Ashley Hannah Murphy and schedule your free consultation.
