If you want dinner Downtown and a walk through Wanderlights afterward, which night works? Last winter you would have planned around the lights. This year the lights are the easy part. Wanderlights runs every night from 5 to 10 pm, starting Friday, November 20. Four restaurants opened Downtown this fall, after last season's display had already gone dark, and they keep much tighter calendars.

On a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, all four are serving. On a Tuesday or Wednesday, only two are. That gap matters more than any change to the light display.

The lights run the same hours every night

Wanderlights is free and runs November 20, 2026 through February 14, 2027, from 5 to 10 pm daily. The Columbus Commons calendar lists opening night on Friday, November 20, from 5 to 10 pm. It doesn't list a separate tree-lighting ceremony, so the display simply starts glowing that evening.

The route has the same three stops as last year:

• Columbus Commons, 160 S High St. A 40-foot lit tree, more than 150 lighted trees, decorated garden beds, a tunnel of glowing archways with a snow globe photo-op, and the Nationwide Children's Hospital butterfly light display near the carousel.
• Town Street, 50 W Town St. Illuminated penguins mark the path from the Commons to the Scioto Mile. The historic water tower on top of the Lazarus Building is getting a new lighting treatment this year.
• Bicentennial Park, 233 S Civic Center Dr. The Scioto Mile Fountain is lit by more than 40 sculptural lights and 75 wrapped trees.

The season dates barely moved. Last year Wanderlights ran November 21 through February 15, also from 5 to 10 pm. The lights will be on any evening you pick. The question is where you'll eat.

Four kitchens that weren't here last winter

According to the Columbus Navigator new restaurants guide, these four opened Downtown and in the Discovery District between late September and early October.

SAGE, 114 N. Third St. Sudhir Dubey and chef David Kim opened Rishi Sushi together in 2014. SAGE is their first new restaurant together since then, and it took over the North Third Street room where Rishi used to be. The menu is Asian-inspired: nachos, crab rangoon, gochujang chicken wings and miso salmon, then teriyaki chicken and udon. Columbus Underground reported a September 25 grand opening and hours of 4 to 10 pm on Thursday and 4 to 11 pm on Friday and Saturday. Reservations go through OpenTable.

Ochoa Mexican Grill, 113 E. Main St. This one comes from the team behind The Olde Towne Tavern, Osteria Pizzeria and The Walrus Kitchen & Public House, and it took over the former Pecan Penny's space. The menu runs from tacos, tortas and birria to chile rellenos and enchiladas. There are two patios with firepits, one in front and one in back. Columbus Underground reported that it opened to the public on October 2. Its own site lists hours as open daily, 11 am to 10 pm, and you can reserve online.

Sitara Fine Indian Cuisine, 427 E. Main St. Indian Oven served this stretch of East Main for 25 years before it moved to Delaware in September. The Singh family, who opened Ammar India Restaurant in Zanesville in 2024, took over the space and opened Sitara on October 2. Expect biryani, tandoori dishes, butter chicken and lamb vindaloo, plus a full bar. Reservations are on its website.

The Line, 145 N. Grant Ave. Service Relief, the nonprofit that works on behalf of restaurant workers, opened The Line on October 8 in the former Circle Hall building. It's a working restaurant, bar and café that also serves as a training ground. Matt Heaggans of Preston's Burgers advises the kitchen and PJ Ford runs the bar program. The opening menu included potato rolls with doenjang butter, gnudi and jerked chicken over rice. It takes OpenTable bookings and welcomes walk-ins.

Here's how the hours each restaurant publishes line up across a week:

All four overlap on just three nights a week. Navigator describes SAGE's hours as "short for now," so the left column could fill in later in the season.

Early in the week, East Main does the work

On a Tuesday or Wednesday, your options are Ochoa and Sitara, and their timing lines up with the lights.

Ochoa runs happy hour from 4 to 6 pm Monday through Friday, with half-off margaritas and select appetizers. That fits an early plan: eat at 4:30, then walk over to the Commons once the lights come on at 5. If you'd like to linger, Ochoa's firepit patios give you somewhere warm to sit before or after.

Sitara is the later option. On weekdays it closes between lunch and dinner and reopens at 4:30 pm. Dinner runs until 9:30 pm Monday through Friday. Since Wanderlights stays on until 10, you can walk the route first and still sit down for biryani with time to spare.

Sunday and Monday add The Line, which serves dinner Thursday through Monday and closes Tuesday and Wednesday. On Sunday it serves 5 to 9 pm, so a Sunday night can mean dinner in the Discovery District and the lights afterward, as long as you watch the clock.

Wander Nights run an hour later this year

The biggest schedule change is to Wander Nights, the six December evenings with extra programming. This year they fall on December 4–5, 11–12 and 18–19, from 5 to 9 pm. Last year they ran December 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20 and ended at 8 pm.

That extra hour matters because every Wander Night is a Friday or a Saturday, the nights when all four new restaurants are open. With the activities running until 9, you can eat at 6 and still get to the hot chocolate. Here's what each stop adds on those nights:

1. Columbus Commons: complimentary hot chocolate and carousel rides, live music, food trucks and seasonal DORA drinks from the bar. The Holiday Shoppe is indoors at 65 E State St.
2. Lazarus Building galleria: visits with Santa, seasonal drinks from Kronchy Coffee Bar, gingerbread art with S.U.G.A.R., and free face painting.
3. Bicentennial Park: crackling firepits, DORA drinks from the bar, costumed characters and games.

A free covered trolley runs from 5 to 9 pm on all six Wander Nights. It stops at Columbus Commons, Bicentennial Park and the Lazarus Building galleria, and it also takes riders to the Nationwide Children's Hospital lawn light display.

Friday, December 4 has the most going on. It's the first Wander Night, and it's also Yuletide on Gay, a new one-night event at Gay and High Streets from 5 to 9 pm with illuminated ice sculptures, an outdoor DORA bar, live music and local shops and galleries. All four restaurants are open that night, but it's also the night most likely to fill up, so book ahead.

Getting there and holding a table

A few details for planning the evening:

• Parking: Downtown Columbus points drivers to the Columbus Commons Main Garage at 55 E Rich St.
• Transit: All Downtown COTA routes, Lines 1 through 12, 102 and CMAX, stop near the Commons. You can plan your trip at COTA or in the Transit app.
• Reservations: SAGE and The Line book through OpenTable, Ochoa has a reservation tool on its site, and Sitara takes bookings on its own site. The Line also takes walk-ins.
• Before you go: All four restaurants opened within the past two months, so hours may change. Check each one's own page the day you go, especially around Thanksgiving.

If you're planning a group outing to the lights this season and want to know which night will work best, I'm happy to compare notes. I keep track of what's opening Downtown all winter. You can reach me through Sarah Moore. Let's Connect.