Two miles from Haddon Avenue, Haddon Heights voters ended their borough's 120-year dry status on November 5, 2024. Almost two years later, the corner of Station Avenue and the White Horse Pike has one awarded liquor license and a restaurant space with no tenant.
That timeline matters for Collingswood this fall. The borough's ballot question on alcohol sales carries a November 3 election date, and the holiday season starts on Haddon Avenue 24 days later. Whichever way the count goes, the tree lighting, the parade, the Nutcracker and the December dinners in between will follow the same pattern as every other year. Diners bring their own bottle.
What the Ballot Actually Asked
The question on Collingswood's official sample ballot was narrow. It asked whether retail sales of alcoholic beverages for consumption on licensed premises, "by the glass or other open receptacle," should be permitted. The ballot gives no license count.
The number comes from New Jersey's population-based cap. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the cap allows one license for every 3,000 residents. That would let Collingswood issue up to four retail consumption licenses for restaurants or bars, or one distribution license for a liquor store. NJ.com counted it differently and described the borough as eligible for roughly three consumption licenses plus one distribution license. Under either count, the ceiling is a handful of licenses for a downtown that runs on BYOB.
The question reached the ballot by a thin margin. The Inquirer reported that the borough verified 1,019 signatures from recent Collingswood voters, eight more than required. A residents' group called Booze on the Ballot gathered them in about three weeks, some of them at the Saturday farmers market. Organizer Joe Sperlunto told the paper the group took no position and "just felt like it was time for the community to make a decision about it."
The ballot question drew views on both sides. Franco Lombardo, owner of the BYOB Sapori Trattoria Italiana, told 6abc he would apply for a license. A resident who opposed the change told the station she values the town's quieter streets.
Why a Yes Vote Doesn't Reach the Table by December
After a referendum passes, a town still has to write an ordinance, choose how to award licenses and find a bidder. The Haddon Heights record shows every step that follows, with a date for each one.
| Step in Haddon Heights | Date |
|---|---|
| Voters approve alcohol sales, 2,310 to 1,420 | November 5, 2024 |
| License ordinance introduced | October 21, 2025 |
| Ordinance adopted after public hearing | November 5, 2025 |
| Council prequalifies the only bidder, Station Avenue Partners | September 1, 2026 |
| Public auction scheduled | September 15, 2026 |
| First license awarded, for $200,000 | October 2026 |
The ordinance passed exactly one year after the vote. Then the borough cut its minimum bid from $400,000 to $200,000 and drew a single prequalified bidder. The Retrospect reported the award in late October 2026. Even after that, the restaurant is still a step away. Developer Gary Farrell told The Inquirer that the 2,750-square-foot first-floor space at 501–503 Station Ave. would probably be the last part of the project finished. He expected the building to be done "by February," with the future tenant handling the final fit-out. He also said he would wait until the license was in hand before marketing the space to the restaurant groups he had talked with.
Moorestown's wait was longer. As PhillyVoice recounted, voters there approved alcohol sales in a 2011 referendum, and more than a decade passed before the town got its first license. Super Buy Rite opened at Moorestown Mall in 2024.
Collingswood's own officials have described a process that could move faster. Borough solicitor Caitlin Harney Norcia said earlier this year that after a referendum passes, "repealing any kind of prior restrictions could all be done relatively easily," according to The Inquirer. That covers the ordinance. Licenses come after it, and the borough would still need to pick a method. Harney Norcia described two options. One is competitive bidding, which brings in one-time revenue. The other is an application-and-review process with annual fees and public presentations by prospective licensees. Borough Administrator Cassandra Duffey has said the commissioners want to avoid upsetting the balance among existing restaurants. Even on the faster path, a license would then need a tenant, a build-out and a first pour, and none of that fits before Christmas.
BYOB also stays legal if licenses are issued. Mayor Daniela Solano-Ward said so at the commissioners' August meeting, calling the opposite belief a popular misconception, according to The Inquirer's coverage. So the 2026 season plays out on familiar terms. Book the table at a place like June BYOB at 690 Haddon Ave., and stop for a bottle on the way.
The Season, Weekend by Weekend
With licenses still months away at the earliest, the season looks the way it always does. The borough's holiday event calendar fills the space between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Saturday, November 21. Handmade Holidays takes over the Collingswood Farmers' Market from 8 a.m. to noon, with the Collingswood Cash Bonus Sale and Tailgate at 9 a.m. The market's own schedule runs Saturdays from May through Thanksgiving, so this is one of the last regular mornings of the year. That evening, A Magical Motown Christmas plays the Scottish Rite Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
Thanksgiving weekend. The Tree Lighting at Borough Hall starts at 7 p.m. Friday, November 27. Santa comes down from the roof on the Collingswood Fire Department's ladder truck, and local choral groups sing. Live ice carving runs from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Millennium Clock at Haddon and Irvin avenues, and Santa takes visits for free at Extraordinary ED, 808 Haddon Ave. On Saturday, November 28, the 38th annual Holiday Parade steps off at 10 a.m. at Zane Avenue and runs to West Linden Avenue. The same day is Small Business Saturday. Matteo Bocelli closes the weekend at the Scottish Rite at 6 p.m. Sunday.
December 4 through 6. Fire trucks and floats strung with lights circle Knight Park for the Parade of Lights at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Caroling runs from 6 to 8 p.m., and Shaun Cassidy Unwrapped plays the Scottish Rite at 8 p.m. Will Downing performs Saturday at 8 p.m. On Sunday, Upcycle Fitness hosts Sensory Santa from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
December 11 through 13. Home Free brings Coming Home for the Holidays to the Scottish Rite at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Penn Pipers carol Saturday evening, and the Collingsweird Holiday Bizarre fills the Collingswood Grand Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
December 18 through 20. Tricia Sloan Dance Studio's The Nutcracker runs five performances, opening Friday at 7:30 p.m. and continuing at the Scottish Rite with shows at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 6 p.m. Sunday.
The borough schedules extended shopping hours every Friday and Saturday in December and makes downtown parking free all month. Santa keeps weekend hours at Extraordinary ED through December 20.
The Avenue Itself Should Be Clearer by Parade Day
The other change on Haddon Avenue this fall involves orange cones, not liquor licenses. The first phase of Camden County's $3.5 million Haddon Avenue Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project started September 21 between Cuthbert Boulevard and Bryant Avenue. It brought lane closures Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The borough's notice said the initial phase would continue through approximately November, and the remaining stages are not scheduled to start until spring 2027. The full project includes new traffic signals at Collings Avenue, Cuthbert Boulevard, Crystal Lake Avenue and Maple Avenue.
The closures were limited to weekday daytime hours, so the season's main events fall outside them. That includes the Friday-night tree lighting, the Saturday-morning parade and every Scottish Rite show. The roadwork resumes in spring 2027. Whatever comes of the licenses would likely arrive in the same window, sometime after the holidays.
One new name may also be open by then. Pizzeria Cusumano announced it expected to open at 872 A Haddon Ave. in October 2026, 42 Freeway reported, though no exact date was announced.
If the license debate has you wondering what it could mean for your block or your home's value, the Ray Moorhouse Real Estate Group watches these Haddon Avenue changes the way we watch sold comps. We're glad to walk through what's actually moving in Collingswood and what that means for your home. Start with one question, and we'll give you a clear, local answer: What's My Home Worth?
