Most of Williamson County's announced 2026 holiday parades and tree lightings fall between Friday, Dec. 4 and Monday, Dec. 7. Nolensville, Fairview and Franklin all hold parades on Saturday, Dec. 5. College Grove's parade follows on Sunday and Brentwood lights its tree on Monday. Spring Hill waits until Dec. 12 and is the only town in the group running its parade after dark.
With that many events in so few days, you'll mostly be choosing by start time. Here's how the towns line up, along with the changes worth knowing before you set out a lawn chair.
The published calendar, in order
| Date | Town | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Nolensville | Magical Storytime with Santa and Mrs. Claus | 6 p.m. | Town Hall Board Room |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Nolensville | Tree Lighting | 7 p.m. | Town Hall |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Fairview | Tree Lighting | Time not listed | City Hall |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Nolensville | Holiday Parade | 11 a.m. | Nolensville Road through the Historic District |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Fairview | Christmas Parade | Daytime | Route not listed |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Franklin | Franklin Christmas Parade | 1 p.m. | Historic Downtown Franklin |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | College Grove | College Grove Christmas Parade | 2 p.m. | Lineup at 8607 Horton Highway |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | Brentwood | Christmas Tree Lighting | 5:30 p.m. | John P. Holt Brentwood Library |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Spring Hill | Spring Hill Christmas Parade | 5 p.m. | Main Street, north from Spring Hill Elementary |
| Sat.–Sun., Dec. 12–13 | Franklin | 41st Annual Dickens of a Christmas | 10 a.m. Sat. to 5 p.m. Sun. | Historic Downtown Franklin |
Friday night belongs to the town halls
Both towns holding Saturday parades light their trees the night before. In Nolensville, the Town Events Advisory Committee hosts its Magical Storytime with Santa and Mrs. Claus at 6 p.m. on Dec. 4 in the Board Room at Town Hall. Seats go first come, first served, and each family may bring only one parent. The tree lighting starts outside at 7 p.m. with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a coffee food truck and the Nolensville High School Choir.
Fairview lists its tree lighting at City Hall for the same Friday, Dec. 4. The city's listing gives no start time, so check it again closer to the date.
Saturday, Dec. 5: three parades, staggered across the day
Nolensville steps off first, at 11 a.m. The route starts at Rolling Hills Community Church, runs straight down Nolensville Road through the Historic District and ends on Nolensville Park Road. The town publishes a detour plan for through traffic. Southbound drivers are sent east by way of Kidd Road, McFarlin Road, Fly Road and Rock Springs Road. If a business, church or club wants a spot in the parade, entries are due by 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 30.
Fairview calls its Christmas Parade a daytime event on Dec. 5, with Dec. 12 set as the bad-weather makeup date. That makeup date matters. If the weather pushes Fairview back a week, its parade lands on the same Saturday as Spring Hill's parade and the first day of Dickens.
Franklin starts at 1 p.m. The Downtown Franklin Rotary Club has run the parade since 2023. The club notes that the tradition goes back more than 60 years and is always held on the first Saturday in December, the same weekend as Franklin's Christmas Tree Lighting.
Franklin is running its route in reverse this year
This is the year's biggest change for anyone with a usual curbside spot. The Rotary's 2026 parade rules open with a line telling participants to watch for emails and maps that "note new route direction." The spectator map is titled as a reverse-direction map. It places the start near Church Street and the finish toward North Margin Street, with Main Street in between. If your family always watches from the same block, the floats will now come from the other end. Look at the route map before deciding where to park.
A few more details for Franklin's Saturday:
- Street closures come early. The organizer's rules say streets close at 11:45 a.m. The City of Franklin calendar lists noon. Plan around the earlier time.
- Parking is limited. The Rotary recommends carpooling or being dropped off.
- Candy is handed out, never thrown. Nobody on a float or vehicle may throw anything. Walkers beside the floats can still hand candy to people along the route.
- It runs rain or shine. The parade committee says it will email participants if the weather turns bad.
- There's one Santa only. Santa Claus suits are not allowed among parade entries.
Nolensville starts at 11 a.m. and Franklin at 1 p.m. Franklin's streets close at 11:45, while Nolensville's parade is still on Nolensville Road. Seeing both would take tight timing.
Sunday and Monday spread the county out
College Grove has a Sunday afternoon parade to itself. FranklinIs lists the 2026 College Grove Christmas Parade for Dec. 6 at 2 p.m., with lineup at 1 p.m. at the College Grove Recreation Center and Gym, 8607 Horton Highway. College Grove Athletics is the organizer. Every other parade on the calendar falls on a Saturday, so this is the one that fits a weekend already taken by Franklin or Nolensville.
Brentwood comes last in the cluster and holds a tree lighting instead of a parade. The city's Christmas Tree Lighting runs from 5:30 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7, at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, 8109 Concord Road. Holiday Reading begins earlier, at 4:45 p.m. Tickets for the reading are limited and will be handed out at the library's Children's Service Desk starting in early November. That's only days after this post goes up, and it's the only event on the calendar with an action due in the next couple of weeks.
Saturday, Dec. 12: the only parade after dark
Spring Hill holds the one evening parade among the towns that have posted dates. Spring Hill Daily reports from the city's own pages that the 18th annual Spring Hill Christmas Parade steps off at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, rain or shine. Spring Hill Parks and Recreation puts it on, and only dangerous or severe weather would postpone it. Because the parade runs after dark, every entry is asked to use Christmas lights.
According to the city's parade rules, floats line up beside Spring Hill Elementary School at 5359 S. Main St. The parade heads north on Main Street, which is US 31, to Miles Johnson Parkway, then turns west to Bellshire Way, and floats exit at Lowe's. Spring Hill Daily points to Main Street between the elementary school and Miles Johnson Parkway as the best stretch to watch from.
Spring Hill's rules are stricter than Franklin's. Nothing may be handed out or tossed to the crowd, including by walkers, and no animals are allowed. The city's official Santa and Mrs. Claus ride their own float, and no other entry may include a traditional Santa. The city also says to dress warmly, and Spring Hill Daily suggests bringing a chair. Spring Hill had not announced a 2026 tree lighting as of Spring Hill Daily's Oct. 19 update.
That same Saturday morning, downtown Franklin opens the 41st Annual Dickens of a Christmas. The Heritage Foundation produces the festival, which runs from 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. The City of Franklin's festival listing gives the same dates. Dickens runs during the day and Spring Hill's parade starts at 5 p.m., so you could spend the afternoon on Main Street in Franklin and the evening on Main Street in Spring Hill.
Dates still to come
Several familiar events haven't posted 2026 dates. Thompson's Station's most recent official notice for Holiday at the Station dates from November 2024. That year the Thompson's Station Community Association hosted the event at Sarah Benson Park. The town's 2026 event calendar doesn't list it yet. Leiper's Fork hasn't announced a 2026 Christmas parade, and Arrington hasn't announced a holiday event. Franklin's Christmas Tree Lighting is scheduled for parade weekend, but its exact day and time haven't been published.
For now, the towns that have posted put most of their events between Friday, Dec. 4 and Monday, Dec. 7, then come back for one more Saturday on Dec. 12.
Christy and Ben Reed at The Reed Collective follow Williamson County down to which way the Franklin parade runs this year. If you'd like that same street-level knowledge applied to your own home before the new year, request a free home valuation and we'll show you what it could bring.
