Rural America’s Best Small Town Christmas Parades
Is there anything better than Christmas in a small town? To help you celebrate in small town style, we’ve put together a list of rural America’s best Christmas parades you won’t want to miss. Que the sleigh bells, lighted tractors, and hot chocolate — and let the holiday season begin!
LEIPERS FORK, TENNESSEE
December 14, 2019 • 2:00 pm
Enjoy a good, down home, old fashioned country Christmas parade in the heart of Leiper's Fork (pop. 650). Hailed as "almost famous," see cows, goats, pigs, antique tractors, floats, and more in this wacky but wonderful event! If that wasn’t enough to convince you, let us just throw in that last year’s grand marshal was John Schneider, aka "Bo Duke,” and Kid Rock made an appearance in his tricked out car that once belonged to Hank Williams, Jr. Get all the details here.
PAWHUSKA, OKLAHOMA
December 7, 2019 • 5:30 pm
An annual tradition in Pawhuska (pop. 3,584), Pawhuska’s Old Fashioned Cowboy Christmas features lighted floats that slowly wind their way through the historic downtown area. Join this holiday celebration, complete with a visit from Santa Claus. Enjoy beautiful light displays, horse-drawn carriage rides and pictures with Old Saint Nick. Food and drink vendors will be on-hand, so arrive in Pawhuska early, grab a steaming cup of hot chocolate and secure your seat on the sidelines for a parade that celebrates holiday cheer. Find more details here.
OURAY, COLORADO
December 7, 2019 • 10:00 am
Celebrate the start of the holidays in the charming mountain town of Ouray with the annual community Yule Day celebration. Visit local shops for shopping, special treats, and extended hours. And if shopping’s not your thing, you can take a dip in the hot springs, enjoy the indoor climbing wall, or get a massage or fresh holiday haircut while you are out and about. When night sets in, join around the fire pits for carols, s'mores, and mulled cider for the community Christmas tree lighting, followed by the Main Street Christmas parade and holiday photos with Santa at the Elks Lodge. Get the full schedule of events here.
CALISTOGA, CALIFORNIA
December 7, 2019 • 7:00 pm
Calistoga’s Lighted Tractor Parade is the ultimate small-town holiday celebration honoring the community’s agricultural heritage. Vintage and modern tractors, antique trucks, and construction equipment bedecked with dazzling lights parade down Calistoga’s charming main street to kick off the holiday season. This popular Napa Valley event, which gets bigger and better each year, is perfect for the whole family. Weather forecast for the Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade is 100% chance of snow! Find details here.
ROUND TOP, TEXAS
December 7, 2019 • 9:00 am
What better way to kick off the Christmas season than with an old-time parade around Town Square? The 2019 Round Top Lighted Christmas Parade & Street Dance is a day packed with fun holiday festivities including live music, vintage cars and lighted floats, holiday shopping, food and drinks, a street dance, and the occasional farm animal. It's the most wonderful time of the year — and fun for the whole family. Get the full schedule of events here.
MCADENVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
December 12, 2019 • 5:00 pm
McAdenville, North Carolina, also known as Christmas Town USA, celebrates Christmas all month long. Festivities kick off with the annual tree lighting on December 2, and the town puts on a Christmas light show that draws people from states away. Another Christmas tradition is the Yule Log Parade, an event that began in 1950. Each year, residents and visitors follow the yule log as it is pulled on a sled by children through town. Once the log reaches Legacy Park, the open fireplace is ignited and the Christmas Town Festival begins. Find details here.
DAHLONEGA, GEORGIA
December 7, 2019 • 5:00 pm
There’s absolutely nothing like Christmas in Dahlonega, Georgia. A Downtown Dahlonega Christmas parade — classic Americana and even more classic Christmas — complete with marching band, horses, antique cars, and Santa Claus will make its way through downtown, passing through the Historic Public Square and around Georgia’s oldest courthouse – now the Dahlonega Gold Museum, dating to 1838. The parade also passes by the many retail shops and restaurants downtown where you can find Santa each weekend throughout the holiday season. And don’t miss the massive 30-foot Christmas tree in front of the Visitors Center! Get more info here.
WOODSTOCK, VERMONT
December 14, 2019 • 2:00 pm
Line the streets around the green for a cavalcade of clopping hooves, tossing manes, jolly jingling bells, tall top hats, flowing skirts, and merriness all around at the 35th annual Wassail Parade. Watch as petite ponies and mighty Percherons pass, carrying their cargo of children in candy cane stockings, adults in historic finery, heavy carts, and Santa himself! Last but not least, you’ll find the parade pooper scooper dressed to the nines as he skates through town, shoveling up what the horses left behind. Stay till the crowds depart for an affair that’s Vermont tradition, beauty, and humor all rolled into one. Find out everything you need to know here.
WINTERSET, IOWA
November 29, 1019 • 5 pm
Kick off the holiday season with a visit from Santa Claus, a lighted Christmas parade, live music, and more! Warm up with cocoa, cider, and soup as you anticipate the start of the parade and Santa's official arrival, and venture into the stores on the square to find unique gifts for everyone on your shopping list. Then top the night off with the showing of “Elf” at the Iowa Theater — where admission is free with the donation of a non-perishable food item for the local food pantry.
Stay the weekend and kick off Small Business Saturday on Winterset’s historic town square and visit the Bridges of Madison County! For more information, visit the Madison County Chamber & Welcome Center.
FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS
December 6, 2019 • 6:30 pm
For 20+ years, light, motion, and holiday spirit have blended together to create this signature lighted parade down Fredericksburg's historic Main Street, which is beautifully illuminated for the holiday season. More than 130 entries, including bands, floats, animals, and more take part in the festive Light the Night parade. Here’s everything you need to know.