Belmont's two biggest downtown holiday traditions are on weekdays this year. The Christmas Tree Lighting at Old City Hall is Monday, November 30, at 6 p.m. The 77th Belmont Christmas Parade steps off the next afternoon, Tuesday, December 1, at 3 p.m. Every other date on the town's holiday calendar fits around those two, and the weekends end up with a calendar of their own.
The Parade Kept Its Tuesday Slot
The Tuesday slot goes back at least one year. The Gaston Gazette reported that the 2025 Belmont Christmas Parade was also on a Tuesday, December 2, at 3 p.m., with Belmont Rotary Club's longest-serving member, Richard S. "Dick" Cromlish Jr., as grand marshal. This year's parade keeps the same day of the week and the same start time, one week after Thanksgiving.
The Montcross Area Chamber of Commerce organizes the parade and lists it from 115 North Main Street. Downtown Belmont's event listing gives the route: it starts on S. Main Street and continues along Catawba Street. The lineup includes floats, vintage cars, area school marching bands and Santa Claus. Admission is free.
A 3 p.m. start on a school day and a workday changes how the afternoon goes. Anyone hoping to watch from the curb along Main Street will need to sort out the start of the parade with their work schedule or school pickup, because the floats roll before the evening commute does.
The Night Before, at Old City Hall
The tree lighting comes first, on Monday evening. Downtown Belmont lists the 2026 Christmas Tree Lighting at Old City Hall, 115 N. Main St., from 6 to 7 p.m. on November 30, with seasonal treats and caroling. It's free.
Both events share an address. The Chamber's parade listing and the tree lighting both point to 115 North Main Street, so downtown's whole holiday kickoff starts from one Main Street address within about 21 hours. It starts after dark on Monday and is over by Tuesday's dinner hour.
The Weekends Belong to Stowe Park
With the kickoff on weekdays, the Saturdays before and after it get their own programming, most of it at Stowe Park, 24 S. Main St.
Historic Belmont lists two Movies in the Park nights before Thanksgiving, both from 6 to 8 p.m.: Paddington on November 14 and The Muppet Christmas Carol on November 21. Bring chairs or a blanket. On Thursday, November 12, that makes Paddington this Saturday.
Stowe Park changes on the same day as the parade. The Festival of Trees opens December 1 and runs daily through late December. It's free, and dozens of decorated evergreens light the park's paths. Historic Belmont describes trees that "tell stories of family traditions, local nonprofits, and joy that defines the season." The Festival opens on parade day, and the parade starts on S. Main Street, the same street as the park. Spectators who stay downtown after the parade can walk past the newly opened display on their way out.
Main Street gets its own Saturday on December 12. The third annual Bavarian Holiday Fest takes over N. Main Street that Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Here is how the season lines up by day of the week:
| Date | Day | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 14 | Saturday | Movies in the Park: Paddington, 6–8 p.m. | Stowe Park |
| Nov. 21 | Saturday | Movies in the Park: The Muppet Christmas Carol, 6–8 p.m. | Stowe Park |
| Nov. 25 | Wednesday | Bright Lights 5K and Fun Run, 6 p.m. | Daniel Stowe Conservancy |
| Nov. 28 | Saturday | Holidays at the Garden opens, select nights 5–10 p.m. | Daniel Stowe Conservancy |
| Nov. 30 | Monday | Christmas Tree Lighting, 6–7 p.m. | Old City Hall, 115 N. Main St. |
| Dec. 1 | Tuesday | 77th Belmont Christmas Parade, 3 p.m. | S. Main St. and Catawba St. |
| Dec. 1 | Tuesday | Festival of Trees opens | Stowe Park, 24 S. Main St. |
| Dec. 12 | Saturday | Bavarian Holiday Fest, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. | N. Main St. |
Across Town, the Garden Lights Cost Less on Weeknights
The weekday rhythm extends to the other end of Belmont. Daniel Stowe Conservancy, at 6500 S New Hope Road, runs its light exhibit, Holidays at the Garden, on select nights from November 28 through December 30. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m., with final entry at 9 p.m.
The Conservancy's ticket pricing charges less on Monday through Thursday than on general admission dates:
- Monday–Thursday value dates: $24 adult, $18 child ages 2–12
- General admission: $28 adult, $25 child ages 2–12
- Any Night ticket: $33, and it can be moved to another open date
- Children under 2: free
- Active Conservancy members: 15% off
For a household of two adults and two children, a value-date visit costs $84. The same group pays $106 on a general admission date, or $22 more. General tickets are date-specific and nonrefundable. The Conservancy recommends buying ahead and says advance purchase is the only way to guarantee admission. The exhibit also closes on select evenings for private events, so check the ticket calendar before settling on a night.
The Monday tree lighting and the Tuesday parade fall inside the Conservancy's value-date window. That leaves room for a weeknight at the garden lights in the same week as the downtown kickoff, at the lower price.
This year's garden program includes Santa visits, trackless train rides in December, music on selected evenings, the Merry Market, wreath workshops, Santa Paws, Morning with Santa and a Holiday Jazz concert. The nightly Speakeasy returns with new cocktails and updated decor. The Community Trees are decorated by local families, businesses and community partners, the same kind of community-built display that fills Stowe Park downtown.
The garden's first holiday event is also on a weeknight. The Bright Lights 5K and Fun Run is Wednesday, November 25, the night before Thanksgiving. According to the Race Roster registration page, the 5K starts at 6 p.m. and the roughly one-mile Fun Run at 6:45 p.m. Registration includes an after-party at the lights display. As of early November, regular registration was $65.55 for the 5K and $39.05 for the Fun Run. Packet pickup is Tuesday, November 24, and Wednesday, November 25. That's three days before the light exhibit opens to the public.
The Newest Stop on the Parade Route
Woodson's Toys held its grand opening on August 28, 2026, at 25 N. Main St., Suite B, as Hoodline reported. The Gaston Gazette published a photo gallery of the North Main Street shop that same week.
The address puts the toy store on the same stretch of North Main Street as Old City Hall at 115 N. Main St., where the tree lighting happens on Monday night. It's also the stretch, the stretch that hosts the Bavarian Holiday Fest on Saturday, December 12. A shop that opened in late summer will see its first holiday season pass by its front door twice: once on a weekday evening and again on a December Saturday.
If your home sits near the S. Main Street parade route or a short walk from Stowe Park, the team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Landmark Properties can explain what that downtown location means for its value. Ask us "What's My Home Worth?" and we'll walk you through the Belmont numbers.
