Mount Holly puts on two after-dark events in a row this month. On Friday, October 23, carved jack-o'-lanterns float down Dutchman's Creek. On Saturday, October 24, paper lanterns go down Central Avenue and onto Main Street. The City supplies the park, the lights and the floats, and kayakers tow the pumpkins. Most of the light comes from people who live here. They carve the pumpkins on their kitchen counters and glue the lanterns together over the next two weeks. If you're planning to go, the useful part happens before you leave the house.
Friday's Light Gets Carved at Home and Then Given Away
The Pumpkin Piddle Paddle runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at River Street Park, 300 N. River St. Pumpkin drop-off is from 5 to 7 p.m., and the flotilla starts at about 7:30. Kayakers tow the jack-o'-lanterns down the water. The City's photo collage for the event shows a skeleton in a kayak pulling a line of pumpkins.
Your pumpkin has to meet the City's rules before it's accepted. They're stricter than most front-porch carving:
- Pick a pumpkin about the size of a soccer ball. Mini and giant pumpkins won't be accepted.
- Gut and carve it at home, and bring the lid with it.
- Don't add paint, glitter, marker, plastic or food dye. Decorated pumpkins will be turned away.
- Leave the candle at home. The City supplies a light and a floating device for each pumpkin.
- Take your photos before or during drop-off. Pumpkins aren't returned after the parade.
The ban on decorations is about the water. The guidelines say, "Keeping the creek clear from contaminants is a high priority." That's why a plain carved face is the only design that makes it onto the creek. And because pumpkins aren't returned, the one you carve stays with the event once you drop it off.
Families waiting for 7:30 will find a DJ, a bounce house, the park's playground, food trucks and treat trails around the park. The City suggests bringing chairs or blankets and wearing a costume or something festive.
A Young Tradition on a Small Creek
This is only the third Pumpkin Piddle Paddle. The City announced the first one in September 2024 for Saturday, October 26, 2024. It described a display of jack-o'-lanterns floating down Dutchman's Creek behind River Street Park and said it expected to collect 36 pumpkins. In 2025, the Hello, Gaston newsletter included it in an October roundup, describing glowing jack-o'-lanterns on the water along with music, food trucks, a bounce house and treat trails.
Thirty-six pumpkins is a small first-year goal. On a creek, though, that many lit faces in a row would stretch quite a way. The size of the flotilla depends on how many people show up with a carved pumpkin between 5 and 7. The City hasn't named the kayakers or any paddling group behind them.
Saturday's Lanterns Stay With the People Who Made Them
Saturday works the other way around. At the Lantern Parade, the people who build the lanterns carry them. The City describes the lanterns as fragile and lightweight, and the parade starts at 7 p.m. downtown. This is the ninth one, and the 2026 theme is "The Wide World Of Sports."
The parade started with local artists, not City Hall. The Gaston Gazette credited it to artist Emily Andress and Irish artist Olive Stack and reported that the first parade went down the street in October 2018. Awaken Gallery, at 107 W. Central Ave., now presents the parade with the City of Mount Holly and the Mount Holly Community Development Foundation. The Mount Holly TDA is an ongoing partner.
The sponsorship setup explains who ends up in the parade. Awaken says Stanton Enterprise has been its top sponsor since the beginning. That support lets any Gaston County student who wants to take part do it without worrying about buying supplies. A Gaston County Arts Council grant pays for free lantern-making workshops. Charlotte on the Cheap's 2026 listing says the lineup includes lanterns from regional and local artists as well as elementary, middle and high school students.
Two Weeks Is Enough Time to Build One
Going by today's date, there are 14 days until the parade. Awaken's parade page links to a two-part YouTube series on lantern making (Part 1 and Part 2). It also points builders to a Facebook group called Mount Holly Lantern Makers for tips and questions. Supplies are mostly easy to find:
"Everything can be purchased locally except for the wet strength tissue."
Wet-strength tissue is the one thing that has to be ordered, so if you're building a lantern, order it first. Awaken's page doesn't list workshop dates for 2026, and it doesn't advertise ready-made kits. To find out about workshops this close to the parade, ask the gallery or the Lantern Makers group. A sports theme leaves plenty of room. A pennant, a ball, a jersey or a mascot all qualify.
The Route Runs Past the Gallery That Presents It
According to the 2026 Charlotte on the Cheap listing, the parade lines up at Ida Rankin Elementary School, 301 W. Central Ave. It proceeds down Central Avenue, turns right onto Main Street and ends at the Mount Holly Farmers' Market. Awaken Gallery sits at 107 W. Central, between the starting point and the turn onto Main, so the parade passes the gallery that puts it on.
The City links to a public parking map from the parade page. Updates on weather delays or cancellations go out on the City's Facebook and Instagram accounts. Awaken's page says its parade map is posted further down the same page.
The Stretch of Main Street Where the Parade Ends
The parade finishes on the downtown blocks that have changed the most in the past year. The Holland Restaurant & Wine Bar is at 100 N. Main St., in the old Holland Drug Co. building, and the Gaston Gazette reported it open in August 2025. A few doors south, Black Sheep Coffee and Cleary's Bookstore now share a storefront at 104 S. Main St. The Gazette covered that pairing in late August 2026. Traust Brewing, at 128 S. Main St., has two events on the calendar before parade weekend.
Here's how the next two weeks line up:
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Oct. 11 | Plant Swap & Shop | Traust Brewing, 128 S. Main St. | Noon–4 p.m. |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | Fall Harvest Market, free, with local vendors and makers | Traust Brewing | Noon–5 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Pumpkin Piddle Paddle | River Street Park, 300 N. River St. | 5–8 p.m.; drop-off 5–7, flotilla about 7:30 |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 9th Annual Lantern Parade | Lines up at Ida Rankin Elementary, ends at the Farmers' Market | 7 p.m. start |
That leaves five days between the Harvest Market and Friday's drop-off. That's enough time to buy a soccer-ball-sized pumpkin, carve it and leave it unpainted. It's also enough time for wet-strength tissue to arrive before Saturday's parade.
Weekends like this are part of what our agents mean when they talk about knowing Mount Holly block by block, from the creek behind River Street Park to the end of Main Street. If you're curious how your home fits into a downtown that keeps adding reasons to walk it, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Landmark Properties can give you a local answer to the question "What's My Home Worth?"
