At 5:11 p.m. on Friday, December 5, 2025, WJCL posted an update to its roundup of local holiday events. Richmond Hill's 29th Annual Christmas Parade, set for the next morning, was off. WJCL reported that the City canceled the Saturday, Dec. 6 parade because of inclement weather and encouraged residents to attend the town's other holiday events in the weeks that followed. WTOC's Friday events roundup also listed the parade as canceled over weather concerns.
That makes Saturday, December 5, 2026 a do-over. The 30th Annual Christmas Parade steps off at 10:00 a.m., and its theme is "Scenes of the Season," the same theme planned for the parade that got rained out. The July post for the parade on the Living Richmond Hill events calendar says the theme is returning because last year's parade was canceled.
That do-over sets up the whole holiday season. Most of the City's November events lead up to it, and on the morning itself it takes over Ford Avenue for about four hours.
The theme is a holdover, so the entries can be too
Usually a new parade theme means every church group, school club and business starts planning a float from scratch. This year, any group that sketched out a "Scenes of the Season" entry for 2025 has a plan that still works. The City's call for entries invites businesses, nonprofits, schools, churches and community groups to bring the theme to life with floats, performances, marching units and more.
Judging happens in front of City Hall, so the stretch near City Hall is where entries get scored.
Four hours when Ford Avenue belongs to the parade
The parade itself runs about two hours, but the road closures last longer. According to the City's 2026 parade route and detour notice, closures start at 9:30 a.m. and are expected to last through 1:30 p.m., or for as long as the parade runs.
Here is how Saturday morning is scheduled:
- 7:00 a.m. Participant sign-in and staging open at Timber Trail Recreation Complex on Ballpark Road.
- 8:45 a.m. Staging closes.
- 9:30 a.m. Road closures begin.
- 10:00 a.m. The parade starts, and the City says it will start promptly.
- About 1:30 p.m. Closures are expected to lift.
The City lists two closed segments:
- Hwy 144/Ford Avenue, closed in both directions between Cedar Street and Town Centre Drive
- Timber Trail, closed from Plantation Way to Hwy 144
The posted detour goes Town Centre Drive to Brisbon Road to Harris Trail to Hwy 17. That detour runs well out of the way. For anyone with a Saturday-morning errand on the far side of Ford Avenue, the simplest plan is to go before 9:30 or after the closures lift. The full parade route appears on the map in the City's notice, which is the one to check before choosing a spot along the curb.
Timber Trail being closed matters as much as Ford Avenue. Timber Trail Recreation Complex is the staging area, and Timber Trail stays shut from Plantation Way to Hwy 144 during the closure window. Families dropping off a child who's marching need to arrive within the 7:00 to 8:45 a.m. sign-in window, well before the 9:30 closures start.
The other event on Ford Avenue that morning
A Holiday Tour of Homes is listed for December 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Richmond Hill History Museum, 11460 Ford Avenue. The listing doesn't name an organizer, so contact the museum directly about tickets and details.
The tour starts half an hour before the closures begin and runs for hours after they're expected to lift. If you want to do both, it's simpler to plan the tour for the afternoon, after Ford Avenue reopens. That way you avoid the 9:30 to 1:30 window when that road is closed for the parade.
Getting into the parade: the deadlines from here
The early-bird entry rate ended at 5:00 p.m. on October 30. Groups that still want a spot have two pricing tiers left, according to the City's parade entry announcement:
| Entry window | Commercial | Non-profit |
|---|---|---|
| Regular, through Friday, Nov. 13 at 5:00 p.m. | $70 | $45 |
| Late, Nov. 13 at 5:00 p.m. through Thursday, Nov. 19 at 5:00 p.m. | $125 | $125 |
The late fee is a flat $125 for every entry, so a nonprofit that waits past November 13 pays almost three times the regular rate. Non-profit pricing is only available to registered 501(c)(3) organizations, and the City says it will accept no entries after 5:00 p.m. on November 19.
That final deadline lands at the same hour the City's biggest November event begins.
November 19: the deadline and the tree lighting at the same hour
The 2026 Tree Lighting & Winter Market runs Thursday, November 19, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at J.F. Gregory Park. It's free, and the City lists holiday market vendors, the tree lighting, live entertainment, food trucks, photos with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and trackless train rides.
The event is earlier than last year. In 2025, Bryan County News reported the tree lighting on Friday, November 21, and named the Richmond Hill Farmers Market as a partner. This year it falls on a Thursday two calendar days earlier, with a schedule that starts and ends 30 minutes earlier than in 2025, and the City lists itself as host.
For any group still deciding whether to enter the parade, that Thursday is the last day to register. Paperwork is due at 5:00 p.m., the same time the gates open at the park.
The rest of the season, in date order
The parade is the only event on the calendar that weather has already canceled once, and the rest of the season is spaced out around it. These are the dated events between now and mid-December:
- Wednesday, Nov. 11. The City's Veterans Day Ceremony runs 11:00 a.m. to noon at J.F. Gregory Park, 521 Cedar Street.
- Thursday, Nov. 19. Tree Lighting & Winter Market, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., J.F. Gregory Park.
- Saturday, Nov. 28. The Richmond Hill Convention and Visitors Bureau's event list includes a Belhaven Holiday Market at 1000 Belfast River Road on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The listing gives no hours, so check before you go.
- Thursday, Dec. 3. The Wellspring Group's sixth annual Party with a Purpose Christmas Market is at The Outfitters at Heartwood, 35 Outfitters Drive. Participating vendors donate to Good Friends of Bryan County, and Wellspring says it will match those donations. The event listing gives two different time windows, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 to 7:30 p.m., so confirm the hours with the organizer.
- Saturday, Dec. 5. The 30th Annual Christmas Parade at 10:00 a.m., with the Holiday Tour of Homes running 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from the Richmond Hill History Museum.
- Saturday, Dec. 12. Fort McAllister State Park holds its 162nd Winter Muster Reenactment from 10:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Encampments set up on Friday, December 11, and the battle is listed for 4:40 p.m.
The Winter Muster comes the Saturday after the parade, which makes the first two Saturdays of December a pair. One brings Ford Avenue's floats and marching units, and the next brings Fort McAllister's reenactors, with the battle set for late afternoon, close to sunset.
If the forecast turns again
Last year's parade was called off the afternoon before it was supposed to start. WJCL's update went up at 5:11 p.m. on Friday. If rain shows up in the forecast for the first weekend of December, Friday evening is when to check the City's news page and local TV for an update, both before staging opens at Timber Trail and before you plan your Saturday drive around the Ford Avenue closures.
If your family is coming in for the parade, or you're working out which side of Ford Avenue you'll want to be on that Saturday morning, call or text Paul Armitage. I'm glad to help with local questions, holiday plans included, and I'm always happy to put together a free home valuation if you're curious what your place is worth this season.
