The City of Brentwood hosts two December traditions: a Christmas tree lighting at the library and a citywide night of Neighborhood Luminaries. This guide lists the 2026 dates the city has posted so far, the neighborhoods people drive through to see lights, and a few shows nearby that are worth the trip. Dates can change, so check each organizer's page before you head out.
Christmas Tree Lighting at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, Monday, December 7
- Date:
- Monday, December 7, 2026
- Time:
- 5:30 to 6:00 pm
- Place:
- John P. Holt Brentwood Library, Concord Road
The city's Christmas Tree Lighting listing puts the 2026 lighting on Monday, December 7, 2026, from 5:30 to 6:00 pm at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library on Concord Road.
The lighting itself runs from 5:30 to 6:00, so give yourself time to park and find a spot near the tree before it starts. One note: at the last check, the city's Holiday Events page still showed the 2025 program, so more details for the 2026 evening may still be added. It is worth a second look at the listing in November.
Neighborhood Luminaries, Saturday, December 12
- Date:
- Saturday, December 12, 2026
- Time:
- 6:00 to 9:00 pm
- Place:
- Brentwood neighborhoods citywide
Neighborhood Luminaries is Brentwood's own light night. The city's Neighborhood Luminaries page sets it for the second Saturday of December, from dusk until 9 pm. For 2026 that is Saturday, December 12, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. The city posts a rain date on the same page.
The tradition began with residents in the 1980s, according to NewsChannel 5. The city asks people to consider using glow sticks or flameless candles instead of open flames. That advice matters in a dry year. In 2016, drought conditions meant no live flames at the luminaries, as NewsChannel 5 reported at the time.
The best way to see it is slowly. Drive through a few neighborhoods after dark, or walk your own street and say hello to the neighbors you pass.
Brentwood neighborhoods to drive through for Christmas lights
City Cast Nashville's holiday lights guide, posted on December 10, 2025, names three Brentwood neighborhoods for a drive: Princeton Hills, Fountainhead and McGavock Farms. It says practically every home in them is decorated. The same guide suggests pairing them with Westhaven in Franklin on the same night. Displays change from year to year, so treat last year's list as a starting point rather than a promise.
A few tips for a lights drive in Brentwood:
- Keep your headlights on low and pull fully over if you stop.
- Take it slow. A slow pass shows more than a quick one.
- Stay on public streets and keep clear of driveways.
More holiday lights near Brentwood this season
If you want a bigger show, these are within a drive:
- Holiday LIGHTS at Cheekwood Estate and Gardens: November 20, 2026 to January 3, 2027, 4:30 to 10:00 pm. Details are on Cheekwood's Holiday LIGHTS page.
- Date:
- November 20, 2026 to January 3, 2027
- Time:
- 4:30 to 10:00 pm
- Place:
- Cheekwood Estate and Gardens
- Glow Wild at the Nashville Zoo: nightly from November 13, 2026 through January 3, 2027, 5 to 9 pm. Santa visits nightly from November 27 to December 24.
- Date:
- November 13, 2026 to January 3, 2027
- Time:
- 5 to 9 pm nightly
- Place:
- Nashville Zoo
- FrankTown Festival of Lights in Franklin: a mile-and-a-half course of light displays synced to music at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center, nightly from November 20 through December 31, 2026, 5 to 9 pm.
- Date:
- November 20 to December 31, 2026
- Time:
- 5 to 9 pm nightly
- Place:
- Williamson County Ag Expo Center
For more tree lightings, parades and light shows across the Nashville area, see our Nashville-area holiday lights calendar.
Permanent roofline lighting for Brentwood homes
Brentwood's R-2 zoning district sets a one acre minimum lot, and it covers subdivisions such as Brenthaven, Meadowlake, River Oaks and Indian Point. On a lot that size, the roofline does a lot of the work of showing a home's lights to the street.
Permanent roofline lighting puts LED lights in a track along the eave that stays up all year, and you control it from an app. That means there is nothing to hang each fall and nothing to take down in January. At 6 to 12 hours a day, the system works out to about 10 to 20 years, and an install takes 8 to 10 hours. Each system is covered by the manufacturer's 5-year product warranty and our installers' workmanship warranty.
See what permanent lighting looks like on Brentwood homes on our Brentwood permanent lighting page. Want your own roofline lit for Luminaries night? Request a free estimate and tell us the date you are aiming for.