Gallatin's Christmas season centers on the downtown Square and Main Street, and two groups run most of it: the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce and Historic Downtown Gallatin. What follows is everything they have scheduled for 2026 so far, from a shop-local weekend in mid-November to the parade in mid-December, plus the Hendersonville and Goodlettsville events a short drive away. Plans sometimes shift late in the year, so reopen each linked page the week of the event.
Tinsel & Treasures: November 13 to 15
- Date:
- Friday, November 13 to Sunday, November 15, 2026
- Place:
- Downtown Gallatin retailers
The season opens with the Chamber's Tinsel & Treasures "Shop Local" weekend, Friday, November 13, through Sunday, November 15, 2026. It lands on the second weekend of November each year, and the Chamber traces the tradition back more than 50 years. Participating downtown merchants put out special offers for the weekend.
TubaChristmas: Tuesday, December 1
- Date:
- Tuesday, December 1, 2026
- Time:
- 7:00 pm
- Place:
- Northfield Church, Nashville Pike
- Cost:
- Free
TubaChristmas comes to Northfield Church on Nashville Pike at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, December 1, 2026. The City of Gallatin's page says it costs nothing to attend.
A Merry Little Christmas Market: Saturday, December 5
- Date:
- Saturday, December 5, 2026
- Time:
- 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
- Place:
- The Square, downtown Gallatin
Historic Downtown Gallatin brings back its Merry Little Christmas Market on the Square for a third year on Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Look for live carolers and hot chocolate, and Santa poses for photos during the first hour, 10:00 to 11:00 am. The organizers suggest rounding out the visit at the retailers and restaurants around the Square.
Gallatin Christmas Parade 2026: noon on Saturday, December 12
- Date:
- Saturday, December 12, 2026
- Time:
- 12:00 pm
- Place:
- Main Street and the center of town
The Gallatin Christmas Parade always falls on the second Saturday of December, which puts it on Saturday, December 12, 2026. It kicks off at 12:00 pm, and Santa Claus brings up the rear to open the holiday season. The Chamber calls it Gallatin's favorite holiday tradition, and groups that want a place in the lineup can register through November 22.
A midday parade is over long before dark. That leaves the evening open for a slow drive home past the houses already glowing for the season.
Downtown tree lighting: no 2026 date yet
The City of Gallatin's events page lists a Downtown Gallatin Christmas Tree Lighting among its December events. Dates for 2026 have not been posted yet, on that page or on the Historic Downtown Gallatin calendar, so check back in November.
Lake and Main Street lights near Gallatin
- Deck The Hulls, Hendersonville: on Saturday, December 5, 2026, lit boats set out from Drakes Creek at 5:30 pm, cruise past the judges at Mallard Park and finish at Sander's Ferry Park. The listing runs until 8:00 pm, and it is free to watch. See HolidayFest's boat parade page.
- Date:
- Saturday, December 5, 2026
- Time:
- 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
- Place:
- Drakes Creek to Sander's Ferry Park
- Cost:
- Free
- HolidayFest Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting, Hendersonville: the next afternoon, December 6, 2026, starting at 2:00 pm. Over 80 floats, trailers, dancers and entertainers travel Main Street with Santa last in line, and the Memorial Park tree is lit as soon as the parade is done. See HolidayFest's parade page.
- Date:
- December 6, 2026
- Time:
- 2:00 pm
- Place:
- Main Street, with the tree lighting at Memorial Park
- Candy Cane Village, Goodlettsville: small sponsor-painted houses on the City Hall grounds light up on the night of Friday, December 4, 2026, when the city tree is switched on at 6:00 pm, and stay aglow through the end of December. See the City of Goodlettsville listing.
- Date:
- Friday, December 4, 2026 to the end of December
- Time:
- 6:00 pm
- Place:
- City Hall grounds
The Hendersonville holiday lights guide goes deeper on that lakeside weekend. For every confirmed date across Middle Tennessee, open the Nashville-area holiday lights calendar.
Four weeks of reasons to be lit
Gallatin spreads its season out: the shopping weekend in mid-November, the market on December 5 and the parade a week after that. A roofline switched on for Tinsel & Treasures can stay on through parade day, four weeks later, with nothing to plug in, unplug or reset along the way.
A Gallatin roofline by December 12
Houses a short drive from the Square get more detail on the Gallatin permanent lighting page, and you can send a quote request as the first step toward a roofline that is on for the December 12 parade.