Mount Juliet's tree lighting is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Veterans Park. The Christmas parade is 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, on Mt. Juliet Road.

Last checked Oct. 27, 2026. Updated each year. Facts on this page come from the City of Mt. Juliet’s Christmas Parade, Events and Christmas in the Park pages and the Mt. Juliet Police Department’s 2025 parade traffic plan. Parks and Recreation: 615-758-6522.

Updated Oct. 27: the city’s calendar now shows Christmas in the Park running Dec. 1 to Jan. 4, a walking trail of decorated, sponsored Christmas trees.

Mount Juliet’s Christmas season has three city dates. The Christmas tree lighting is 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Veterans Park by the clock tower. Christmas in the Park, a trail of decorated Christmas trees at Charlie Daniels Park, opens Tuesday, Dec. 1, and runs to Jan. 4. The Mt. Juliet Christmas Parade steps off at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, on N. Mt. Juliet Road, with a rain date of 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13.

Who to call

  • Parade and park events: Mt. Juliet Parks and Recreation, 615-758-6522, 1075 Charlie Daniels Parkway
  • Traffic and road closures on parade day: Mt. Juliet Police non-emergency, 615-754-2550

Tree lighting: Tuesday, Nov. 17

  • When: 5 to 7 p.m.
  • Where: Veterans Park (the clock tower), 22 E. Division St.
  • Santa: pictures with Santa from 5 to 6 p.m.
  • Presented by: Shiloh Baptist Church

The details come from the city’s 2026 tree lighting flyer on its Events page. The same page also lists Home for the Holidays on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Christmas in the Park: Dec. 1 to Jan. 4

The city’s Christmas in the Park opens Tuesday, Dec. 1, at Charlie Daniels Park, 1075 Charlie Daniels Parkway. On the city’s calendar the city describes it as the walking trail at the park decorated with Christmas trees sponsored by local businesses and individuals, listed from 8 a.m. Dec. 1 to 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4. No opening ceremony time has been posted.

The parade: Saturday, Dec. 12

  • Start: 11 a.m. at West Wilson Middle School
  • Route: N. Mt. Juliet Road to E. Division Street, about 1.4 miles, ending near Veterans Park, the clock tower and the train depot
  • Rain date: Sunday, Dec. 13, at 1 p.m.
  • Theme: “A Holly Dolly Christmas”
  • Grand marshal: to be announced
  • Entries: mandatory drivers’ meetings for parade entries are at 6 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11 at the Mt. Juliet Community Center gym; entries register through the city’s parade page.

Road closures

The 2026 traffic plan had not been released when this page was checked. In 2025, the police department closed N. Mt. Juliet Road from Weston Drive to E. Division Street from 10:45 a.m. until about 12:30 p.m., and said parade traffic was expected to clear around 1 p.m. It suggested these routes around the closure:

  • The Golden Bear Gateway bypass
  • Curd Road
  • S. Greenhill Road to Division Street, Pascal Drive, Page Drive, Old Lebanon Dirt Road, Chandler Road and Central Pike

The department also posted a map of the route and advised parade-goers to arrive well before the road closes to find parking.

Parade safety

From the police department’s 2025 advice:

  • Stay out of the road and do not chase candy that lands near the floats.
  • Do not cross between floats; keep a safe distance from floats, vehicles and performers.
  • Stay behind barricades and cones and listen to public safety officials.
  • Pack a jacket and an umbrella.

Also this holiday season

  • Saturday, Nov. 14: Home for the Holidays, on the city’s Parks and Recreation events list.
  • Saturdays, Nov. 14 and 28 and Dec. 5 and 19, 2 to 4 p.m.: the city’s free Hibbett Hall train museum in Charlie Daniels Park is open; see history and landmarks.
  • Dec. 29 to Jan. 1: the only days the city code allows consumer fireworks for the new year: 5 to 10 p.m. Dec. 29 and 30, and 5 p.m. Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. Jan. 1. See Fourth of July fireworks for the rules.

What this means for you

  • Tree lighting Nov. 17 at the clock tower; Santa photos are the first hour.
  • Parade morning, avoid Mt. Juliet Road between Weston Drive and Division Street.
  • Watching? Arrive before 10:45 a.m., when the road closes.

More: things to do this month and getting around Mount Juliet.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Mount Juliet Christmas parade 2026?

Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, at 11 a.m. The rain date is Sunday, Dec. 13, at 1 p.m. This year’s theme is “A Holly Dolly Christmas.”

What is the Mount Juliet Christmas parade route?

About 1.4 miles along N. Mt. Juliet Road from West Wilson Middle School to E. Division Street, ending near Veterans Park, the clock tower and the train depot.

When is the Mount Juliet Christmas tree lighting?

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Veterans Park (the clock tower), 22 E. Division St., with pictures with Santa from 5 to 6 p.m.

What roads close for the Mount Juliet Christmas parade?

In 2025, N. Mt. Juliet Road closed from Weston Drive to E. Division Street from 10:45 a.m. until about 12:30 p.m. Police suggested Golden Bear Gateway or Curd Road instead.