Holiday lights and Christmas events in Tupelo 2026

Last checked Oct. 26, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Facts come from Tupelo Parks and Recreation’s 2026 Leisure Service Guide (PDF), the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association, Visit Tupelo’s events calendar and the organizers linked below.

Tupelo’s Christmas season starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026, when Tupelo Parks and Recreation switches on the Christmas lights around Ballard Park. The displays are still lit for a glow-in-the-dark family bike ride through them on Dec. 5. Santa makes stops downtown and at the Oren Dunn City Museum.

The Christmas parade has its own page: Reed’s Tupelo Christmas Parade, 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11.

At a glance

• Sun. Nov. 8, 1 to 5 p.m.: Downtown Holiday Open House, Santa photos
• Thu. Nov. 19, 6 p.m.: Ballard Park lighting, Festival of Christmas Trees, Santa and Mrs. Claus
• Sat. Nov. 21: Deck The Depot holiday market
• Sat. Dec. 5, 5 to 7 p.m.: Kaleido-Spoke Glow Bike Ride, Ballard Park
• Dec. 10-12: A Christmas Carol, Lyric Theatre
• Sat. Dec. 12: Christmas with the NMSO, 3 and 7:30 p.m.
• Parks and Recreation: 662-841-6440

Christmas lights

Ballard Park lighting and Festival of Christmas Trees. The city’s annual lighting is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, near the Parks and Recreation office in Ballard Park, 655 Rutherford Road. The Parkway Voice Wave choir sings, the Oren Dunn City Museum holds an open house with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and two Parkway students help start the fireworks and “flip the switch” that turns on the lights around the park and its Christmas trees, the department’s guide says. It is free.

Anyone can enter a tree in the Festival of Christmas Trees: families, churches, businesses, sororities, fraternities and civic groups fill out a registration form at the Parks and Recreation office at Ballard Park to adopt a tree and decorate it, in honor of someone or to a theme. It is free.

Kaleido-Spoke Glow Bike Ride. The second annual ride takes families through the Ballard Park Christmas light displays from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Santa’s elves hand out free glow sticks and candy canes, kids can decorate their bikes with glow sticks, and there is a dance party, a food truck and a snow machine. The department encourages every child to wear a helmet.

No other public light display in Tupelo had announced 2026 dates by Oct. 26. Neighborhoods and businesses that put on a show can tell us.

Santa visits

• Downtown Holiday Open House, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8: Santa is downtown for photos while stores show off their holiday windows. Free. (details)
• Oren Dunn City Museum open house, Nov. 19, with Santa and Mrs. Claus during the Ballard Park lighting.
• The Mall at Barnes Crossing: the mall’s Santa page lists photos with Santa from Nov. 22 to Dec. 24, with reservations recommended, but on Oct. 26 its day names matched last year’s calendar. Confirm the 2026 hours before you book.
• Tombigbee State Park, about six miles south of Tupelo: Santa and the Grinch visited from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, with photos, treats and letters to Santa, included with park admission, the state parks event page says. The 2026 date is not out yet; call 662-842-7669.

Shows and concerts

• A Christmas Carol, Tupelo Community Theatre, at the Lyric Theatre, 201 N. Broadway St.: 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, and Friday, Dec. 11, and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Tickets $30 for adults, $10 for students and children, from tctlyric.com. (listing)
• Christmas with the NMSO, North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra with the Itawamba and Northeast Mississippi community college choruses and the NMSO Children’s Chorus, at the THS Performing Arts Center, 4125 Golden Wave Drive: 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Tickets $35 for adults, $20 for students and $10 for children 10 and under. (listing)

Note that A Christmas Carol’s Friday show and the Christmas parade are the same night, Dec. 11.

Museum exhibit and markets

• Rich Toys Christmas Exhibit, Oren Dunn City Museum, Ballard Park: Nov. 16 to Dec. 31. The museum is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday with free admission; call 662-841-6438.
• Deck The Depot, Saturday, Nov. 21, at The Depot, 208 N. Front St.: a holiday market with pop-up shops, food trucks, holiday photos and kids’ crafts. (details)

More shopping dates are on our Black Friday and holiday shopping page.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown Friday, Dec. 4. No public menorah lighting in Tupelo had been announced by Oct. 16. Congregations and groups that hold one can send us the details.

What this means for you

• Put Nov. 19 on the calendar: the lights, Santa and fireworks are all free.
• Bring the bikes on Dec. 5, and helmets.
• Book Christmas Carol and NMSO tickets early; both run the parade weekend.

Related: Christmas parade and tree lighting, New Year’s Eve in Tupelo and things to do this month.

Frequently asked questions

When does Ballard Park light up for Christmas in 2026?

Tupelo Parks and Recreation’s Annual Christmas Lighting is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026, near the Parks and Recreation office in Ballard Park, with a choir, Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Oren Dunn City Museum and fireworks.

Where can kids see Santa in Tupelo?

Santa is at the Downtown Tupelo Holiday Open House from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, and with Mrs. Claus at the Oren Dunn City Museum open house on Nov. 19. The Mall at Barnes Crossing lists Santa photos from Nov. 22 to Dec. 24, but confirm the 2026 hours; on Oct. 26 its page still matched last year’s calendar.

What is the Kaleido-Spoke Glow Bike Ride?

A family bike ride through the Ballard Park Christmas light displays from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, with free glow sticks and candy canes, bike decorating, a dance party, a food truck and a snow machine. Helmets are encouraged.

When is the Tupelo Christmas parade?

Reed’s 78th Annual Tupelo Christmas Parade is at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, 2026, downtown. Details are on our Christmas parade page.