Most of downtown Murfreesboro's holiday calendar for 2026 opens on two nights. On Friday, Nov. 6, a Main Street shopping evening, a monthlong shop-local promotion and a Center for the Arts musical all begin together. On Friday, Dec. 4, the courthouse tree lighting, the first evening of Cannonsburgh Village's candlelit holiday evenings and the opening of Frozen land on the same night. The Christmas Parade on Sunday, Dec. 13, is the one big event that doesn't fall on a first Friday.
So the way to plan the season is to figure out what you can fit into those two Fridays, and in what order.
Friday, Nov. 6: Shopping and the Stage Open Together
The season begins about a week after Halloween. Main Street Murfreesboro's Sip, Shop & Stroll Downtown After 5 Holiday Edition runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 6, with downtown storefronts decorated and open into the evening for holiday décor and gift shopping. Main Street points shoppers to the two downtown parking garages and to street spaces, which have no time limit in the evenings or on weekends.
The same evening starts Main Street's holiday Biz Bucks promotion, which runs Nov. 6 through 30 at participating Rutherford County businesses, downtown shops among them. If you're shopping downtown that Friday, you're shopping on the first day of the promotion, and its full schedule is on Main Street's Shop Small page.
The same night, the Center for the Arts opens The Wizard of Oz, rated G, which runs Nov. 6 through 15 according to the theater's 2026 main stage season. The season page lists dates without curtain times, so check the ticket page before you plan dinner around a show. For a family, Nov. 6 can be an early shopping walk followed by a G-rated musical.
Friday, Dec. 4: Three Openings in One Evening
Four weeks later, everything comes back to a first Friday, and this one is busier. Main Street Murfreesboro describes Celebrate Christmas Downtown as happening "on the first Friday night of December" around the historic Rutherford County Courthouse. Middle Tennessee Electric presents the lighting of the county Christmas tree. In 2025 the event fell on Dec. 5, also the first Friday, at the same courthouse location.
That same evening, Cannonsburgh Village at 312 S. Front St. opens the first of its six A Charming Christmas at Cannonsburgh evenings, and the Center for the Arts opens Frozen, also rated G, which runs Dec. 4 through 20.
Here is how the Dec. 4 schedule plays out by the hour, using the published times:
- 4 p.m. Cannonsburgh opens its gate for the 4-to-8 p.m. holiday hours. The Public Square's parking closes at the same hour.
- 6 p.m. Celebrate Christmas Downtown begins with free children's activities and carriage rides.
- 6:30 p.m. Stage performances start. Main Street describes an hour-long program of choir music, dancing and acting, ending with Santa lighting the tree.
- 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Santa moves inside the courthouse for free photos while activities and entertainment continue outside.
- 8 p.m. Cannonsburgh's holiday hours end for the night.
Square parking closes two hours before the tree-lighting crowd shows up, so anyone who usually parks around the courthouse needs another plan. Main Street directs drivers to the Civic Plaza and County Judicial parking garages. And Cannonsburgh's four-hour window overlaps the entire courthouse program. The early slot at the village, from 4 p.m. until the 6 p.m. start on the Square, is the only part of the evening that doesn't compete with the tree lighting.
Main Street's listing also mentions a live nativity, caroling and an invitation to stay for dinner and shop downtown's stores. The Frozen season page doesn't list opening-night curtain times, so if you want both the tree lighting and the show, check the theater's schedule first.
Why Cannonsburgh Is Easier to Fit In on Other Weekends
Dec. 4 is the hardest of Cannonsburgh's six evenings to fit in, and it's also the one that matters least, because the village repeats. The holiday hours run Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 5, 11 and 12, and 18 and 19. The City's listing describes candle-lit rooms with rustic holiday décor, light displays, carolers, music, letters to Santa, holiday crafts, demonstrations and some special guests.
Evening admission is $5 per person, and children 5 and under get in free. Tickets are sold online or at the gate. Daytime visits stay free on the regular schedule, Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and include a walk through the village and its decorated buildings.
That gives the village two very different uses. If you want the lights, the carolers and the after-dark atmosphere, go on Saturday, Dec. 5, or one of the later weekends, when nothing else on the Square is pulling at the same hours. If you have a weekday off or out-of-town guests to entertain, the free daytime hours let you see the decorated buildings without a ticket.
The format matches last year's. In 2025 the City ran the same six Friday and Saturday evenings, Dec. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20, from 4 to 8 p.m. for $5. The 2026 dates simply moved to the matching Fridays and Saturdays.
The Parade Doesn't Follow the Pattern
The second weekend of December is built around the one big event that isn't on a first Friday. Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation will hold the 2026 Murfreesboro Christmas Parade on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m. The route starts at the intersection of Middle Tennessee Boulevard and Main Street and ends on Walnut Street, one block past the Public Square. This year's theme is "A Country Christmas."
The 2025 parade was on Sunday, Dec. 14, with the theme "A Sweet Christmas" and the same Main Street-to-Walnut Street route. Both years landed on the second Sunday of December, so the one-day shift is just the calendar. Registration for parade entries is open now through the City's registration page.
This makes Dec. 11 through 13 a full weekend. Cannonsburgh runs Friday and Saturday evening, Frozen is in its second weekend at the Center for the Arts, and the parade comes down Main Street on Sunday afternoon.
The Season at a Glance
| Date | Event | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Sip, Shop & Stroll Holiday Edition | Downtown | 5–8 p.m. | Not listed |
| Nov. 6–30 | Biz Bucks holiday promotion | Participating Rutherford County businesses | Store hours | Not listed |
| Nov. 6–15 | The Wizard of Oz | Center for the Arts | See theater | See theater |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Celebrate Christmas Downtown | Rutherford County Courthouse | From 6 p.m. | Free children's activities |
| Dec. 4–20 | Frozen | Center for the Arts | See theater | See theater |
| Dec. 4–5, 11–12, 18–19 | A Charming Christmas at Cannonsburgh | 312 S. Front St. | 4–8 p.m. | $5; 5 and under free |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Murfreesboro Christmas Parade | Main St. to Walnut St. | 2 p.m. | Free to watch |
What Hasn't Been Scheduled Yet
A few traditions from last season don't have 2026 dates yet. Plan around the confirmed events above and fill these in once they're announced.
- The free drive-through lights. In 2025 the City ran a free drive-through Christmas lights display in the Greenway parking lot every night from Dec. 5 to 25. The 2026 Cannonsburgh listing describes only the paid walk-through evenings so far.
- The Cannonsburgh holiday market. Last year's market ran Dec. 6, 2025. The 2026 village listing doesn't mention one yet.
- Stones River's battle anniversary. Stones River National Battlefield marked its 163rd anniversary with programs from Dec. 26, 2025, through Jan. 2, 2026. Those included real-time walks on Dec. 31 at 10 a.m. at the Slaughter Pen, 1 p.m. at Hell's Half Acre and 3 p.m. at the Cotton Field. The park hasn't posted a 2026 schedule yet. For something sooner, its ongoing Hallowed Ground lantern walk through Stones River National Cemetery is ranger-led and requires a reservation.
If the drive-through lights come back on last year's schedule, they would start Dec. 5, the second evening of Cannonsburgh's run, and keep going every night through Christmas.
If you're hosting family downtown this December, or deciding which Friday to keep open on your calendar, The Phillips Group is glad to share where we'd park, eat and stand for the tree lighting on Dec. 4. Start Your Home Search with us, or just reach out with a question about the season.
