Braselton's Holiday Season Now Starts on a Friday Night

Last November, Braselton held its holiday season opener in one long day. The parade started at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, the marketplace on the Town Green stayed open until 7 p.m., and the day ended with the annual tree lighting and a drone show.

This year the tree has its own night. The town's festival listing says it plainly: "NEW for 2026 - The annual tree lighting ceremony has been rescheduled." The lighting is now a separate Tree Lighting Celebration on Friday, Nov. 20, the evening before the parade.

That one change splits the season into two tracks. The Saturday events are daytime ones: the parade, the marketplace, a 5K, an antiques market. The evening events start on Nov. 20 and run into the week before Christmas, and many of them fall on weeknights. When you plan the next six weeks, decide first which track you're planning for.

What Moved, and What Stayed Put

Here is the opening weekend, last year and this year.

The festival also lands six days later on the calendar than last year's, which puts it the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The parade route hasn't changed. Neither 2026 listing mentions a drone show.

Friday, Nov. 20: The Tree Gets Its Own Evening

The Tree Lighting Celebration runs from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Braselton Town Green in Historic Downtown Braselton, at 9924 Davis St. The town calls it an inaugural event and, for now, lists it as a save-the-date, without a program.

The parking plan matches festival days. The town lists two lots:

• The parking deck at 40 E. Lake Dr.
• The Municipal Complex at 4982 Hwy 53
• The Braselton Trolley runs its regular route from 5 to 11 p.m. that night, and rides are free. You can park near any stop and ride in.

On Friday the trolley runs from 5 to 11 p.m., and on Saturday it runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Those hours fit what each day is for: Friday is an evening event, and Saturday covers the whole day.

Saturday, Nov. 21: A Daytime Festival That Wraps at 6:30

Without the tree lighting, the Celebrate the Holidays Parade & Festival is a daytime event that ends at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. Marketplace vendors will sell holiday items, and food will be for sale.

The parade starts at 10:30 a.m. on Hwy. 53 at the entrance to the Braselton TechCenter. It heads south through downtown, turns right on Henry Street past Town Hall, follows Harrison Street past Braselton Park, passes the Braselton Library on Davis Street, and ends on Hwy. 124 at Free Chapel. If you want a curbside spot, this route tells you where to stand.

After the parade, the day moves to the Town Green:

1. Holiday Marketplace, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with vendors on the Town Green.
2. Santa and live reindeer, along with community performers, at various times during the day.
3. Welcome Center at The Mill, open 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the historic Enterprise Roller Mill. The Mill has a market of locally made gifts and a museum on how this early-1900s mill shaped the town. On regular weeks it's open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Mill closes at 3 p.m., so if it's on your list, go in the morning. Community groups that want to enter a float can still find the town's 2026 float entry form on the festival page.

Thanksgiving Week Fills the Gap

Between the parade and December, two sit-down meals keep the calendar going.

On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, Versailles Restaurant at Chateau Elan is serving a Thanksgiving Day Brunch Buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 100 Rue Charlemagne Dr. You can make a reservation on the event page.

Two days later, on Saturday, Nov. 28, Leather & Lace Events is hosting Brunch with Santa from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Braselton Civic Center, 27 E. Lake Dr. The listing includes brunch and a digital photo with Santa.

December Runs After Dark

In December, the evening track the tree lighting started becomes most of the calendar. Here it is in date order:

1. Thursday, Dec. 3, 5 to 9 p.m. The Cravin' Bacon Walk starts at The Mill, 16 Frances St., with bacon tastings at stops along the way and an optional VIP ticket that adds a bourbon tasting.
2. Friday, Dec. 4, 6 to 7 p.m. Chateau Elan's Annual Christmas Tree Lighting is in The Atrium in the Inn, 100 Rue Charlemagne Dr. It's free for resort guests and the local community, and the resort asks you to RSVP.
3. Saturday, Dec. 5, 8:30 a.m. The Braselton Mistletoe Run 5K starts at Braselton Brother's Department Store, 9924 Davis St. It raises money for the Downtown Development Authority and includes a toy drive.
4. Sunday through Thursday, Dec. 6 to 23. Holiday Lights Trolley Tours, covered in the next section.
5. Thursdays, Dec. 10 and 17, 5 to 8 p.m. Merry & Bright Nights in Historic Downtown Braselton, at 40 E. Lake Dr., bring local shopping, seasonal entertainment and activities.
6. Saturday, Dec. 12, noon to 5 p.m. Christmas at Countryside Antiques, at 115 Harrison St., lists 50 vendors, food trucks, live music and Santa.

The two December Saturdays are a morning race and an afternoon market. Almost everything that happens after dark falls between Sunday and Friday, and both Merry & Bright Nights are on Thursdays.

Downtown is changing over the same weeks. Braselton News reported that the former A Flea Antique building at 10101 Davis Street is being renovated into 15 leasable suites and could be done as early as December. A hair salon and a boutique are planned, and coffee-shop and small-restaurant prospects have expressed interest. The DDA is also recruiting businesses for open downtown spaces, including the former House of Boykin space on Davis Street and a space in the Braselton Brothers Building. On the Merry & Bright Thursdays, some of the downtown storefronts may look different from last December.

The Trolley Tours Are the One You Have to Book

The free trolley runs on tree-lighting night and parade day. In December, the trolley becomes a ticketed event of its own, and it's the one item on this calendar that has sold out before. The 2025 Holiday Lights Trolley Tours page is still online, labeled "Sold Out."

Tickets for 2026 went on sale Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. Here are the details:

• Dates: Sunday through Thursday, Dec. 6 to 23, rain or shine
• Departures: 6, 7:15 and 8:30 p.m., for a 60-minute ride
• Price: $12 per person for all ages, plus online ticketing fees, with a limit of eight tickets per order
• Departure point: Behind Vallant Bank, 6322 Grand Hickory Dr.
• Parking: Free at Vallant Bank and the surrounding Mulberry Walk shopping center, plus a lot Pinnacle Bank lets the tour use
• The ride: The trolley is enclosed and climate-controlled, and riders stay on board for the whole tour.

The tour starts in Mulberry Walk and goes through two of the brightest-lit neighborhoods in the area. Afterward, hot cocoa, ice cream, dinner and drinks are all within walking distance of the stop. Tours run only Sunday through Thursday, and the latest leaves at 8:30 p.m., so this is a school-night outing. If your group is larger, the trolley page links to group tour information.

If you go to all of it, your season looks like this: a Friday tree lighting on the Town Green, a Saturday parade down Hwy. 53, Thanksgiving brunch at Versailles, then weeknight evenings through December in Mulberry Walk and on Davis Street. The 8:30 p.m. trolley on Wednesday, Dec. 23, is the last scheduled ride of the season.

The trolley route goes through two of the most lit-up neighborhoods in the area, and the Merritt team works in Braselton all year. If you're curious what your own home on those streets is worth this season, The Merritt Realty Group can give you a straight answer. Get Your Free Home Valuation, and we'll see you on the Town Green Nov. 20.