Canton Christmas Parade 2026: Saturday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m.

Search for the Canton Christmas parade and you get last year’s listings, parades in Canton towns in other states, and a 2026 date that turned out to be wrong. The City has now posted the real one. This page was last checked on Nov. 1, 2026.

Has the 2026 Canton Christmas parade date been announced?

Yes. The City calendar’s Merry Market listing puts the 39th annual Downtown Canton Merry Market in Cannon Park, 130 East Main Street, on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, from noon to 6 p.m., and says the Canton Christmas Parade kicks off at 6 p.m. when the market ends. Explore Canton lists the same day. Neither gives a route or names the 2026 organizer; the Canton Optimist Club presented the parade in 2025.

• The 2026 Canton Christmas Parade is Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, at 6 p.m. in Downtown Canton, after the Merry Market in Cannon Park (noon to 6 p.m.). The Canton Optimist Club presented the 34th parade on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. City of Canton calendar: Merry Market (Dec. 12, 2026; parade at 6 p.m.)

When was the 2025 parade?

The 34th annual Christmas Parade was Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Downtown Canton. The City calendar listing gave 6 to 8 p.m., with 130 East Main Street, the Cannon Park address, as the location. Floats, local clubs, businesses and Santa took part, and the parade followed the Merry Market, which the City listed from noon the same day.

A state tourism listing, which we could see as a search snippet but not open, gave 6 to 7 p.m. We go with the City calendar. We did not find a published route for 2025 or 2026.

What about the Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026 date online?

A Georgia Magazine events listing gives the parade as Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026, at 6 p.m. That does not match the City, which lists Saturday, Dec. 12. Here is why we doubted it before the City posted. Dec. 13 was the 2025 date, and that was a Saturday. In 2026, Dec. 13 falls on a Sunday. A listing that keeps the same day of the month but moves the parade from a Saturday to a Sunday looks like last year’s entry rolled forward, not a new announcement.

Go by the City listing: Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, at 6 p.m.

Is the tree lighting the same event as the parade?

No. There are two tree lightings in Canton, run by different organizers on different nights. Mixing them up is the easiest way to arrive on the wrong evening.

The City’s downtown tree lighting in Cannon Park

Santa lights the downtown tree in Cannon Park, 130 East Main Street, to open the season. In 2025 it was Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and that year added a drone light show. For 2026 the City calendar lists the Holiday Tree Lighting and Drone Show on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with the Knox STEM Academy and Avery Elementary choruses.

The Mill on Etowah’s tree lighting

The Mill on Etowah, the former cotton mill at 225 Reformation Parkway, holds Christmas at The Mill on Friday, Nov. 27 and Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Mill lists more than 85 vendor booths, ice skating, Santa and football on the big screen. Its Tree Lighting Program is Saturday, Nov. 28, at 6 p.m. This one is confirmed. Our Mill on Etowah guide covers getting there.

What else is on downtown in December?

The 2026 season keeps the 2025 shape, with dates for all three:

• Mistletoe on Main: free wagon rides on three Thursday evenings, Dec. 3, 10 and 17, 2026, 5:30 to 8 p.m. (Dec. 3 live reindeer, Dec. 10 a special activity still to be announced, Dec. 17 Christmas Pete). In 2025 it ran Dec. 4, 11 and 18.
• Christmas in Canton: Friday, Dec. 11, 2026, 6 to 10 p.m. in Cannon Park (2025: Dec. 12, 6 to 9 p.m.), with Santa, a petting zoo, wagon rides, crafts and late shopping.
• Merry Market: Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, noon to 6 p.m. in Cannon Park, ahead of the parade at 6 p.m. (2025: Dec. 13).

So the second weekend of December is the big one: Christmas in Canton on Friday, the Merry Market and parade on Saturday.

What holiday events are confirmed for 2026?

Rink on the River, the outdoor ice rink at The Mill, opens Saturday, Nov. 21; admission is $15 per person and includes skate rentals. Cherokee Theatre Company stages A Dickens’ Christmas Carol at the Canton Theatre, 171 E. Main St., over two weekends from Dec. 4 to 13. Grinchmas at The Mill is Friday, Dec. 18, from 5 to 9 p.m. On Saturday, Dec. 19, the theatre shows Elf at 3 p.m. and White Christmas at 7 p.m. Show details are on our Canton Theatre page.

Where do I park for a downtown holiday event?

Explore Canton says downtown parking is free, and warns that street parking and lots on and around Main Street may be limited on event days. The two-level Canton Downtown Parking Deck at 345-303 W. Marietta St. has 102 spaces. Our parking page lists the rest.

How will we update this page?

If the City posts a route, road closures or a time change, we will add it here and on our holiday season page, with the date we checked. The full year is on the events calendar.

Holiday questions

Written by the Downtown Canton Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: City of Canton