Wake Forest Doesn't Have a Christmas Parade Anymore. Its Holidays Run on a Different Calendar.

Wake Forest hasn't had a Christmas parade since 2019, and its 2026 holiday calendar is set up so it doesn't need one. Downtown still closes some streets for the season, but each closure is short and covers a few blocks. Most of the season happens between Friday evening, Dec. 4, and Saturday night, Dec. 5. After that it moves out to a lit garden on Harris Road and a stage on South Brooks Street.

That shape follows directly from the reasons the parade ended.

Why the Parade Stopped, in the Town's Own Words

The Wake Forest Christmas Parade was a community event run by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., a nonprofit made up of a fairly small group of volunteers. In March 2020, according to the Town of Wake Forest's special events FAQ, that board voted to stop sponsoring the parade. It gave two reasons. It didn't have the volunteers and resources to keep producing it. And the street closures were a problem for the growing number of people living downtown:

"the extensive street closures required in and around the downtown area on the day of the parade - though troublesome for downtown merchants - made coming and going extremely difficult for the growing numbers of people who now live in the downtown area and require access to those roads."

The Town says no other group has agreed to take the parade on since then. A few groups have shown interest, but none went forward. The Town also says it does not prohibit community groups from organizing one. On November 19, 2024, the Board of Commissioners approved an updated Motorized Parade Policy, and Town staff are available to walk interested groups through the application.

That second reason runs through the whole 2026 calendar. The events that do close streets downtown do it for hours, not a full day. Everything else happens on a plaza, in a parking lot, inside a theater or in a park.

November 21 Opens the Season on Foot

The first date is the Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kick-Off on Saturday, Nov. 21, from noon to 4 p.m. in downtown Wake Forest. It's free and open to everyone. There are family activities, and the day launches the Town's annual Holiday Donation Drive.

The Town's event page says food and refreshments are available at downtown restaurants, and a full list of food and dessert vendors is still to come. The map posted on that page now is last year's, so check back for the 2026 layout closer to the date. The same page lists the season's biggest street closure. East Owen Avenue and South White Street from Elm Avenue to Jones Avenue close at 9 a.m. and are expected to reopen by 6 p.m.

The kickoff starts the giving campaign, but it isn't the main event. The busiest dates come two weeks later.

December 4 and 5 Carry Most of the Season

The parade used to be the one day everything centered on. Now that role belongs to the first weekend of December, and most of it happens within a few blocks of Town Hall.

Friday, Dec. 4. The Lighting of Wake Forest runs from 5 to 8 p.m. in Centennial Plaza at Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. There will be choral performances by local groups, a visit from Santa and food vendors. The Town notes that the tree is usually lit at about 6:15 p.m., so plan to arrive before then.

Saturday, Dec. 5 is the most crowded day on the calendar. Three events overlap in sequence:

1. 10 a.m. The Downtown Holiday Open House opens across historic downtown and runs until 6 p.m. It's free, and its purpose is to send people into downtown's shops and restaurants.
2. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Wake Forest Holiday Artisans Market takes over Centennial Plaza and the Town Hall visitor parking lot, the same ground as the previous night's lighting. ARTS Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Guild of Artists present it, with more than 40 artists and artisans selling pottery, jewelry, painting and drawing, fabric art, photography, sculpture, woodworking, candles and soaps, glass art and more. The market is outdoors and goes on rain or shine.
3. 6 p.m. The Evening Holiday Walk at Joyner Park opens for the first time this season at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Lights cover the crepe myrtles and shrubs in the Walker Garden and Performance Garden, and a nearly 20-foot Christmas tree stands on the Performance Garden Stage.

That puts the season's three biggest draws in one day, and they take up very little road. The market reuses the plaza and the Town Hall lot, and the Town lists associated road impacts there from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Open House depends on storefronts. The light display sits in a park with its own gardens.

The Town's Open House page still shows activity details from 2025, with 2026 details marked as coming later. For now, the confirmed 2026 information is the date and the 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. hours.

Where to Stop Between the Plaza and the Shops

With the market on South Brooks and the Open House spread across downtown, you'll spend Saturday walking back and forth, and the Town's downtown food map lists plenty of places along that route. The list below comes from that directory. Hours on a busy Saturday can change, so call ahead or check before you go.

• Near the plaza on Brooks Street: Black & White Coffee Roasters at 314 Brooks St., Broadsides & Brews at 223 Brooks St., Norse Brewing Company at 203 Brooks St., The Forks Cafeteria at 339 Brooks St., Over the Falls at 419 Brooks St. and The Lemon Tree at 415-C Brooks St.
• The 100 and 200 blocks of South White Street: Bodega Tapas, Wine and Rum at 110 S. White St., White Story Cafe at 113 S. White St., Unwined on White at 153 S. White St., Wake Forest Coffee Company at 156 S. White St., Tonic Bar and Social Club at 158 S. White St., White Street Brewing Co. at 218 S. White St., Sugar Magnolia Café at 219 S. White St. and George's Pizzeria at 238 S. White St.
• Something sweet: Lumpy's Ice Cream at 216 E. Roosevelt Ave. and Plant Cakes Bake Shop at 410 S. White St.
• The south end at 535 Warehouse: The Cardinal Bar and Lil Hombre Smoked Taco Joint, both at 535 S. White St.

To keep going after the market packs up, there's Railway Smoke and Beverage at 306 S. White St., a second-floor venue the Town's downtown arts map lists for live music and dancing. Joyner Park is a short drive from downtown, so you can finish the day under the lights there.

After the First Weekend, December Moves Indoors and Out to Joyner Park

Once the plaza is cleared, the rest of the season moves to three places that host their own programs: the Joyner Park Community Center, the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre at 405 S. Brooks St. and the Wake Forest Historical Museum. The Joyner Park lights stay on every night from 6 to 9 p.m. through Thursday, Dec. 31.

Here are a few details from the table worth knowing. For Calls from Santa, the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will post registration forms online in November and leave paper copies at the Joyner Park Community Center and at Town Hall. The calls are free, but every call has to be local.

Little Women runs five performances: 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, then 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience plays at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 17 and 18, plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Dec. 19.

The #GatherGivesBack Toy Drive & Jeep Convoy is the only December event that actually travels through downtown. It's on the Town's list of approved special events, and the route goes through downtown and into Wake Forest neighborhoods. The Town classifies it as a "Share the Road" event, meaning intersections will be blocked briefly as the convoy passes, with road impacts listed from 5 to 8:30 p.m. According to organizer Gather Group & Co., staging at The Factory starts at 5 p.m. Participants should be in line by 6 p.m. for the 6:10 p.m. driver meeting, and the convoy leaves at 6:30 p.m. sharp. New, unwrapped toys go to the Toy Truck.

The Historical Museum's December program fits the season too, starting with its Dec. 10 evening at the Strolling White Street exhibit. Check the museum's events page for the time of the Dec. 18 walking tour as it gets closer.

From the Lighting of Wake Forest on Dec. 4 to the last night of the Joyner Park lights on Dec. 31, the season covers four weeks.

At Hodge & Kittrell Sotheby's International Realty, we follow Wake Forest's calendar the way our neighbors do, from the plaza on South Brooks to the gardens on Harris Road. If this season has you wondering what your own place in town is worth, we'd be glad to talk it over with you. Request Your Instant Home Valuation.