The City of Columbia, in partnership with Columbia Main Street Corporation, will host the 35th Annual Columbia Main Street Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting on Saturday, December 4, 2021. The Parade begins at 6 p.m. and marches along the traditional parade route down West 7th Street into downtown Columbia followed by the Tree Lighting around 7:15-ish, hosted by national radio personality Blair Garner. Expect this family-friendly, community favorite event to deliver on holiday cheer with festive parade floats, live entertainment, and the lighting of Columbia’s 40’ Christmas tree by Santa Claus himself.
The Parade is expected to last 1 to 1.5 hours and will feature illuminated floats, vintage cars, motorcycles, tractors, scouts groups, local churches, businesses, civic groups, holiday characters, and marching bands. After the Parade, the Tree Lighting ceremony takes over the festivities with live musical entertainment, announcement of the parade winners, and the grand finale with Santa lighting the Christmas tree.
Columbia’s annual Christmas tree lighting.
Returning as beloved host and emcee for the Tree Lighting, Blair Garner is a nationally syndicated country radio personality, dominating the airwaves for more than 30 years. As founder of The Mulehouse, his vision for a world-class entertainment venue located just one block from downtown Columbia has taken shape as a musical sanctuary in Southern Middle Tennessee.
“The City of Columbia couldn’t be more excited to host this year’s Christmas Parade especially when you top it off with the Tree Lighting ceremony,” exclaimed Kellye Murphy, Tourism & Marketing Director for Visit Columbia and this year’s parade and tree lighting organizer. “It’s a real treat to have the traditional parade route back and better than ever following the West 7th Streetscape Project improvements,” Murphy stated. “I think we all need an event like this right about now. We are all looking for a sense of normal, a feeling of nostalgia during this pandemic; the comfort of a favorite hometown event like the parade helps reconnect us and remind us of the importance of community.”
If you would like to participate in the parade, applications are available at ItsChristmasInColumbia.com. A rain date is set for December 11, 2021, at 6 p.m. This is an outdoor event, however, masks are encouraged when gathering in a social crowd setting.
It’s Christmas in Columbia! The Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting is just one of many holiday events celebrating a Muletown holiday tradition this year. There is a packed calendar of fun and exciting events such as ‘A Very Maury Christmas’ holiday marketplace on Nov. 20, First Fridays holiday edition on Dec. 3, A Maury Christmas Historic Home Tour on Dec. 3 and 4, numerous holiday open houses, photos with Santa, after-hours festivities, extended shopping hours, and so much more! Visit us online for a true, Southern Christmas experience and to view a full list of holiday events at ItsChristmasInColumbia.com.
