Christmas parades start Dec. 2 in Madison County
Madison, Ridgeland, and Flora all have Christmas parades set for Saturday, Dec. 2. Gluckstadt will host their parade on Dec. 9.
MADISON
Madison’s Christmas Parade is set for 9 a.m. starting at Ridgecrest Baptist Church, 7469 Old Canton Road, and ending at the Red Caboose on Main Street.
This year’s theme is Santa’s Workshop. Trophies will be awarded for first, second and third-place floats, as well as a new slate of awards that include Best Float, Best Dance Team, Best Band and Most Christmas Spirit.
The parade is the centerpiece to a slate of holiday activities for families and members of the community that include the Merry Market on Dec. 9.
Christmas events will be kicked off with the Tree Lighting Ceremony slated for Thursday, Nov. 30, at the Red Caboose. The tree lighting will begin at 5:30 p.m., and the city will host a screening of the 2018 movie “The Grinch.”
For more information, go to madisonthecity.com.
RIDGELAND
Ridgeland’s Christmas parade is set for 1 p.m. on Dec. 2, starting on the Holmes Community College campus. The parade will proceed from the HCC campus, turning right onto Maple Street, turning right onto Jackson Street, and turning right onto Sunnybrook Road.
The City of Ridgeland will kick off the holiday season with a three-day celebration from Thursday, Nov. 30, through Saturday, Dec. 2. Events will include the Christmas Tree Lighting at the Plaza at Old Town Crossing, Christmas on the Green at Ridgeland City Hall, and the Christmas Parade in Old Town.
Ridgeland spokeswoman Kim Cooper said the event will be called “Old Time Christmas.”
“This fall, the Historical Society of Ridgeland honored the first families of Ridgeland, and with that, the City came together to celebrate Ridgeland’s beginnings,” Cooper said. “So there couldn’t be a better time for our theme of Old Time Christmas in Ridgeland.”
Ridgeland Recreation and Parks will have a dedicated mailbox for letters to the North Pole from Nov. 30 through Dec. 14. The mailbox will be located on the north side of Ridgeland Green in front of City Hall.
Visit Ridgeland Recreation and Park's Facebook page for more information or call Ridgeland Recreation and Parks at 601-853-2011.
GLUCKSTADT
The Lucky City will host its second annual Christmas parade organized by Jeannie Robinson.
The Dec. 9 parade will start at 9 a.m. at Germantown High School and will turn onto the Calhoun Station Parkway, where it will head south. The parade will then turn left on Gluckstadt Way at Callaway’s and head back to Germantown High School using the back entrance.
Robinson said the route will go by the future sites of the proposed Gluckstadt Police Station and City Hall.
For more information, contact the city at 769-567-2306 or Robinson at 601-668-1166.
FLORA
Flora’s parade is set for 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 2 and will go along Main Street through downtown and will culminate with a Christmas tree lighting at the end of the parade.
The parade will start on Center Street and turn right onto Kearney Park Road. The parade will then take a left onto Main Street before making its final turn right onto First Street where the parade will end back at Center Street.
The theme this year is “Floraville”, the Mississippi town’s take on the iconic Whoville from the Dr. Seuss stories.
For those interested in participating, call Sheila Blakely at 601-401-5006.
CANTON
The city of Canton is gearing up for its annual Christmas Festival, running from Nov. 24 to Dec. 23. Upcoming festivities include the opening weekend and Merchants Open House held from Nov. 24 to Nov. 26. Festivities will resume nightly on Dec. 1, which he 17th annual Sip-N-Cider event slated for Friday, Dec. 8.
A whole slate of events is available at cantontourism.com