Franklin's Christmas Parade Runs the Other Way This Year. Here's Where to Stand.

The Franklin Christmas Parade steps off Saturday, December 5, at 1 p.m., and this year it runs the opposite way from recent years. The Downtown Franklin Rotary Club has posted a new map labeled "reverse direction" next to its 2026 parade rules. If you have a usual curb on Main Street, it's still on the route. What changes is when the floats reach it, which way they're moving, and where the parade ends.

The Public Square is now a turn partway through the parade, and the last stretch runs along the north side of downtown, up 3rd Avenue North and west on Bridge Street. If you've always set up a chair near the end of the parade, that spot is in a new part of town this year.

The 2026 Route, Turn by Turn

Here is the order the floats will travel, based on the Rotary's map and Franklin Frontline's summary of the route:

1. Start at 11th Avenue and West Main Street.
2. East along Main Street to the Public Square.
3. North on 3rd Avenue North to Bridge Street.
4. West on Bridge Street and Highway 96.
5. Finish on New Highway 96 West.

The Downtown Franklin Rotary Club's parade page has both the route map and the 2026 rules. The route map linked from the City of Franklin's calendar listing still shows the old direction, so use the Rotary's map when you plan.

What the Reversal Means for Your Spot

West Main is now the beginning. Floats come east from 11th Avenue, so the blocks between 11th Avenue and the Square see the parade first, right after 1 p.m. That stretch includes Franklin Spice Works at 324 W. Main Street, the shop formerly known as Savory Spice, which the Williamson Herald reported has changed its name.

The Square is now the middle. Entries arrive heading east and leave turning north onto 3rd Avenue North, so you see them turn the corner instead of watching the parade end there.

The back half is the newest part. After the Square, the parade runs up 3rd Avenue North and west along Bridge Street. The City places Bicentennial Park between 3rd Avenue, North Margin Street and the Harpeth River, with an address of 400 5th Ave. N., which puts the park right by this part of the route. For a warm drink and an easy landmark, The Coffee House at Second & Bridge is listed at 144 2nd Ave. N. with daily hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a menu of coffee, brunch, crepes, sandwiches and baked goods. Franklin Mercantile Deli at 100 4th Ave. N. is listed as open daily from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., so an early lunch there fits before the parade starts. Franklin Butchery at 129 Second Ave. N., whose grand opening the Williamson Herald covered this year, is also a block off this stretch.

Some things haven't changed. Walkers beside the floats hand out candy instead of throwing it, the parade goes ahead rain or shine, and it's free to watch.

Plan Around 11:45, Not Noon

The Rotary's 2026 rules close the streets on the route at 11:45 a.m. Entries check in between 9:30 and 11 a.m., must be staged by 11, and move into their lineup positions once the streets close. The City's calendar lists the parade from 1 to 3 p.m. If you need to drive across the route that morning, be through before 11:45.

There's no spectator parking plan for the parade. The City's two free garages, on 2nd Avenue South and 4th Avenue South, are the closest public parking to the Square. Each has 300 spaces and no time limit. The City's live garage counter shows open spaces by garage and level, which helps once the morning fills up. Both garages are on the south side of Main. If you want a spot on 3rd Avenue North or Bridge Street, you'll be walking north across the route before it closes.

The Rotary's Fourth Parade

According to Franklin Frontline's history of the event, the parade began informally in the mid-1960s, citing Williamson Herald reporting. The Franklin Chamber of Commerce took it over around 1975, and the Kiwanis Club ran it by the 1990s. When the Kiwanis club dissolved after the 2022 parade, the Downtown Franklin Rotary Club took over. That makes December 5 the Rotary's fourth parade, and the first one to run in reverse.

The 2026 theme is "Santa's Helpers, Making Spirits Bright." Medical House Calls and Atmos Energy are the presenting sponsors, and club members Alan Simms and Sharon Thompson are the event chairs. Club president Roger Walters told the Williamson Herald what the club has planned:

"We expect 2026 to be another magical year and look forward to using the parade to honor first responders, volunteers and community leaders who make Franklin special."

The Weekends Around It

The parade is the Saturday after the tree lighting, so the first weekend of December is two days of events downtown. A holiday market comes before it, and Dickens follows a week later.

The MADE SOUTH Holiday Market brings together more than 60 makers and artisans, and part of the proceeds go to Franklin-based One Generation Away. The City describes the tree lighting as an evening of school children, musicians, performers and Santa on the Square. The Heritage Foundation's listing for Dickens of a Christmas includes musicians and dancers, characters such as Scrooge, Marley, Fagin, Tiny Tim and the Cratchits, and a Victorian Father and Mother Christmas handing out treats to children.

If you're marking your calendar, the main change this year is to be on the north side of the Square before 11:45 a.m. on December 5.

If the new route has you thinking about which downtown Franklin streets you'd like to call home, The Luxe Collective would be glad to talk it through over coffee at Second & Bridge. Schedule a free consultation.