On the first Wednesday in December last year, floats lined up in the parking area by Dollar General and the Smith Lake Vendor Market on County Road 41 South in Arley. The Arley Women's Club had set the parade for 5 p.m. That was a Wednesday evening, and the route ran down 41 and turned onto Helicon Road toward Hamner Park. Two days earlier, on a Monday, Double Springs had held its own parade through downtown.
That's how Christmas works around the lake. Each town gets its own night, a civic club or parks department runs it, and the nights spread across about five weeks with plenty of them landing midweek. If you plan by the week, you can make most of them.
The nights already on the 2026 calendar
Cullman and Jasper have posted their dates. Here they are in order, starting Thursday, Nov. 19:
- Thursday, Nov. 19: Run Run Rudolph at Sportsman Lake Park. Cullman County Parks and Recreation holds a fun run and walk at 1544 Sportsman Lake Road NW in Cullman. Registration opens at 4 p.m., runners start at 5, and walkers follow them. You can sign up through the Run Run Rudolph Eventbrite page.
- Friday, Nov. 20: Cullman's downtown parade and tree lighting. The parade starts at 6:30 p.m., and the tree is lit at 8 p.m. around Depot Park, 107 Arnold St. NW, according to the Christkindlmarkt parade page.
- Monday, Nov. 30: Festival of Lights & Christmas on Main in Jasper. Jasper Main Street lists this tree-lighting event from 5 to 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 1: The Walker County Christmas Parade. The Chamber of Commerce of Walker County sponsors it, and the Jasper Main Street listing gives 6 to 8 p.m. downtown, with an event address of 219 19th Street West. The city council agenda for Sept. 8 lists requested street closures on parts of Viking Drive, 19th Street, 6th Avenue and 18th Street. If you're driving into downtown Jasper that evening, expect those blocks to be busy.
Jasper puts its two events on back-to-back weeknights, the Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The same September council agenda also put a holiday event at the White House On 5th Museum up for consideration on Dec. 3, which is a Thursday. If it goes ahead, Jasper will have three evenings in four days.
Sportsman Lake Park runs the longest night of all
Every other event on this list happens once. Winter Wonderland at Sportsman Lake Park runs for weeks, and its schedule leaves room for everything else.
Cullman County Parks and Recreation's park calendar lists Winter Wonderland on these dates this season:
- Nov. 20–22, Friday through Sunday
- Nov. 27–29, Friday through Sunday, starting the day after Thanksgiving
- Dec. 2–6, Wednesday through Sunday
- Dec. 9–23, every night
- Dec. 26, listed as a drive-through
Look at the gaps. The lights are dark on Monday, Nov. 30 and Tuesday, Dec. 1, the two nights Jasper has its tree lighting and parade. They're dark again on Monday, Dec. 7 and Tuesday, Dec. 8. Nobody set the calendars to avoid each other. Even so, a family on the Walker County side could do Jasper early that week and catch the Cullman lights on Wednesday, Dec. 2 without having to pick one over the other.
The county calendar doesn't post 2026 hours or admission yet. Last year's numbers give a sense of the scale. The Cullman Tribune reported in November 2025 that the 23rd annual display ran from 5 to 9 p.m., cost $10 per car or $20 per bus, and was expected to have around 2 million lights. It also reported that more than 11,000 vehicles came through the year before. Last year also had a Christmas train, horse and carriage rides, a snow machine and photos with Santa. Cullman's parks departments and the Ave Maria Grotto ran a free shuttle connecting the Grotto, the Christkindlmarkt and the lights. Those were 2025 details. Check the park's Facebook page for this year's price and whether the shuttle is coming back before you load up the car.
Run Run Rudolph on Nov. 19 is worth singling out. Sara Morgan, the county parks marketing coordinator, told the Cullman Tribune last year that the course follows the driving road visitors take to see the lights:
"This is not a measured distance course. The trail is on the 'driving road' that you take to see the lights. We hope everyone enjoys this Santa stroll through our Winter Wonderland."
The Tribune called it the one night of the season when people can run or walk through the lights, with no cars. It also reported that the 2025 run was stroller and dog friendly and that children 6 and younger didn't need to register. This year it falls on Thursday, Nov. 19, the night before the lights open to drivers.
The Winston County side runs on club calendars
Across the water in Winston County, the parades belong to the women's clubs, study clubs and town halls, and they've kept their own traditions. Those groups usually announce late. Last year the Northwest Alabamian printed the full Winston County parade roundup on Nov. 26, the day before Thanksgiving. So the patterns below come from 2025. Expect this year's dates in the paper around Thanksgiving week.
Double Springs keeps the first Monday of December. The Northwest Alabamian reported that the Panorama Study Club sponsors the parade every year and holds it on the first Monday of December. In 2025, lineup started at 5 p.m. at Double Springs Elementary, float judging at 5:30 and the parade at 6, followed by Santa and snacks at the Double Springs Community Center off Highway 278. In 2026 the first Monday falls on Dec. 7, but watch for the club's official date. The courthouse tree lighting is a separate event. Last year it happened on the Saturday before Thanksgiving at the Winston County Courthouse, along with the crowning of Queen Merry Christmas.
Arley's parade has a candy rule. The Arley Women's Club sponsors this one, and the Northwest Alabamian reported that Arley Police Chief Jerry Cummings was firm about one rule for float riders:
"We don't throw any candy over here because you can walk beside your floats and hand candy out to the kids... You cannot throw candy. It will be a $500 fine."
Four-wheeler riders in the parade had to have lights and wear helmets. After the parade, families headed to the Meek Elementary School gym for Santa, a free soup supper from the Women's Club and local churches, and a free book for each child. Cummings told the paper the Christmas parade is usually the biggest one Arley holds all year.
Addison puts on a park night along with its parade. In 2025, Christmas in the Park at Alexander Park on County Road 41 North ran from 4 to 7 p.m. on a Saturday. Food was free, Talley-Ho Farms of Jones Chapel brought a petting zoo, and kids rode a small train built to look like a cow. The parade lined up at Stephenson Gym and took a new route along Hunter Road, Margaret Street, Palmera Drive and McHann Road. According to Police Chief Mitchell Woodard, the change kept Highway 278 from having to close.
Haleyville fills a whole Saturday. Last year the Haleyville Area Chamber of Commerce's Christmas in the City opened vendor booths at noon and had live music at Heart of Haleyville Park, plus letters to Santa at the Haleyville Public Library. The day ended with a tree lighting at 4:30 p.m. and a downtown parade at 5:30.
Putting the weeks together
Here's how the season lines up, using the confirmed 2026 dates and last year's Winston County patterns as placeholders:
| Week | Confirmed for 2026 | Usually on the calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 16–22 | Run Run Rudolph, Thu. Nov. 19; Cullman parade and tree lighting, Fri. Nov. 20; Winter Wonderland opens Nov. 20 | Winston County Courthouse tree lighting fell on the Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2025 |
| Nov. 23–29 | Winter Wonderland, Fri.–Sun. after Thanksgiving | Northwest Alabamian parade roundup ran Thanksgiving week in 2025 |
| Nov. 30–Dec. 6 | Jasper tree lighting, Mon. Nov. 30; Walker County Christmas Parade, Tue. Dec. 1; Winter Wonderland, Wed.–Sun.; a White House On 5th Museum event on Thu. Dec. 3 is on the city agenda | Arley and Haleyville both held their parades this week in 2025 |
| Dec. 7–13 | Winter Wonderland nightly from Wed. Dec. 9 | Double Springs' first-Monday tradition points to Dec. 7; Addison held its 2025 park night on the second Saturday of December |
| Dec. 14–26 | Winter Wonderland nightly through Dec. 23; drive-through on Dec. 26 |
The busiest stretch is the week after Thanksgiving. Jasper's two nights, the proposed museum event and five straight nights of lights at Sportsman Lake all land in that one week, and in a typical year at least one Winston County parade does too. If you live on the lake and your kids have one free evening, Wednesday, Dec. 2 is a strong pick. Jasper is done for the week by then, Winter Wonderland is open, and the Winston County towns tend to fill the following weekdays.
We'll be updating our own family calendar as the Winston County clubs announce their dates. If you want help figuring out which town's Christmas night is closest to your side of the water, or you're new to the lake and wondering what a December here is like, reach out to Joey and Anna at iHeart Smith Lake. We're glad to share what we know.
