Four separate organizers put on Lebanon's holiday season. Downtown merchants, the Capitol Theatre, Tennessee State Parks and the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce each publish their own calendar. Put the four side by side and most of the season lands on two Saturdays, Nov. 28 and Dec. 12. The Dancing Lights of Christmas, which runs every night in between, says its own Saturdays are the busiest of the week. The weeknights are much less crowded.
Below is the calendar date by date, starting the first weekend of November.
The First Weekend Of November Opens The Season In Two Places
The season's two main openings both fall on Saturday, Nov. 7, about a drive across town from each other. The Downtown Lebanon events calendar has downtown's Merchant Christmas Reveal that day. The same evening, the Dancing Lights of Christmas opens at the Wilson County Fairgrounds/Ward Ag Center, 1033 Sparta Pike, and runs through Jan. 3, 2027.
The light show runs longer than anything else on the calendar, and it's priced per car, not per person. Admission is $35 per family vehicle, which is $31.89 plus $3.11 sales tax. That covers Santa's Village, a visit with Santa and the petting zoo. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The show is open rain or shine and on every holiday, including Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The site asks visitors to use the entrance across from Dollar General.
The night before, Friday, Nov. 6, the Dancing Lights hosts a 5K Fun Run.
Saturday, Nov. 28 Is Where The Calendars Overlap
Two days after Thanksgiving, four separate calendars have something going in Lebanon on the same Saturday. The light show's own guidance says that's when its long waits start.
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Where | Organizer | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Saturday | Downtown Lebanon | Downtown Lebanon merchants | Listed on the 2026 downtown calendar |
| 3rd Annual Capitol Christmas Market | Capitol Theatre, downtown | Capitol Theatre | Third year for the market |
| A Very Merry 1930s Christmas | Sadie Ford Heritage Farm, Cedars of Lebanon State Park | Tennessee State Parks | Free, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., registration link posted |
| Dancing Lights of Christmas | Ward Ag Center, 1033 Sparta Pike | Dancing Lights | First Saturday after Thanksgiving |
The park event is the one most likely to get crowded out of the day. The Cedars of Lebanon event page lists Santa meet-and-greets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., plus:
- Hot chocolate, Christmas cookies and fresh popcorn
- Cedar Cookie Christmas Ornaments to make yourself
- Traditional paper chain decorations
- Letters to Santa, mailed at the Baird's Mill Post Office
- Mule wagon rides around the farm, depending on weather and availability
- Handmade brooms at the Tom Jones Broom Shop
Everything is free, donations help cover supplies, and food and activities last only while supplies do. Because supplies run out, a morning at the farm and an afternoon on the Square make the most sense in that order.
Downtown, the Downtown Lebanon shopping directory lists Em+Kate at 104 Public Square, 3:Sixteen at 108 E. Main St., Action Nerd Fun Spot at 117 E. Main St., Dreams Boutique at 124 Public Square and Harper's Books at 107 S. Cumberland St. For a break between stops, the food and entertainment directory lists Lebanon Coffee House at 110 E. Main St., Cedar City Brewing Company at 112 Public Square, Basic. Eatery at 122 Public Square and Town Square Social at 145 Public Square. The directory doesn't say which businesses are taking part in Small Business Saturday, so check with individual shops for any specials. Downtown Lebanon also sells a downtown gift card for local businesses, which works as a gift for anyone who can't make it that weekend.
The Dancing Lights site describes that same weekend this way.
"Weekends AFTER THANKSGIVING are VERY busy--with Saturdays being the busiest. If you choose to come on Friday or Saturday, expect a fairly long wait time."
The Capitol Theatre has something the next afternoon too. Christmas with The Doo Wops is on Sunday, Nov. 29, per the Capitol Theatre calendar.
The Parade Sunday Doesn't Have A Posted Route Yet
The second big weekend opens on Sunday, Dec. 6, with Lebanon's Christmas Parade. The Chamber's 2026 parade listing sets it for 2 to 3:30 p.m., names the Chamber as organizer and says more information is coming soon.
Last year's parade is the best guide to where to stand until the 2026 details go up. The 2025 parade started at 2 p.m. on Dec. 7 with a "Winter Wonderland" theme. It began at the former Lebanon High School site, went down Park Avenue to East Main Street, circled the Public Square, left on West Main Street and finished at Liberty State Bank and D.T. McCall & Sons. Entries came in from Tennessee Boulevard. That route could change, so check the Chamber listing the week of the parade.
The Capitol Theatre's student production overlaps with parade week. AOO Presents: Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe has dates from Dec. 4 through Dec. 14.
Dec. 12 Has Events On The Square And In The Park
The second crowded Saturday is Dec. 12, and it's split between downtown and the state park. The Chamber's Christmas on the Square page puts the event on the Historic Public Square with vendors, food trucks, children's activities and a tree-decorating contest.
That evening, Cedars of Lebanon State Park has Astronomy Night Under the Stars from 5 to 10 p.m. The two events barely overlap in time. A daytime visit to the Square and an evening at the park is a full Saturday that skips the light show on one of its busiest nights.
The light show's next busy stretch comes a week later. The Dancing Lights site says Dec. 19 through 23 is typically very busy as well.
Most Weeknights Are Wide Open
Monday through Thursday is when the light show is quiet. The Dancing Lights site says it's open seven days a week and that the days outside the busy weekends and the Dec. 19–23 stretch have "little to no wait time." It's open 5 to 10 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights.
The Capitol Theatre has put much of its holiday programming on weeknights as well. Going through its calendar in order:
- Thursday and Friday, Nov. 12 and 13: 4th Annual Cocktails with Santa
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Ready for Christmas with Janelle Arthur
- Wednesday, Nov. 25, the night before Thanksgiving: Elf
- Wednesday, Dec. 9: White Christmas
- Wednesday, Dec. 16: Polar Express
- Friday, Dec. 18: It's A Wonderful Life
- Sunday, Dec. 20: Brainiac Christmas Trivia & Movie Night
The Elf screening on Nov. 25 is the night before the Dancing Lights' first busy weekend. Holiday guests arriving early in Thanksgiving week can see a movie downtown on Wednesday and the lights on a weeknight, and miss both crowds. The theater notes that events are subject to change.
Cumberland University adds a separate set of dates. The Cumberland music page lists Into the Woods in Heydel Auditorium on Nov. 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22. It also lists music events on Nov. 6, Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and Dec. 3, including a Band/Choir concert in Baird Chapel. The Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 dates fall on a Monday and Tuesday, between the two busy weekends.
If you're hosting family for the Dancing Lights this year and they keep asking what homes around Lebanon sell for, The Scott Zeller Team can put real numbers on it. Ask for a free home valuation, or a management quote if you're thinking about renting out a property after the holidays.
