Christmas on the Cumberland runs for six weeks. Downtown's holiday calendar doesn't spread out the same way. In 2026, most of the season's one-time events fall on two dates: Saturday, Nov. 21, and the three days from Thursday, Dec. 3, through Saturday, Dec. 5. Most of what happens before, between and after those dates is buying tickets, coming back for repeat shows, or walking the lights on a weeknight.
Seen as two weekends instead of one long December, the planning gets simpler. Each weekend has its own decisions, and the first deadline comes before either one.
November 21 Puts Two Downtown Events On One Saturday
Visit Clarksville's listing for Christmas on the Cumberland has the 2026 display running Nov. 21, 2026, through Jan. 2, 2027, at McGregor Park, 640 N. Riverside Drive. It's free and open daily from 5 to 10 p.m., weather permitting. Opening day stacks up from early afternoon. The listing includes a Holiday Market from 2 to 8 p.m., live music, photos with Santa, and a drone show to kick off the season.
A few blocks off the riverfront, the Downtown Artists Co-op holds its 2026 Annual Holiday Bazaar that same Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at River Gallery, 96 Franklin St. The Co-op's listing says this year's theme is A Christmas Carol and invites people to shop throughout November and December.
Put the two schedules side by side and the Saturday has a clear order:
- 9 a.m. The Holiday Bazaar opens at River Gallery on Franklin Street.
- 2 p.m. The Holiday Market opens at McGregor Park.
- 5 p.m. The bazaar closes, and the lights' daily 5 p.m. opening time arrives.
- 8 p.m. The Holiday Market closes.
- 10 p.m. The lights' daily closing time, per Visit Clarksville.
The two events overlap for three hours, 2 to 5 p.m. That leaves room for Franklin Street in the morning and the riverfront after lunch, all within downtown.
What Last Year's Opening Day Included
No detailed 2026 opening-night program has been published yet. The closest guide is 2025, which Clarksville Now laid out in a city announcement on Nov. 18, 2025. That year the Holiday Market opened at 2 p.m. with local artisans, makers and small businesses selling handmade gifts, seasonal décor and food. American Melody Carriages gave horse and carriage rides along the Riverwalk's north side, behind O'Charley's, from 2 to 5 p.m., at $5 a person.
The 2025 grand opening ceremony started at 5 p.m. with performances by CAST and Crowns, Dance Force, and Macy Izatt. Mayor Joe Pitts flipped the switch at 6 p.m. Firefly Drone Shows followed with a 15-minute show of 200 drones, 600 feet wide and 300 feet high. It was the second year for the holiday drone show.
The 2026 listing confirms a drone show, Santa photos, live music and the market. Carriage rides, performer names and a 6 p.m. switch-on are all 2025 details, and none of them is confirmed for this year.
Hours changed too. In 2025 the city kept the lights on until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and food and drink vendors set up on weekends for the first time. Visit Clarksville's 2026 listing shows a flat 5 to 10 p.m. every day, with no later weekend closing. If a Saturday-night walk depends on that extra hour, check with Clarksville Parks and Recreation at (931) 645-7476 first.
The Quiet Stretch Is When Tickets Go On Sale
The Roxy Regional Theatre's December show is A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol. Season 44 package holders get presale starting Monday, Nov. 2, and general tickets go on sale Tuesday, Nov. 10. Both dates come before the lights open. The theater's show page doesn't list prices.
That puts A Christmas Carol on two downtown calendars in the same season. The Co-op's bazaar uses it as a theme, and the Roxy is staging a radio-play version.
December 3 Through 5 Packs Three Events Into Three Days
The second weekend builds up over three days:
- Thursday, Dec. 3: First Thursday Artwalk. Visit Clarksville lists the Artwalk as a year-round, weather-permitting event from 5 to 8 p.m. Its hub is the Downtown Artists Co-op at 96 Franklin St., the same address as the November bazaar. The listing names Kris Lee as December 2026's artist.
- Friday, Dec. 4: The Roxy opens. A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol has its first performance at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Matinee, then parade. The Roxy has a 2 p.m. show. Clarksville's Lighted Christmas Parade runs from 5 to 7 p.m. that evening. Visit Clarksville says the free parade starts at Austin Peay and moves through Historic Downtown.
The Saturday matinee starts three hours before the parade, and the lights' daily 5 p.m. opening lines up with the parade's start. The Roxy's page doesn't list a running time, so anyone pairing the matinee with a spot on the parade route will want to check it first.
The Artwalk's November date is Thursday, Nov. 5, when the Visit Clarksville listing names Jordan Burns Datchler as the featured artist. It falls in the quiet stretch, between the Roxy presale and the general sale.
After The Parade, The Season Turns Into Repeat Dates
From Dec. 6 on, the calendar is mostly encore performances. The Roxy's run continues with 2 p.m. shows on Dec. 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20, and 7 p.m. shows on Dec. 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19. The last chance is the Sunday matinee on Dec. 20.
The one new arrival in this stretch is at the arena. F&M Bank Arena lists Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland for Friday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m., with doors at 6. The arena calls it a new production that combines circus acts with holiday music. Tickets are on sale, and VIP and lounge upgrades are priced separately, but the event page doesn't show prices. The Roxy also has a 7 p.m. show that night. Of the dates listed here, Dec. 11 is the only one with two ticketed downtown shows starting at the same hour.
After Dec. 20 the Roxy is done, and the lights carry on alone. Christmas on the Cumberland stays open nightly through Saturday, Jan. 2, 2027. That leaves about two weeks of riverfront lights with no competing downtown events on the calendar above.
Details Still Unannounced
As of Oct. 12, 2026, several things haven't been published in the sources available:
- Switch-on time. The 2026 listing doesn't give a separate ceremony or switch-on time. In 2025 they were 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- Parade route by street. Only the Austin Peay start and the Historic Downtown route are listed. No map has been released.
- Downtown tree lighting. No 2026 date or time has been announced.
- Parking for the lights. Neither the 2025 nor the 2026 materials give parking guidance for McGregor Park.
- Light count. Visit Clarksville describes "over one million sparkling lights." The city's 2025 announcement described "tens of thousands of lights."
In 2025, the city's opening-night program appeared in Clarksville Now on Nov. 18, four days before the lights opened.
Holiday guests sometimes ask about the area, or someone at a party mentions they're thinking about moving to Clarksville. When that happens, Make Clarksville Home can help with a market read on the neighborhoods around downtown and the riverfront. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll keep it brief so you can get back to the lights.
