"Before the show, enjoy the coffee shops, restaurants and shopping surrounding the Palace Theater on Gallatin's historic downtown square." That line is in the Historic Downtown Gallatin calendar listing for the November 14 Conway & Loretta tribute. It's good advice, and the word before is the part to hold onto. Between now and December 23, the Palace has an event on the calendar almost every week. Most of the kitchens within a short walk close around the time those shows end.
The Square Handed Off Its Evenings in September
The outdoor season on the square has already ended. Historic Downtown Gallatin's calendar says the 2026 Third Thursday season wrapped up with the September 17 event. There is no Third Thursday in November.
The Palace Theater at 146 N. Water Ave. now carries the square's evenings. October showed how much the room can handle in one month. It had a candidate forum, a comedy night billed as comedy's return to the Palace, and a five-day run of the whodunit Robbery at the Rockvale Theatre. It also hosted Webb Wilder live, a boutique fall fashion show with Honey & Suede, Sassy & Brassy and Tennessee Honey, the debut of the Town Creek Film Festival, and two nights of the musical King's Road Cannibals. The November and December schedule is lighter, but it falls into a steady pattern of Friday movies, weekend concerts and a Christmas film series.
A 1913 Room With 198 Seats
The size of the room matters for how you plan the night. Historic Downtown Gallatin calls the Palace Tennessee's oldest silent movie theater still standing in its original location. Bill Roth ran it as a community theater from 1913 to 1977. After Roth's death, the theater was auctioned and donated to Greater Gallatin, Inc., now Historic Downtown Gallatin, Inc. A restoration of the Palace and the neighboring Roth Building cost more than $700,000, and the theater reopened in November 2000.
The auditorium seats 198 in its restored original seats, plus wheelchair spaces. The theater's visitor guidance says seating is first-come, first-served unless your ticket says otherwise. At a free family movie night, a good seat goes to whoever arrives early. If you want dinner and a decent seat, eat early and walk over.
November, in Order
Here's every November date on the Historic Downtown Gallatin calendar as of this week:
- Friday, November 6, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Gallatin Rotary Club Free Family Movie Night at The Palace.
- Saturday, November 14, 7 to 9 p.m. "After the Fire Is Gone: The Music of Conway & Loretta," presented by Music Amplifies as its annual #AMPUP4KIDS Night. Nashville performers will cover Conway Twitty's and Loretta Lynn's solo hits and duets. The listing says the evening raises Christmas assistance for local children, and that Music Amplifies served 1,391 children last year. Tickets are sold through the event's ticketing page.
- Sunday, November 15, 6 to 8 p.m. Motown & Soul Music Show featuring Dre Hilton, who the listing says is "back in Gallatin for another amazing show." The listing doesn't give a venue, so check it before you head out.
- Friday, November 20, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The second Rotary family movie night of the month.
- Monday, November 23, 10 a.m. to noon. The Wildman of Shaggy Creek at The Palace, the story of a boy who suspects a Bigfoot is living in the woods behind his house. It falls on the Monday of Thanksgiving week.
Four Kitchens and When Each Show Lets Out
The MyGallatin locally owned restaurant guide, published in August 2026, lists posted hours for the sit-down options closest to the square:
- Casa Roja Mexican Grill, 122 W. Franklin St.: open until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 8 p.m. Sunday.
- Prince Street Pizza & Pub, 123 Prince St.: open until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with pizza, wings, sandwiches and a craft beer list.
- Roux's Creole Café, 170 N. Water Ave.: open until 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
- Black Elm Coffee, 106 Public Square: closes at 6 p.m. every day.
Here's which of those kitchens are still open, at posted hours, when each show is scheduled to end:
| Event | Scheduled end | Still open when it lets out |
|---|---|---|
| Rotary movie night, Fri Nov 6 and Nov 20 | 7:30 p.m. | Roux's, Casa Roja, Prince Street |
| Conway & Loretta, Sat Nov 14 | 9 p.m. | Casa Roja, Prince Street |
| Dre Hilton, Sun Nov 15 | 8 p.m. | Prince Street |
| Christmas at The Palace films, Fri Dec 4, 11, 18 | 9 p.m. | Casa Roja, Prince Street |
| Lucas Leon Live, Sun Dec 6 | 8:30 p.m. | Prince Street |
| From King to Country, Sat Dec 19 | 9 p.m. | Casa Roja, Prince Street |
| It's a Wonderful Life, Wed Dec 23 | 9 p.m. | None, at posted hours |
The short Rotary movie nights are the only events where all three dinner spots are still open afterward. Roux's beignets and po'boys only work before an evening show. Sundays are the tightest. Casa Roja closes at 8 p.m. and Roux's at 7:30, so Prince Street is the one late option. On December 23, a Wednesday, both of the later kitchens close at 9 p.m., right when the film is scheduled to end. These are August hours, and restaurants often change hours for the holidays, so call ahead before any night that depends on a late table.
December Runs as a Series
In December the Palace moves to a weekly holiday rhythm. Historic Downtown Gallatin bills it as a Christmas Movie Series "right here in Downtown Gallatin."
- Friday, December 4: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 6 to 9 p.m.
- Sunday, December 6: Lucas Leon Live at The Palace, 5 to 8:30 p.m., billed as a kickoff to Christmas downtown.
- Friday, December 11: The Grinch (2018), 6 to 9 p.m.
- Friday, December 18: The Nightmare Before Christmas, 6 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, December 19: "From King to Country," a new Christmas tribute to Elvis and classic country with Jordan Poole, 7 to 9 p.m.
- Wednesday, December 23: It's a Wonderful Life, 6 to 9 p.m. In 2024, according to that year's event listing, the Palace offered a free showing of this film, called it "a Palace tradition," and had Santa visiting from 6 to 7 p.m. before a 7 p.m. start. The 2026 listing gives only the 6 p.m. start, so check the details closer to the date.
Two Saturdays in December are daytime events, and those work the other way around. The 3rd annual Merry Little Christmas Market on the square runs Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with carolers and Santa from 10 to 11 a.m. The Gallatin Christmas Parade, presented by Primrose School of Gallatin, steps off Saturday, December 12, at noon. The Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce's parade page doesn't list a route yet.
Daytime is when The Paper Mill fits in. In May, Gallatin News reported that it planned to move into the former Swaney Swift's space at 118 N. Water Ave. By August, MyGallatin's openings and closings roundup listed it as open at that address. Its posted Gallatin hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, so it works for breakfast before the market or brunch before the parade. Black Elm Coffee is open on the square for both mornings. I covered how Gallatin's brunch spots and its barbecue and beer places split along different streets in an August post on downtown and Nashville Pike. The holiday calendar follows the same split, with mornings for coffee and brunch and evenings for the Palace.
Planning a Palace Night
A Friday Christmas film starts at 6 p.m., so the earliest seats at a 198-seat, first-come room go to people who arrive well before then. Roux's opens at 11 a.m. and stops serving at 8:30 p.m. on Fridays. An early dinner at 170 N. Water Ave. puts you a short walk up the street from the Palace at 146 N. Water Ave. Saturday concerts end at 9 p.m., which leaves about an hour at Casa Roja or Prince Street if you'd rather eat afterward. On the two Sunday shows and December 23, plan to eat before you go in.
Owning a home within walking distance of the square makes nights like these easy. If you live near downtown and want to know what that location is worth in today's market, I'm glad to run the numbers with you. Andy Lusk can put together your free home valuation, and you can see more about the area on the Gallatin neighborhood page.
