Where does Brentwood hold its holiday parade? It doesn't have one. The city's December 2026 lineup has no parade route and no lighted square. Both city-hosted events take place at one building on Concord Road, and Ravenswood Mansion on Wilson Pike gets lit for the month. The biggest night of the season isn't run by the city at all. On Dec. 12, the city sets the date, and each homeowners association organizes luminaries along its own streets.
So planning a Brentwood December means two things: getting tickets for timed library events, and keeping up with your HOA's plans for luminary night. Here's the season in order, starting with what you can do this week.
The Season Starts at the Children's Service Desk
City events in Brentwood start at the library long before December. The City of Brentwood hands out free tickets for both ticketed library programs at the Children's Service Desk at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, with distribution starting in November. One set covers the magic shows at Morning with Santa. The other covers the Polar Express readings at Merry and Bright.
The events are free, but the city describes the Polar Express tickets as limited, and the magic shows need tickets too. If your family wants a specific time slot, stop by the desk or call the library at 615-371-0090 ext. 8380 before December arrives. The library also posts its programs on its online calendar.
Two Library Events Two Days Apart
Both city events are at the library at 8109 Concord Road, a Saturday morning and a Monday evening in the same week.
| Event | Date | What happens | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning with Santa | Saturday, Dec. 5 | Santa visits from 9 to 11 a.m.; magic shows at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. | Free, required for the magic shows |
| Merry and Bright | Monday, Dec. 7, 4 to 6 p.m. | Free hot chocolate, two Polar Express readings, tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. | Free, limited, required for the readings |
At Morning with Santa, the city says magician Scott Humston is returning to perform the shows. Children can also write letters to Santa and make crafts, and there are treats and prize drawings.
Merry and Bright is the Brentwood City Commission's official start to the season. The Friends of the Brentwood Library serve free hot chocolate inside. The tree lighting is at 5:30 p.m. on the library's front lawn, with the Brentwood High Chamber Choir singing. Since it's a Monday, plan it as a weeknight outing. Both readings come before the 5:30 lighting, so check the time on your ticket and plan hot chocolate around it.
The tree lighting is the last city-hosted event of the season. After Dec. 7, the season moves to neighborhood streets.
Dec. 12 Is Up to Each HOA
The city's holiday page says it "sets the date" for luminaries, "but each Homeowner Association plans the details." Everything about the night follows from that.
According to the city, here's what's set for 2026:
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 12, the second Saturday in December, as it is every year.
- Hours: Dusk until 9 p.m.
- Lights: The city prefers glow sticks or flameless candles for safety.
- Rain: The backup is the second Sunday of December, which this year is Dec. 13. Each neighborhood, usually through its HOA, decides whether to postpone.
Because each HOA decides about rain on its own, a stormy Saturday could leave one subdivision lit while the next one waits for Sunday. If the forecast looks doubtful that week, check your HOA's email or newsletter before you set anything out on the curb.
Each HOA handles the rest too: whether there's a group order for supplies, who covers which street, and how the word gets out. The Brentwood TN Guide has written about luminary night for years, and its advice for residents who want to take part is to start with their homeowners association.
A Tradition That Started in One Subdivision
The same guide reports that luminary night started in Brentwood in the 1980s. Lighting luminaries wasn't new. What was new here was an entire subdivision taking part together. Over time it spread beyond that one subdivision, and now the night belongs to residents across the city.
That neighborhood-level start matches how the night still runs today, with HOAs handling the details. A Brentwood Home Page safety piece described the classic setup as sand-filled white paper bags with tea lights, lined along the street in front of each home. It also noted that the effect is strongest when many neighbors join in.
If you're making your own, the Brentwood TN Guide suggests setting the bags along the street about 10 feet apart. For a typical frontage, that's a manageable number of bags, and the city's preferred glow sticks or flameless candles take care of the open-flame concern. As someone who has spent years around job sites, I'd add one practical step: set the bags out in daylight. Placing them is easy, but bending over a dark curb with a lighter or a box of glow sticks isn't.
Ravenswood Fills the Weeks Between
Between the library weekend and luminary night, the city has one more holiday setting. The City of Brentwood says Ravenswood Mansion, at 1825 Wilson Pike, will be lit for the holidays starting the first week of December. The city suggests it as a spot for outdoor photos or a small holiday gathering.
The mansion stands on the grounds of Marcella Vivrette Smith Park, which the city lists as open daily from dawn to dusk. Dusk comes early in December, so a family photo there takes some planning around the light. The city owns the mansion, and anyone interested in booking a holiday gathering can find information at ravenswoodmansion.com.
Brentwood Place Covers the Hours Around the Events
The city events are short. Santa visits for two hours, and Merry and Bright runs from 4 to 6 p.m. This year, Brentwood Place on Franklin Road has places that open early enough or stay open late enough to fill in around them. We wrote about how that development has filled out the rest of the day in our August look at Franklin Road. For December, the useful detail is which hours line up with which events.
Before Morning with Santa on Dec. 5: Big Bad Breakfast is at 330 Franklin Road, Suite 226-B, and its Brentwood page now says "Open now." Williamson Source reported that it serves breakfast and lunch daily from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. That leaves time for breakfast before Santa arrives at 9.
After Merry and Bright on Dec. 7: Monday narrows the options. The Raven Book Lounge at 330 Franklin Road, Suite 250B, opened April 18, according to the Williamson Herald. The Herald lists it as closed on Mondays. Crush Yard at 330 Franklin Road lists its kitchen as open noon to 9 p.m. on weekdays and its bar until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, so a family leaving the 5:30 tree lighting can still get dinner.
Before or after luminary night on Dec. 12: On Saturdays, The Raven's posted hours are 2 to 10 p.m., and Crush Yard's bar runs until 11 p.m. Luminaries go out at dusk and the city's window ends at 9 p.m., so either place works for anyone who wants to head out once their own street is lit. Crush Yard also says it hosts private holiday parties, if your office or HOA is still looking for a place.
The December Calendar, in Order
- Now through early December: Library tickets for the magic shows and Polar Express readings are at the Children's Service Desk while they last.
- First week of December: Ravenswood Mansion is lit at 1825 Wilson Pike.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 to 11 a.m.: Morning with Santa at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library.
- Monday, Dec. 7, 4 to 6 p.m.: Merry and Bright, with the tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. on the library's front lawn.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, dusk to 9 p.m.: Neighborhood Luminaries, organized by your HOA.
- Sunday, Dec. 13: The rain date, if your neighborhood postpones.
For more about the city beyond December, our Brentwood neighborhood page has the year-round picture.
If you're curious how homes on your street are valued heading into the final weeks of 2026, Andy Lusk is glad to walk through it with you, in person or over FaceTime. Start with a free home valuation, and enjoy the bags along the curb on the 12th.
