Rock Hill's Christmas parade is Friday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. ChristmasVille fills Old Town Dec. 3-6, opening with Santa's arrival at Fountain Park.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. This page is updated each year. The parade date is from the City of Rock Hill’s Christmas Parade page; the route and street closures are from the city’s 2025 parade page (archived copy) until the 2026 details are posted. ChristmasVille times are from christmasvillerockhill.com.
Rock Hill’s holiday season downtown has two parts: the city’s Christmas Parade on Friday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m., and ChristmasVille, a four-day festival across Old Town from Thursday, Dec. 3, to Sunday, Dec. 6. ChristmasVille opens with Santa’s arrival at Fountain Park. Neither the city nor the festival schedule lists a separate tree lighting for 2026.
Who to call
- Parade questions: Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism, 803-329-5620 or 803-329-5625 (weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.); updates on @rockhillprt on Facebook and Instagram
- ChristmasVille: the festival’s contact page
- Emergencies: 911
The Christmas Parade
The city’s theme is “Light the Night”: lighted floats, walking groups, marching bands, mascots and more. New this year, judges will pick the best commercial float, non-commercial float, walking group and motorized unit, and the winners get free entry into next year’s parade. Sponsors are Atlas Copco, Comporium, CWI Services and York County Natural Gas.
The parade is full. Applications opened Sept. 23 and filled quickly, and the city is not taking waitlist applications.
The route (2025)
The city has not posted the 2026 route. Last year the parade “will use the traditional route”:
- Starts at Oakland Avenue and Stewart Avenue
- Down Oakland Avenue, right onto White Street
- Left through the parking lot next to Wells Fargo
- Left onto Main Street and up Main Street, ending at Fountain Park
The city publishes a route map (PDF). In 2025 families could track Santa’s float in the My Ride app; the My Ride service ended May 22, 2026. The 2025 parade ran rain or shine.
Street closures and parking (2025)
- Oakland Avenue from Cherry Road to Stewart Avenue closed to traffic from 2 p.m. for staging.
- The route began closing at 6 p.m. and reopened once the parade passed.
- Closed during and after the parade: Elizabeth Avenue between Black and White streets, Main Street between Elizabeth Avenue and Confederate Avenue, and Reid Street between White and Main streets.
- No on-street parking along the route that Friday.
- Parking: the Black Street deck and surface lot, the City Hall lot, the Fountain Park Place deck (from Elizabeth Lane, or from Main Street via Reid Street) and the White Street lot.
ChristmasVille, Dec. 3-6
ChristmasVille fills Old Town with nearly 70 events, according to its organizers. Highlights from the 2026 schedule:
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m. | Opening ceremony and Santa’s arrival | Fountain Park, 300 E. Main St. |
| Thursday, Dec. 3, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Cookies and cocoa with Santa | First Presbyterian Church |
| Friday, Dec. 4, 4 to 9 p.m. | Food vendors | Old Town |
| Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Santa’s Main Street Workshop | Main Street |
| Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Horse-drawn carriage rides | Old Town |
| Saturday, Dec. 5, 6 to 9 p.m. | North Pole Nights | Main Street |
| Sunday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m. to noon | Sensory-sensitive Santa | Knowledge Perk |
| Sunday, Dec. 6, 4 p.m. | Closing ceremony and Santa’s send-off | Old Town |
Also on the schedule: historic trolley tours, ice sculptures, a vendor village at the Freedom Center, storytime with Santa, and gingerbread house, LEGO and cardboard ornament contests, with entries on display at the Center for the Arts. Some events, such as the brunches and tastings, are ticketed through the festival’s tickets page. The city’s 2025 parade page warned that the festival can mean more road closures.
What this means for you
- Parade: Friday, Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m.; get parked before the route closes at 6 p.m.
- Little ones: Santa arrives at Fountain Park at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3.
- Driving through downtown that weekend? Expect closures on Main Street, Oakland Avenue and White Street.
More: things to do in Rock Hill this month and getting around Rock Hill.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Rock Hill Christmas parade in 2026?
Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. The city’s “Light the Night” parade features lighted floats, walking groups, marching bands and mascots.
What is the Rock Hill Christmas parade route?
Last year’s traditional route began at Oakland Avenue and Stewart Avenue, went down Oakland, right on White Street, left through the lot next to Wells Fargo, then up Main Street to Fountain Park.
When is ChristmasVille 2026?
Thursday, Dec. 3, to Sunday, Dec. 6, in Old Town Rock Hill. It opens with a ceremony and Santa’s arrival at Fountain Park at 6 p.m. Dec. 3 and closes with Santa’s send-off at 4 p.m. Dec. 6.
Where do you park for the Rock Hill Christmas parade?
In 2025 the city listed the Black Street parking deck and surface lot, the City Hall lot, the Fountain Park Place parking deck and the White Street lot.
Can I still enter the Rock Hill Christmas parade?
No. The city says the 2026 parade filled after applications opened Sept. 23 and it is no longer taking waitlist applications.
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