"Collierville is honored to be named an Official 2026 Hallmark Christmas Town!" That line now heads the Town of Collierville's Christmas page, just above the 250,000 lights that will cover the historic Town Square and district from November 24 through January 4, 2027.
Hallmark's own rules describe the title as a promotional kit with no event attached. So everything on the calendar this season, from Saturday's holiday markets to the parade on Byhalia Road, is something Collierville built. One piece of it is built from residents' own front yards, and it has a deadline.
What the Hallmark title came with
In August, Action News 5 reported that Collierville was one of 25 finalists nationwide in the Hallmark Channel's contest. It was the only town in the Mid-South on the 2026 list. The contest is sponsored by Hallmark Media United States, LLC, under the name Hallmark's Merriest Christmas Towns Contest. The top prize went to Carlinville, Illinois, which The Pantagraph reported was announced on October 15. That prize includes the chance to host filming for a Hallmark movie, with the details still to be negotiated.
Under the contest's official rules, each runner-up receives the "Official Hallmark Christmas Town" designation and a promotional toolkit:
- An Official 2026 Hallmark Christmas Town digital seal, which towns may use to promote free events only
- Ready-to-use social and marketing templates
- Approved Hallmark Channel imagery, logos and messaging tied to the Countdown to Christmas season
The rules say the prizes "have no retail value." The town's highlight list includes no Hallmark-branded event. The seal's free-events rule fits the town calendar well, since much of the season costs nothing to attend.
The part of the season residents build
The clearest example is the town-wide Holiday Lights Tour. Its map is made from addresses that homeowners and businesses submit through the town's Holiday Lights Tour form, and any display is welcome, from classic lights to what the town calls "an over-the-top holiday wonderland."
Here's how it works:
- Submit a home or business address on the online form by December 1 at 5 p.m.
- Explore the finished map online December 5 through 23.
- Vote for a favorite display. The town says voting details will be shared closer to December 4.
If your lights are going up this month anyway, submitting the address is what puts your house on the map.
The calendar, built week by week
The season opens on the Square on Saturday, November 14, with the Main Street Collierville Holiday Open House starting at 10 a.m. The town's calendar lists merchant discounts, door prizes and giveaways. The same morning, the Collierville Burch Library's 2026 Holiday Market runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 501 Poplar View Parkway, with live music, a Santa photo booth and dozens of vendors.
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 14 | Holiday Open House; Burch Library Holiday Market | Town Square; 501 Poplar View Pkwy | Both start at 10 a.m. |
| Nov. 19 | Girls Night Out | Town Square | 5 to 8 p.m., shops open late |
| Nov. 24 | Tree Lighting | Town Square Park, 96 Center St. | 5:30 to 8 p.m., tree lit at 7 |
| Nov. 27 to Dec. 30 | Carriage rides by Cunningham Tours | Historic district | 5 to 8 p.m. nightly except Dec. 24 and 25; $30 per carriage |
| Nov. 28 | Shop Small Saturday; first Christmas in Collierville Saturday | Town Square | Saturdays run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Dec. 4 | 49th Christmas Parade | N. Byhalia Road | 7 to 9 p.m., no rain date |
| Dec. 5 to 13 | The Happy Elf | Harrell Theatre, 440 W. Powell Rd. | Tickets via Freshtix |
| Dec. 12 | Home Tour and Holiday Market; Frosty Fest | Linda Kerley Center; Carriage Crossing | Same Saturday |
| Dec. 15 | Santa's Little Helper; Crosswind Eagles Chorus | Morton Museum; Square gazebo | Noon to 2 p.m.; 6 to 7 p.m. |
Girls Night Out on November 19 keeps the Square's shops open until 8 p.m. with merchant specials, sips and snacks. Shoppers with receipts over $25 from member shops are entered in a gift-basket drawing.
The Tree Lighting on November 24 follows a set order. Hot chocolate starts at 5:30, Kevin and Bethany Paige play a one-hour concert, the tree is lit at 7, and Santa stays in the gazebo for photos until about 8. There is no rain date. Carriage rides begin three nights later. Each carriage holds five to six people, and any weather changes are posted on the town's Christmas page.
Four Saturdays on the Square, each a little different
Christmas in Collierville Saturdays run November 28 and December 5, 12 and 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Santa photos in the gazebo are free and first come, first served, and the town asks families to bring their own camera. Each Saturday adds something different:
- November 28: Opera Memphis strolling carolers from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a break from 12:30 to 1, on the same day as Main Street's Shop Small Saturday.
- December 5: Model trains, plus a Children's Entrepreneur Market on N. Rowlett Street in front of the Depot Visitors Center.
- December 12: Model trains, school and music performances, and the Contemporary Club Home Tour and Holiday Market.
- December 19: Model trains and performances by School of Rock, Zoe Johnson and Skyy Jordan.
December 12 is the busiest day of the season. The Contemporary Club Home Tour and Holiday Market runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from the Linda Kerley Center at 175 W. Poplar Ave. Tickets are sold online and at the center that day. A shuttle carries guests from the center to the featured homes, and there is no parking at the homes. The town notes the homes are not accessible, and children under 12 and pets are not permitted. For an earlier look, the Contemporary Club's A Christmas Prelude runs Thursday, December 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. at 337 McGinnis Circle. A $100 ticket covers both the preview and the Saturday tour and market.
From 1 to 5 p.m. that same afternoon, Frosty Fest at Carriage Crossing, 4674 Merchants Park Circle, offers Santa photos, The Song Shack, the Grinch, carriage rides on the property and children's activities. It is free. Starting with the Home Tour in the morning and finishing at Carriage Crossing in the afternoon makes for a full day without going back to the Square.
The weekend before is crowded too. The parade runs Friday night, December 4, the Holiday Lights Tour map goes live December 5, and the Collierville Arts Council's production of Harry Connick Jr.'s The Happy Elf opens at the Harrell Theatre that afternoon. Performances are December 5 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., December 6 at 2:30, December 11 at 7:30, December 12 at 2:30 and 7:30, and December 13 at 2:30.
The parade starts near Polo Run Road on Byhalia Road. Like the Tree Lighting, it has no rain date. Last year the town asked spectators not to put chairs in the street.
The weekday afternoon of Tuesday, December 15, is quieter. Living History Lab: Santa's Little Helper runs from noon to 2 p.m. at the Morton Museum, 196 Main St. It is free, needs no registration, and supplies are first come, first served. That evening, the Crosswind Eagles Chorus sings at Evening in the Gazebo from 6 to 7 p.m. Children can also send Letters to Santa through December 6.
What moved since last year
The 2026 changes are small, and they all come from the town and local groups. The town's 2025 bulletin put the Tree Lighting on Tuesday, November 25, and the 48th parade on Friday, December 5. This year both land one calendar day earlier, and the parade count reaches 49. The Park Hill Billies played the 2025 Tree Lighting, and Kevin and Bethany Paige take that slot in 2026. The Arts Council's December show last year was Rudolph the Musical, which ran December 6 through 14, 2025.
None of that came from Hallmark. The seal adds national recognition to a season Collierville has been building for 49 parades. Our fall Town Square guide covers the Square's calendar from earlier in the year. If your house is going on the Lights Tour map this December and you're thinking about selling in the new year, Amy Woods can tell you where it stands today. Request Your VIP Home Valuation and start 2027 with a clear number.
