Which block of downtown Fort Mill has the most going on during the Christmas Parade this year? It is the block the parade starts from.
On Saturday, December 5, the 79th Annual Fort Mill Christmas Parade steps off at 11 a.m. from Tom Hall and Unity Street. Down the same street, St. John's United Methodist Church at 130 Tom Hall Street hosts the second Fort Mill Tree Fest from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tree Fest is open two hours before the parade and stays open most of the afternoon after it. That means one short stretch of Tom Hall Street gives you the parade lineup, its live broadcast spot and a room of decorated trees from local nonprofits, all in the same morning.
Two addresses on Tom Hall Street
The Town of Fort Mill's calendar listing for the 79th parade sets it for Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 11 a.m. in Historic Downtown Fort Mill. The Town's event page on Eventeny adds the route and the TV setup. The parade starts at Tom Hall and Unity Street, runs through Main Street and North White Street, and ends at Walter Elisha Park. A Grand Marshal leads it, and it is filmed for Comporium Channel 705 with live coverage in front of the Fort Mill Fire Station at 121 Tom Hall Street. Emcees announce each entry as it passes.
So the fire station at 121 Tom Hall is where each entry gets its on-air moment, and St. John's is at 130 Tom Hall. Along this stretch you get the emcees calling out each entry by name. Parade Judges pick winners in categories that run from Most Festive Entry and Best Float to Best Youth Entry, Best Church or Nonprofit Entry and Best Business Entry.
The basic setup will look familiar. The Town's 2025 listing put last year's parade on Saturday, December 6, at 11 a.m., on the same route. The newer tradition is on Tom Hall Street. Tree Fest returns for its second year as a full-day event on the same street where the parade starts.
Tree Fest's hours wrap around the parade
Fort Mill Tree Fest is a silent auction of Christmas trees decorated by local nonprofits. You walk through, look at the trees and bid. Whoever has the highest bid at the end of the day gets to take that tree home, and the winning bid counts as a donation to the group that decorated it. Admission is free, with holiday music all day and light holiday refreshments, as the Tega Cay Sun reported in October. Organizers told the paper that 100% of auction proceeds go to the participating nonprofits. They also said the concept started in other parts of the country and came to Fort Mill last year.
Because the auction runs all day and the parade comes through in the late morning, you can split one Saturday into two visits on the same street:
- 9 a.m.: Tree Fest opens at St. John's United Methodist Church, 130 Tom Hall Street. Early visitors can look over every tree and put in bids before the parade crowd shows up.
- 11 a.m.: The parade steps off from Tom Hall and Unity Street, with live Comporium coverage in front of the fire station at 121 Tom Hall. The Town's calendar lists it from 11 a.m. to noon.
- Midday: The last entries pull into Walter Elisha Park at the end of North White Street.
- Afternoon: Tree Fest is still open, so you can go back and check your bids.
- 6 p.m.: The auction closes, and winning bidders can take their trees home.
If you plan to bid seriously, settle the pickup details with the organizers ahead of time, since a winning tree goes home at the end of the day. The Tree Fest website has the event details and contact information.
Who decorated the trees
Every tree in the room comes from a local organization. Tree Fest's site lists 18 participating groups for 2026. Catawba Ridge Band was the latest addition, announced by the Fort Mill Sun on October 28.
The 2026 roster:
- Adult Enrichment Centers
- Bethel Shelters
- Carolina Crown, Inc.
- Catawba Area Agency on Aging
- Catawba Ridge Band
- Children's Attention Home
- Early Learning Partnership of York County
- Fort Mill Care Center
- Fort Mill History Museum
- Humane Society of York County
- Keystone Behavioral Health
- MaxAbilities of York County
- NAMI Piedmont Tri-County
- Piedmont Music Therapy
- St. John's UMC W.E.E. School
- Tender Hearts Ministries
- York Housing Authority
- You Can Discover Change
The route ends where Thursday's tree goes up
The parade finishes at Walter Elisha Park, and that is where the season starts two days earlier. On Thursday, December 3, from 5 to 8 p.m., the Town hosts the Fort Mill Christmas Village & Tree Lighting at the Fort Mill Amphitheater in Walter Elisha Park, 345 N. White Street. The event is free.
The Town's description covers a full evening:
- Lighting of the Town's 50-foot Christmas tree
- Performances by local school choirs, dance teams and community entertainers
- A Christmas Village with local vendors and kid-friendly activities
- Trackless train rides
- Food trucks and photos with Santa
- Holiday lights and decorated trees across Downtown Fort Mill, with local shops and restaurants open
Put the two days together and downtown makes a loop. The 50-foot tree is lit Thursday night at the amphitheater. On Saturday the parade starts on Tom Hall Street, travels Main and North White, and ends back in the park under the same tree. If you skipped the lighting, the end of the parade is a good time to see the tree.
The afternoon moves out to the Greenway
Saturday's third event opens at noon, the hour the Town's calendar has the parade wrapping up. The Anne Springs Close Greenway holds its Winter Holiday Market on December 5 from noon to 5 p.m. at Greenway Gateway, 2570 Lake Haigler Drive. The Greenway lists more than 50 vendors selling locally made home décor, candles, soaps, holiday gifts and family items. There is also a donation-based gift-wrapping station, live music, a holiday photo station and firepits. The Greenway Canteen will sell meals, snacks, s'mores kits, and hot and cold drinks, including signature specials for the event. Visit York County is the presenting partner of the Greenway's Artisan Market Series.
The timing lets you do everything. Bid on a tree in the morning, watch the parade from Tom Hall Street, head to the Greenway for gifts and a firepit, and get back downtown before Tree Fest closes at 6 to see whether your bid held.
The Greenway's December calendar has one more night event the next week. The Night Owl Trail Race is listed for December 11 from 6 to 9 p.m.
For quick reference, here is the season on the calendar:
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 5–8 p.m.: Christmas Village & Tree Lighting, Fort Mill Amphitheater at Walter Elisha Park
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.: Fort Mill Tree Fest, St. John's United Methodist Church, 130 Tom Hall Street
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m.: 79th Annual Fort Mill Christmas Parade, from Tom Hall and Unity Street to Walter Elisha Park
- Saturday, Dec. 5, noon–5 p.m.: Winter Holiday Market, Greenway Gateway
- Friday, Dec. 11, 6–9 p.m.: Night Owl Trail Race, Anne Springs Close Greenway
Our family spends a lot of December weekends at events like these, and we're always happy to swap notes on where to stand or which tree drew the most bids. If you're planning to host this season in a new place, or getting your current home ready for the holidays before a spring listing, Jeremy Ordan and the team would love to help. Start your next move with a trusted team. Let's talk.
