Last December, downtown Brenham did Christmas in about 24 hours. The "Cold Nights, Holiday Tunes" concert played on a Friday night, and the lighted parade came down Main and Alamo the next evening. This year the same celebration covers nine days, and that changes what goes on your calendar first.
KWHI reported on October 20 that Main Street Brenham is splitting things up. The lighted parade is on Saturday, December 5. The "Home for the Holidays" Christmas Stroll, with the concert, a new 1K and a pet contest, follows on December 11 and 12. The two weekends work differently. The first one has tickets and sign-up deadlines, and they fall in November. The second one is mostly free, but plenty of other events around the area are aiming for those same few days.
One weekend became two
This is how the pieces moved, from KWHI's 2025 preview to this year's schedule on the City of Brenham's Christmas page.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Lighted parade | Sat., Dec. 6, 6 p.m. | Sat., Dec. 5, 6 p.m. |
| Parade theme | "A Very Vintage Christmas" | "An American Christmas" |
| Holiday Tunes concert | Fri., Dec. 5, 7 p.m., same weekend as the parade | Fri., Dec. 11, the weekend after the parade |
| Parade sign-up deadline | Nov. 18 | Thurs., Nov. 19 |
| Dashing Thru Downtown 1K | Not in the 2025 preview | Inaugural run, Sat., Dec. 12 |
Main Street Brenham hasn't said publicly why it split the celebration. The practical result is that a family who did everything in one trip downtown last year now has two Saturdays to think about.
The parade weekend sets November deadlines
Most of the planning for weekend one has to happen this month. In order:
- Breakfast with Santa tickets went on sale Sunday, November 1. There are two seatings at The Barnhill Center on December 5, at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Tickets are $15 per person, and reservations are required. McDonald's sponsors the breakfast, and the city's page lists pancakes, face painting, activities and pictures with Santa.
- Parade entries close Thursday, November 19. Registration and float entry are free through the city's Jingle site. Your business, church group or club has two weeks to decide how it will do "An American Christmas."
- Vendors for the Jingle Bell Market work directly with Ant Street Inn. The city lists 979-836-7393 for vendor information.
December 4 and 5, from first stall to last float
Weekend one starts on Friday, December 4. The Ant Street Inn Jingle Bell Market runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day and again on Saturday. It will be the inn's first holiday season under Connor and Trish Byer, who took over in May after Keith and Suzy Hankins spent 15 years managing the inn and event venue, KWHI reported.
On Friday afternoon, Brenham's First Fridays Farmer & Artisan Market sets up in Commerce Street Lot E from 3 to 6 p.m. The city lists herbs, produce, local honey, homemade soaps, jewelry and art, which gives you a second place to cross names off a gift list on the same afternoon.
Saturday, December 5 runs on a set schedule:
- 8:30 and 10 a.m. Breakfast with Santa at The Barnhill Center, ticketed
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jingle Bell Market, day two
- 2 to 4 p.m. The first set of Saturday road closures
- 4 to 10 p.m. The wider parade closures
- 6 p.m. Lighted Christmas Parade, "An American Christmas"
- After the parade Sit with Santa in Alamo Alley
The city posts separate detour maps for the 2 to 4 p.m. closures and the 4 to 10 p.m. closures, and notes that there are many free public parking lots downtown. If you live or work inside the closure area, the 4 p.m. map is the one that decides when your car has to be where.
The Stroll weekend is free and lower-key
A week later, "Home for the Holidays" brings downtown back for a different kind of visit. On Friday, December 11, The Spicolis play the free "Cold Nights, Holiday Tunes" concert in the Commerce Street parking lot, with Emerson Measurement Solutions and Frost Bank as sponsors. The city suggests bringing your own chairs.
The listings don't agree on the start time. KWHI and Visit Brenham say 6 to 9 p.m. The city's own Jingle page says the music starts at 7 p.m. If you want a good spot for your chairs, plan around the earlier time and check the city page that week.
Saturday, December 12 brings a first-year race and a pet contest:
- 9 a.m. The inaugural "Dashing Thru Downtown" 1K
- 11 a.m. The "Paws & Claus" pet contest
- Until 6 p.m. Holiday shopping and dining around downtown
Fees, the 1K course and pet-contest categories haven't been posted with the announcement. The city's Jingle site is the place to watch for sign-up details. A 1K is short enough that most kids and plenty of grandparents can finish it, and with the pet contest two hours later, one Saturday morning covers both the runners and the dogs in your house.
December 11 through 13 is where the calendar stacks up
Downtown isn't the only thing that moved. The Milk and Honey Ranch Christmas Experience ran December 5 through 7 last year. This year its ticketed nights are December 11 through 13, 5 to 9 p.m., which lands right on top of the Stroll weekend.
| Date | Event | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Holiday Tunes concert, Commerce St. lot | Free. Listed start is 6 or 7 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Milk and Honey Ranch Christmas Experience | 5 to 9 p.m., ticketed |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Dashing Thru Downtown 1K | 9 a.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Chappell Hill Christmas home tour | Listed 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Paws & Claus pet contest | 11 a.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Chappell Hill Teddy Bear parade | Listed 3:30 to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Milk and Honey Ranch Christmas Experience | 5 to 9 p.m., ticketed |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Milk and Honey Ranch Christmas Experience | 5 to 9 p.m., ticketed |
The Chappell Hill Chamber of Commerce events come from Visit Brenham's Chappell Hill listings. Confirm them with the Chamber before you build a day around them. If they hold, December 12 could start with a 1K in Brenham and end with a teddy bear parade in Chappell Hill, with time for a home tour in between.
Milk & Honey also changed how it charges. In 2025 it advertised $50 per group, which included four tickets and one parking pass. For 2026 there are two choices. The off-site "Shepherd Lot" is $50 per vehicle, and the on-site "Star Lot" is $100 per vehicle. Each covers up to four guests, extra guests are $10 each, and no tickets are sold at the gate. The ranch also has a December 10 night, but it's for volunteers, not ticket buyers.
For a household that wants all of it, the order works out like this. Book Breakfast with Santa now. Get any parade entry in by November 19. Buy Milk & Honey tickets ahead, since none are sold on site. Leave December 12 open for the 1K and the pet contest, then shop downtown until 6 p.m.
If walking the parade route on December 5 has you wondering what your own place on those downtown streets would sell for, I'm happy to put together a number for you. Lauren M. Cox has watched this town light up for a lot of Decembers, and a free home valuation takes no more time than a cup of cocoa on Alamo Street. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
