10 Family Christmas Activities in Collierville, TN

Key Takeaways
- Family Christmas activities in Collierville center heavily on the historic Town Square, decorated with well over 250,000 lights each season.
- The Town's tree lighting, Santa Saturdays, and annual Christmas parade are recurring events most years, typically late November through early December.
- A lottery-based Holiday Home Lights bus tour has run in recent years for families who want to see decorated homes without driving themselves.
- Exact 2026 dates for Town events are announced around November 1, so check the Town's official page as the season approaches.
- A family driving tour of decorated neighborhoods, or decorating your own home together, are free, flexible traditions that don't depend on any event calendar.
Half the fun of the season here is that so much of it happens in one walkable place. The other half happens at home, in the driveway, arguing pleasantly about where the inflatable snowman should go. Between the two, there's no shortage of family Christmas activities in Collierville worth putting on the calendar this year.
1. The Town Square Tree Lighting
In past years, this has kicked off the season in late November, with hot chocolate, remarks from Town leadership, and Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving to light the tree in the early evening. It's usually the single most-attended family event of the season, and it's worth bundling the kids up and getting there a bit before the actual lighting, since the Square fills in fast once word gets around that Santa's on his way.
2. Santa Photos on the Square
From late November through mid-December, Santa has typically held Saturday photo sessions on the Town Square. It's a low-key, repeatable outing, easy to fold into a normal Saturday errand run downtown, and a lot less stressful than a single mall visit with the whole season's expectations riding on it.
3. A Carriage Ride Around the Square
Complimentary carriage rides have often run alongside the Saturday Santa sessions, giving families a slower, scenic way to take in the lights without walking the whole Square on foot.
4. The Annual Christmas Parade
Collierville's Christmas parade typically runs in early December along Byhalia Road in the evening, with food vendors and a large community turnout. For families with younger kids, arriving early for a good curbside spot is worth the extra planning, and bringing a blanket or folding chairs makes the wait a lot more comfortable once the sun goes down.
5. Movie Night on the Square
In recent years, the Town has added an outdoor movie night on the Square in mid-December, a classic film screening with hot chocolate service. It's a quieter, cozier alternative to the bigger event days.
6. The Holiday Home Lights Bus Tour
A lottery-based double-decker bus tour of decorated homes around town has run in recent years around mid-December. It's a fun option for families who'd rather sit back and watch the lights go by than plan their own driving route, and it takes the guesswork out of which streets actually have the best displays this year.
7. Just Walk the Square
Some of the best family time here doesn't need a scheduled event at all. Walking the Square on any evening once the lights are up, browsing the shops, grabbing dinner, is a low-effort tradition that works on a random Tuesday just as well as a big event night.
8. A Family Driving Tour of Neighborhood Lights
Beyond the Square, plenty of homes throughout Collierville put real effort into their own displays, wrapped trees, lit rooflines, decorated porches. Picking a few streets and taking a slow drive together, hot chocolate in the cupholders, is a free tradition that doesn't depend on anyone's event calendar, and it's a good excuse to see parts of town you don't usually drive through.
9. Decorate the House Together
Making your own home's display a family project, picking a color palette, choosing which tree to wrap, hanging the wreath together, turns a chore into a tradition kids actually remember. It doesn't have to be complicated to count.
10. Bake and Plan Your Square Visit Around It
An easy at-home tradition: bake or decorate cookies together, then head down to the Square that same evening to see the lights while everyone's still in the mood for it. It's a simple way to turn one outing into a full afternoon.
Checking the Real 2026 Schedule
A quick note on timing: the Town of Collierville typically publishes its official event schedule, with exact dates, around November 1 each year. Everything above reflects how the season has generally run in recent years, not a confirmed 2026 calendar. Once the Town's page updates, that's the place to check before planning around any specific date.
Quick Planning Tips
- Arrive early for the parade if you want a good spot for younger kids
- Saturday Santa sessions tend to get busy later in the afternoon, mornings are usually calmer
- Check the Town's official page in early November for exact 2026 dates
- Pair a Square visit with an at-home tradition, baking, decorating, for a fuller day
If your own house is still on the to-do list for this year, we handle custom-fit roofline lighting and tree wrapping throughout Collierville, so your family's driving-tour stop could be your own driveway this season. It's a small way to be part of the same family Christmas activities in Collierville that your own kids will remember driving past someone else's house for.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Town of Collierville release its official holiday event schedule?
Typically around November 1 each year. Before that, timing is based on how the season has run in recent years rather than confirmed dates.
Are the Santa Saturday sessions free?
In recent years, Santa photo sessions on the Square have been offered as part of the Town's holiday programming, alongside complimentary carriage rides.
Is the Holiday Home Lights bus tour open to everyone?
In recent years it's operated on a lottery registration system, so it's worth watching the Town's page for registration windows once announced.
What's a good free family activity that doesn't depend on the Town's calendar?
A driving tour of decorated neighborhoods around Collierville, or decorating your own home together, both work anytime and don't require checking an event schedule.
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