Brentwood Christmas 2026: Morning with Santa Dec. 5, tree lighting Dec. 7, luminaries Dec. 12, Ravenswood lit up, Dickens in Franklin.

Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. This page is updated each year. Dates come from the city’s Holiday Events page and events listing, and from each organizer’s own page. Details marked 2025 are from last year’s program and will be updated when this year’s are posted.

Brentwood’s Christmas season is lights more than parades: a tree at the library, a mansion dressed for the holidays and one Saturday night when whole subdivisions line their streets with luminaries. The parade and the tree lighting itself have their own page, our Christmas parade and tree lighting guide; this page gathers everything else.

Who to call

  • Library holiday events and tickets: John P. Holt Brentwood Library, 8109 Concord Road, 615-371-0090 (Santa event: ext. 8380)
  • City events: Brentwood Community Relations, 615-371-2259
  • After the holidays, tree pickup: Brush Program, 615-507-2763

The 2026 dates at a glance

Event When Where
Morning with Santa 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 Brentwood library
Christmas Tree Lighting 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7 Brentwood library
Neighborhood luminaries Dusk to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 Your subdivision
Dickens of a Christmas Dec. 12-13 Main Street, Franklin
Ravenswood Mansion lit From the first week of December 1825 Wilson Pike

Neighborhood luminaries, Dec. 12

The biggest light display in Brentwood is spread across the whole city. On the second Saturday of December the city asks every neighborhood to set out luminaries from dusk until 9 p.m., and this year that is Saturday, Dec. 12, according to the event page. The city sets the date; each homeowners association plans the details and decides on a rain postponement, with the second Sunday of December as the fallback. For safety, the city suggests glow sticks or flameless candles.

If you drive the subdivisions to see them, go slowly and watch for walkers.

Santa and the tree at the library

  • Morning with Santa, 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Children meet Santa and hand over wish lists at the library, the city says. In 2025 the morning had treats, prize drawings, letters to Santa, crafts and three free magic shows by magician Scott Humston, which needed free tickets from the Children’s Service Desk.
  • Christmas Tree Lighting, 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7. A reading of “The Polar Express” starts at 4:45 p.m. (limited tickets from the Children’s Service Desk from early November), then hot chocolate from the Friends of the Brentwood Library, a choir and the countdown, per the event page. Full details on our tree lighting page.

Ravenswood Mansion

The city-owned Ravenswood Mansion, built in 1825 in Smith Park at 1825 Wilson Pike, is lit for the holidays from the first week of December, and the city suggests it as a spot for outdoor photos. Inside, the house is fully decorated for Christmas and rents for holiday parties, with bookings through the mansion’s website. The grounds are part of Marcella Vivrette Smith Park.

Dickens of a Christmas in Franklin, Dec. 12-13

The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County’s Dickens of a Christmas fills Main Street in downtown Franklin, about seven miles south, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, with a Victorian Village block of holiday dancers, characters and entertainers. Franklin Transit runs a shuttle to the festival from 10 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday, with pickup at the Park at Harlinsdale Farm; check the foundation’s page for the fare and other stops.

Bigger light shows nearby

  • Holiday LIGHTS at Cheekwood, 1200 Forrest Park Drive in Nashville: the botanical garden’s evening holiday light show, about nine miles northwest. Check Cheekwood’s page for this year’s dates and timed tickets; we will add the dates here.

Hanukkah

Franklin Jewish Social held its third annual “The Miracle of Light” on the eighth night of Hanukkah in 2025, a community evening, according to its Hanukkah page. The group had not posted a 2026 date when we checked. Congregations and groups planning a public menorah lighting in or near Brentwood can send us the details.

After Christmas

City brush crews collect Christmas trees left at the curb from the day after Christmas until mid-January, under the Brush Program. The library is closed Dec. 24 and 25. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, city parks are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Related guides: Christmas parade and tree lighting, Black Friday and holiday shopping, New Year’s Eve and things to do this month.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Brentwood Christmas tree lighting in 2026?

At 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, 2026, at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, 8109 Concord Road, with a reading of “The Polar Express” at 4:45 p.m. Reading tickets come from the library’s Children’s Service Desk starting in early November.

When are luminaries in Brentwood, TN?

Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, from dusk to 9 p.m. The city sets the date and each homeowners association plans the details. The rain date is the second Sunday of December, decided neighborhood by neighborhood.

Where can I see Santa in Brentwood?

Morning with Santa is 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, at the Brentwood library. Admission is free; in 2025 the magic shows needed free tickets from the Children’s Service Desk.

When is Dickens of a Christmas in Franklin in 2026?

Dec. 12-13, 2026, on Main Street in downtown Franklin, about seven miles south: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, according to the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County.