Granite Falls Builds Its Own Christmas, One Tree and One Float at a Time

On the Monday night of Thanksgiving week, downtown Granite Falls will have 28 Christmas trees standing around the square. Local school groups and civic organizations decorate them. Seating is limited, so the town asks people to bring lawn chairs. Around 7:30, the Mayor and Town Council switch on the lights and the town makes its own "snowfall."

Almost all of it comes from inside the town. School and civic groups decorate the trees, and school choruses, bands and a community choir play the music. The booths give away refreshments and sell nothing. Twelve days later, the Rotary parade's entry fees go to scholarships for students at South Caldwell High. Granite Falls makes its own holiday season, and nearly every part of it goes back to the town's schools and public spaces.

The 2026 calendar, in order

The town's calendar block for Veterans Day starts at 9:30, while the event description lists refreshments at 9:00 and the ceremony at 10:00. If you want a seat in the gym, plan on 9:00. The town calendar shows no other holiday events for November and December beyond these.

Twenty years of a Monday night on the square

This is the twentieth year of the Festival on the Square. It falls on the Monday of Thanksgiving week, while the parade takes a Saturday. The town's vendor notice lays out the evening:

1. 5:45 p.m. Downtown businesses and groups finish setting up their tables.
2. 6:00 p.m. The music starts.
3. 6:15 p.m. The program begins.
4. 7:30 p.m. The Mayor and Town Council light the trees, with Christmas music and a sprinkle of "snowfall."

Before 6:15, walk the trees. The town asks people to come early to see the 28 trees in the "Light Up Granite Falls" display, all decorated by local school groups and civic organizations. Schools sign up for a tree through a town registration page, and businesses can sponsor one on a separate page.

The refreshment booths are set up the same way. Downtown businesses and faith-based organizations hand out free refreshments. The vendor notice asks businesses to bring Christmas snacks, hot chocolate and coffee. It calls the night a free event "in the spirit of 'giving,'" and asks anyone with something to sell to invite people to stop by their shop later. Nothing is sold on the square that night. The booths are where you find out which storefronts to visit in December.

The program is also local. School choruses, school bands and the community choir supply the music, and Santa makes an appearance. The NC Arts Council and the Caldwell Arts Council help fund it. The town's own advice is the most practical. Seating is limited, so bring a comfortable lawn chair.

The parade pays for scholarships

The Saturday parade on Dec. 5 continues the same pattern on a larger scale. IMPACT Rotary Club of the Foothills runs it, and proceeds support scholarships for South Caldwell High School Interact students. Entry costs $30 per float, vehicle or walking group, with another $30 for each additional float or vehicle in the same group. Registration stays open until the parade starts. If your church, team or scout troop has been thinking about entering a float, every entry fee goes toward a scholarship at the high school in the southern part of the county.

This year's theme is "Christmas Past, Present & Future." The club invites entries to "celebrate the past, enjoy the present, and imagine the future, one decade at a time."

Here's what to know whether you're marching or watching from the curb:

• Lineup starts at 10:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Granite Falls, 14 Crestview St. Check in at the staging area at 12 Crestview St.
• No drop-offs at the corner of Falls Avenue and Chestnut Street. Plan around that intersection.
• The parade ends at Granite Elementary School, 60 North Highland Avenue, which is also where participants are picked up.
• Santa and Mrs. Claus ride the final float. No other entry may include anyone dressed as either of them, so children don't get confused.
• Dogs are welcome in the parade as long as owners clean up after them. Participants may hand out candy if they toss it gently or hand it directly to spectators.
• Emergency vehicles line up on Chestnut Street at the front of the parade. They don't need to register, though the club asks for an email so it knows to expect them.

Questions go to the club at [email protected] or (828) 572-3272.

The museum that volunteers keep open

The quietest stop of the season is in one of the county's oldest buildings. The Granite Falls History & Transportation Museum is in the home of Andrew Baird, one of the town's original founders. The house was built in the 1790s and is the second-oldest home in Caldwell County. The town restored it with a $335,000 NCDOT Enhancement Grant and opened it as a museum on January 18, 2007.

Each year the Granite Falls History Committee fully decorates the museum for Christmas. It's open Sundays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., except holidays. Private tours can be arranged through the Town Office at 828.396.3131. That makes Sunday, Dec. 6, the afternoon after the parade, a good time to stop in, as are the Sundays after it. Call ahead around Christmas weekend.

Those Sunday hours depend on neighbors. The town is looking for volunteer hosts and hostesses, and it asks each one for two hours once every three months, with training provided. If you've wanted a small way to help with the town's Christmas, eight Sunday hours a year is one of the easiest.

Where to warm up downtown

Two places within walking distance of the trees are good to know:

Kendra's Bakery Creations, 18 Park Square. It's listed under food, beverages and restaurants in the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce member directory, and it sits on the square itself.

Fyreside Bottles & Brews, South Main Street. It hosted live music this fall, most recently Andy Buckner Music on Thursday, Oct. 22. It's a short walk from the square on a cold Saturday after the parade.

Holiday hours at small shops can change from week to week, so check with each one before planning an evening around it.

The next thing the town is building

The same Town Council that lights the trees approved the next public space for local families at its meeting on Monday, Oct. 19. The News-Topic reported that the council unanimously approved a design contract with McGill Associates and Mountain Crest LLC to redevelop Neighborhood Park at 10 Chestnut St. That's the Chestnut Street the parade's emergency vehicles line up on.

The money breaks down like this. A $500,000 Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant plus a $100,000 town match gives the project a $600,000 budget. Parks and Recreation Director Chad Raby told the council the design cost had grown from an estimated $35,000 to $71,500, which leaves about $530,000 for the park itself. The contract lists multipurpose courts, an inclusive sensory playground, outdoor exercise equipment, accessible parking, walkways and shade structures.

Raby was clear with the council that the list may shrink to fit the budget. In the News-Topic's account he said:

"If we're figuring in 18 activities, we may drop it to nine activities. We would still have a sensory-based playground, but it would be within budget."

He also said his goal is to renovate the park without cutting amenities. Special Projects Manager Katie Parlier added that Raby has been getting early pricing from grading contractors and playground equipment companies. No construction start date has been announced.

For more on how the town fills the rest of the year, see our guide to the three addresses that run a Granite Falls fall and our Granite Falls community page.

Baker Realty has been part of Caldwell County since 1971. If you're hoping to find a home within walking distance of the tree lighting, or close enough to the parade route to hear the bands from your porch, we'd be glad to help you look. Search All Homes.