By 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, every float, band and walking group in the Covington Christmas Parade has to be in line on Newton Drive. The horses wait on a field off Newton Drive and join at the very end, behind Santa Claus. The parade steps off at 10 a.m. and heads into downtown. Eight hours after the step-off, the same corner of town is busy again. At 6 p.m., Legion Field turns on its rows of decorated Christmas trees for the Lights at Legion Kickoff, with the Mistletoe Market, food trucks and Santa in the same place.
The 2026 calendar moves back and forth between the Square and Legion Field at 3173 Mill Street NE. The parts residents build themselves, the trees, the market stalls and the parade entries, have deadlines that land in early November, weeks before the lights come on.
Two Stages, One Calendar
Discover Covington's calendar for November and December looks like this. Venues are shown wherever the City or Discover Covington has named one.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Cinema Saturday, A Minecraft Movie | The Square | 6:30 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Veterans Day Ceremony | The Square | 11 a.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Lighting of the Square | The Square | 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday | Not listed | Not listed |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Covington Christmas Parade | Legion Field area into downtown | 10 a.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Lights at Legion Kickoff and Mistletoe Market | Legion Field | 6 to 9 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Candlelight Shopping | The Square | 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Santa, live reindeer and Christmas movie shorts | The Square | 6 to 8 p.m. |
The Square gets most of the season's dates. Legion Field gets the biggest single day, and its trees stay lit for about a month after that.
The Square Gets the First Light
This Saturday's Cinema Saturday on the Square is the last outdoor movie on the 2026 calendar, with A Minecraft Movie starting at 6:30 p.m. That is earlier than the 7 p.m. start of the August and September screenings. The following Wednesday, Nov. 11, the Veterans Day Ceremony runs from 11 a.m. to noon on the Square, presented by American Legion Post 32.
The holiday season officially opens on Thursday, Nov. 19, with the Lighting of the Square from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The City describes it as an annual tradition with performances by children's choirs, a visit from Santa and the lighting of the tree on the Square. The one-hour window matches the program. The City's 2025 notice listed the Newton Community Band, the Washington Street Community Choir, the Oxford Little Singers, the Singing Children and the Youth Singers, along with fireworks and free s'mores. The 2026 lineup has not been posted yet.
The crowd is bigger than the hour suggests. The Covington News reported that thousands attended the 2024 lighting, with choirs from the Washington Street Community and the Arts Association of Newton County performing. A Thursday evening crowd that size in the middle of downtown is the main thing to plan around on Nov. 19.
Legion Field's Morning Shift
Two weeks later the focus moves to Legion Field. The City's 2026 parade page confirms the Covington Christmas Parade for Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m., organized by the City and Discover Covington. The City's calendar describes the route as running from Legion Field through downtown Covington.
The parade has a fixed size. It is capped at 100 entries, and bands, floats, horse groups, walking groups and dance groups each count as one. As of Oct. 24, 2026, only the waiting list was open. Lineup works on a first-in, first-out basis. Entries are placed on Newton Drive in the order they arrive at the corner of Mill Street and Newton Drive, and only parade entries may drive on Newton Drive between Anderson Avenue and Mill Street. Families along the route should know about the candy rule as well. Participants cannot throw candy, so walkers hand it out directly.
The City has not published a 2026 route map, theme or grand marshal. Last year's route map gives the general idea. In 2025 the parade went west on Newton Drive, turned left on Anderson, then right on Floyd and Clark through the Square. From there it turned left on Lee, left on Washington and College, right on Church, left on Conyers, and left on Mill back to Newton Drive. The loop starts and ends near Legion Field. For the 2025 parade, the City recommended legal on-street parking outside the closed streets, the public lots on Usher and Stallings, and the Elm Street parking deck. Accessible parking was at the Welcome Center, which the parade passed on Conyers Street. Some 2025 closures, including Newton Drive and the blocks around the Square, started at 6 a.m. Check the City's page for the 2026 version before you count on any of these details.
Legion Field's Evening Shift
The evening event on the same field lasts much longer than the parade. Lights at Legion is free. It opens with the kickoff at 6 p.m. on Dec. 5, and after that the trees are lit every night through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027, for anyone who wants to walk through. The City has not listed nightly viewing hours.
The display is large. The City's 2025 event listing advertised more than 170 decorated trees. They fill a park with a lot of room. Legion Field covers 8.5 acres, with an amphitheater, a three-acre lawn, a paved walking track, restrooms, a banquet hall and an open-air pavilion. The walking track makes the park easy to stroll after dark.
If you only go once, go to the kickoff. That is the one night visitors can vote. Attendees scan QR codes on sandwich boards to pick a favorite Business tree, Organization tree and Family tree, and Discover Covington staff choose a fourth. Each category winner gets a trophy, a free tree entry for 2027 and social media recognition. The City's page puts it plainly.
"IT'S THE ONLY TIME YOU CAN VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE TREES!"
Weather plays a part for the rest of the month. The trees run off GFI outlets at Legion Field, and those trip when rain gets in. After a storm, some trees may stay dark until staff or the lighting company can safely turn them back on. For the full display, go on a dry night.
Next door at the kickoff, the Covington Mistletoe Market runs from 6 to 9 p.m. with local artisans, craftspeople, woodworkers, bakers and other makers. The 2025 market guidelines planned for about 40 vendors. That is about one stall for every four trees, so the market fits inside the display instead of competing with it.
The Deadlines Arrive Before the Lights Do
The trees, stalls and floats that people see in December are arranged in November, and two of the key dates fall within about a week of each other.
- Mistletoe Market vendor applications opened Wednesday, Nov. 4, after 10 a.m.
- Lights at Legion tree payment of $80 is due Friday, Nov. 13. Payment is cash or check made out to Discover Covington, and it should be sent only after your application is accepted. If payment hasn't arrived, the tree goes to someone on the waitlist. Payments can be dropped off or mailed to the Covington Welcome Center, 1143 Oak Street SE, Attention: Lights at Legion.
- Tree decorating runs from 8 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, until 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4.
- Parade entries are waitlist only as of Oct. 24.
The decorating rules make sense for trees that will stand outside for almost 30 days. Only outdoor LED lights and outdoor-rated extension cords are allowed. Ornaments should be fastened with zip ties, pipe cleaners, string or wire, because the City warns that hooks blow off in the wind. Families and businesses can show their names on the tree itself, but the only sign allowed in front is the one Discover Covington provides. Trees run from 6 feet tall, so the City suggests bringing a step ladder.
The kickoff also welcomes tree owners, though it doesn't require them. The City says decorators are invited to sit by their trees on Dec. 5 and hand out candy or promotional items. Because voting happens only that night, a tree with its decorators standing beside it may have an edge.
Back to the Square on Weeknights
The rest of the downtown calendar falls on either side of Dec. 5. Small Business Saturday comes a week before it, on Nov. 28. Two December Thursdays follow: Candlelight Shopping on the Square from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 10, and Santa with live reindeer and Christmas movie shorts on the Square from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 17. Bread & Butter Bakery at 1124 Monticello Street SW held its Newton County Chamber ribbon cutting on Oct. 28, which adds one more stop for anyone shopping locally this season.
Meanwhile, Legion Field stays lit every night until Jan. 3. Tree owners take down their decorations between Monday, Jan. 4, and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6. On Friday, Jan. 8, the trees are chipped through Keep Newton Beautiful's "Bring One For the Chipper."
If you're deciding between a tree at Legion Field and a spot on the parade waitlist this year, or you're new to Covington and want to know which nights are worth the drive across town, the team at Alliance Home & Land Group is glad to talk through the season with you. We'll see you on the Square on Nov. 19.
