Groton's First Holiday Lights Parade Turns December 4 Through 6 Into One Weekend for Both Grotons

When did the City of Groton last hold a holiday parade down Monument Street? For the past few Decembers, the City's holiday calendar was built around an indoor festival and a lights trail instead. On Saturday, December 5, 2026, the City will hold what it calls its inaugural Holiday Lights Parade and Tree Lighting Festival, presented by LEGS Landscaping and CYT Mystic.

The parade matters beyond Saturday night. The Town of Groton Parks & Recreation and the City of Groton are presenting it as the second day of a two-day joint holiday weekend, with the Town's Season of Celebrations on Friday night. The City of Groton Police Department's Stuff a Cruiser follows on Sunday morning at the City's Municipal Building. Groton has two governments and usually two holiday calendars. For one weekend this December, the two calendars line up.

What December Looked Like on Meridian Street Before This Year

The City's holiday season used to center on a different kind of event. The City of Groton Police Department hosted an Annual Holiday Festival in the Municipal Building at 295 Meridian Street, with Santa and musical guests. In 2024 it fell on Thursday, December 5, starting at 6 p.m. The City's 2025 calendar listed the festival again for December 4. Around it, the City ran a Holiday Lights Trail. Residents registered their decorated City addresses, and everyone could follow a map and vote for favorites. The City's fall 2023 recreation brochure also described a Memorial Tree on display in the Municipal Building lobby.

Several pieces of that tradition carry into the new event. Santa still arrives by fire truck, and the Municipal Building is still where everyone ends up. The new parts are the outdoor procession through the City's streets, a tree lit in public, and a Saturday date that sits right beside the Town's Friday event. The City Council took up the parade at its September 14 meeting. Palermo Pizzeria gave a $250 supporting sponsorship, which councilors accepted unanimously while encouraging other local businesses to contribute, according to a Citizen Portal summary of that meeting.

Friday Night Belongs to the Town

The weekend opens on Friday, December 4, with the Town of Groton's Season of Celebrations. It runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Thrive55+ Active Living Center, 102 Newtown Road. It is free, sponsored by Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, and built as a one-night celebration of Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Three Kings Day. The Greater Groton event page lists these highlights:

• Santa arriving by fire truck, with free photos
• Gingerbread activities hosted by the Groton Public Library, including crafts, games and a visit from the Gingerbread Man
• Horse-drawn carriage rides outside the venue
• A Christmas Tree Alley of themed trees decorated by local charitable organizations
• The snowflake drop near the end of the night, when hundreds of paper snowflakes fall and a specially numbered one wins a prize
• A sensory-friendly chill room with its own quieter visit with Santa
• Live music, caroling, hot cocoa and cookies, plus a food truck selling food

This year the Friday event also hosts a holiday light display from Keeping Spirits Bright. It's a community effort with the Brian Dagle Foundation, lighting homes and businesses across Southeastern Connecticut in remembrance, connection and hope. Households and businesses can sign up to decorate and display a yard sign. People can follow the trail of lights through the Go Mystic app.

Friday and Saturday each have their own Santa arrival by fire truck. The Town's arrives on Newtown Road on Friday night, and the City's comes to Meridian Street on Saturday.

Saturday Moves the City's Celebration Outdoors

The parade steps off at 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 5. The City of Groton's event page lays out the route:

1. Kick off at Groton Heights Baptist Church, 72 Broad Street
2. Monument Street
3. Meridian Street
4. Finish at the City of Groton Municipal Building, 295 Meridian Street

The parade will include decorated floats, City vehicles, walkers and music. The tree lighting festival begins at the Municipal Building right after the parade, with hot chocolate, warm drinks, treats, and music and entertainment for all ages. The City's listing puts the tree lighting at 6:30 p.m. Santa photos follow his fire-truck arrival and wrap up around 7 p.m. The event is free. The rain date is Sunday, December 6. If the weather looks uncertain that week, check the City's event page on Saturday afternoon before you head out.

The route is short, but it covers one of the most recognizable stretches of the City. Monument Street climbs past Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park. The park's grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset, but the state lists hours for the museum and the Groton Monument only from Memorial Day to Labor Day. So on parade night the floats will pass the monument during its off-season, with the decorated vehicles supplying the light.

Thirty Spots, Due November 18

Anyone can watch the parade, but entries are limited. Local businesses, organizations, clubs and community groups can enter a decorated float, a vehicle or a group of marchers at no cost. Patch reported that the registration page caps enrollment at 30, and approved entries get final instructions the week before the parade. Registration closes Wednesday, November 18, about two weeks after this post goes up. Groups can sign up through the City's online registration form or the City's RecDesk program page.

The cap makes this first lineup matter. A parade in its first year doesn't yet have regulars or fixed slots, so the 30 groups that register this month will set what the City's version of this tradition looks like. For a youth team, a congregation, a neighborhood association or a small business on Thames Street, that's a short window to claim a place.

Sunday Brings the Weekend Back to Meridian Street

Saturday's crowd is also asked to bring something. The City asks parade-goers to carry a canned food item or a new, unwrapped toy. Those donations go to the City of Groton Police Department's Stuff a Cruiser. Stuff a Cruiser runs Sunday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 295 Meridian Street, the same lot where the parade finishes. Anyone who misses Saturday can drop off food or a toy directly on Sunday morning.

Sunday is also the parade's rain date. If weather pushes the parade back, the Municipal Building would host the morning collection and the evening festival on the same day.

The Warm-Up Falls on the Saturday After Thanksgiving

If you want to start a week early, Outer Light Brewing Company is holding its Holiday Market on Saturday, November 28, from noon to 6 p.m. at 266 Bridge Street, Unit 1. The Mystic Chamber of Commerce listing also includes a 6 p.m. tree lighting. That gives Groton two tree lightings a week apart, with the City's tree on Meridian Street lit the following Saturday.

The season starts the Saturday after Thanksgiving on Bridge Street and moves to the Town's and City's main venues on Friday and Saturday nights. It wraps up with a Sunday morning drop-off on Meridian Street, where donations go to helping local families celebrate the holidays.

Whether you're thinking about entering a float before November 18 or just planning which nights to bundle up, the people who know Groton's December calendar can also help with your next step in town. When questions about life in Groton turn into questions about a home here, Chris Maynard is glad to talk them through with you. Let's Connect.