The Madison Station Botanic Garden covers more than seven acres on the mid-nineteenth-century estate of Hugh and Faye Montgomery at 2069 Main Street, across from Madison Methodist Church. Its stone paths pass hosta, fern and native grasses, and an 80-year-old American sycamore stands there with its roots spread across the ground cover. Since Monday night, the garden has been lit up for the holidays.
The City of Madison held the Holiday Glow Light-Up Party there at 6:15 p.m. on November 16, and the city says the gardens stay lit during November and December. This is the Glow's second year, and it changes how the season works here. For a long time, Madison's Christmas mostly meant one Thursday night tree lighting and one Saturday morning parade. Now the season has a fixed spot on Main Street that's lit from November 16 into December, and the city's big December events happen a short walk up the road.
The garden is the part that stays lit
The city started the Holiday Glow in 2025 and says it's bringing the lights back this year for November and December. That makes it the longest-running piece of the city's holiday calendar. The tree lighting and the parade are each one specific date. The garden lights stay up across both months.
The setting matters too. The Montgomery House began in 1852 as a dogtrot house and later got a more elaborate façade. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a local example of Gothic Revival architecture. According to the city, grants from Canadian National Railway, in partnership with America in Bloom and Madison the City, have helped pay for work on the garden.
The city's visiting rules for the garden:
- Hours: open daily from dawn until dusk unless the garden is rented for an event
- Parking: use the available spaces across Main Street
- Pets: not allowed
- Paths: stay on the designated paths, and supervise children at all times
- Photos: personal photography is welcome, but balloons, confetti and silk flower petals are not allowed
- Groups: a group of 25 or more needs a Madison the City Special Event Permit, even without a rental
For questions about using the garden, the city lists its Business Network at 601-856-7060.
Everything else happens a short walk up Main Street
The rest of the city's holiday calendar takes place at Madison Square Center for the Arts, 2103 Main Street, the building by the Red Caboose. The garden is at 2069 Main Street, so the season stays on one stretch of road. The one exception is Merry Market, which is at Liberty Park.
| Date | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 16 through December | Holiday Glow | Light-Up Party held Nov. 16 at 6:15 p.m. | Madison Station Botanic Garden, 2069 Main St. |
| Saturday, Nov. 21 | Merry Market | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Liberty Park, 100 Liberty Park Dr. |
| Starting Tuesday, Dec. 1 | Festival of Trees | Throughout December | Madison Square Center for the Arts, 2103 Main St. |
| Thursday, Dec. 3 | Tree Lighting and Holiday Movie | 5:30 p.m. | Madison Square Center for the Arts |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Madison Christmas Parade | 9 a.m. | Ridgecrest Church, 7469 Old Canton Rd., to Madison Square Center |
Merry Market is this Saturday. The city lists more than 100 arts-and-crafts vendors, and the 2026 vendor guidelines call the market a City of Madison event with hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's the last big date before things move to Main Street for December.
This year's December events are built around toys
The tree lighting and the Christmas parade both lean toward toys this year.
The tree lighting begins outdoors at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 3. The city's program is in this order:
- Announcement of the Festival of Trees winners
- Holiday music from the St. Anthony's School Choir
- Lighting of the city's giant Christmas tree
- Indoors at Madison Square Center for the Arts: photos with Santa, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, pizza, and a showing of "Toy Story That Time Forgot"
Two days later, the parade theme is "Christmas Through the Decades." The city describes it as "Christmas traditions of vintage toys, decorations, attire, and music." So Woody and Buzz show up at the Square on Thursday, and on Saturday the parade covers the toys that came before them.
Last year's events followed the same order with a different movie. The Madison County Journal reported that the 2025 tree lighting was on Thursday, December 4, with Santa and Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler lighting the city's 45-foot tree. A showing of "Snow Buddies" and free pizza came after, and the parade ran two days later on Saturday, December 6. This year's lineup has the same Thursday-then-Saturday pattern, and both events have the same theme.
The Festival of Trees ties the two nights together
The Festival of Trees runs through December at Madison Square Center for the Arts, and its timing connects the two December events.
Businesses and individuals sponsor the trees. The city's Festival of Trees page lists two sponsorship levels, $200 and $400. Each comes with a lighted tree, a stand and a sponsor sign, and the trees have to be decorated by December 1. The sponsor form deadline was November 16, the same day as the garden's Light-Up Party.
The trees are finished on Tuesday, December 1, and the winners are announced outdoors at the Thursday tree lighting before the tree is lit. If you visit the trees on Tuesday or Wednesday, you'll see them before the winners are named. The decorated trees stay up at the Square through the rest of December.
Parade morning starts on Old Canton Road
The parade starts at Ridgecrest Church, 7469 Old Canton Road, at 9 a.m. on Saturday, December 5, and ends at Madison Square Center for the Arts. The city's parade page says entrants check in at Ridgecrest. Floats need to arrive by 7:30 a.m., and all other entries by 8:00 a.m. That means Old Canton Road near the church will be busy for about an hour and a half before the parade starts. The same page has the rules and registration for groups planning to enter.
Last year's parade used the same start and finish, going from Ridgecrest Baptist Church to the Red Caboose, according to the Madison County Journal. The parade ends at the Square, where the Festival of Trees will be on display. It also ends a short walk from the garden at 2069 Main Street, which stays open daily from dawn until dusk unless it's rented.
The season, weekend by weekend
From Reunion, here's how the city's calendar falls across the next few weeks:
- This weekend: Merry Market at Liberty Park on Saturday, November 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Thanksgiving week and the rest of November: the Holiday Glow is the city holiday event already underway, with the Festival of Trees still ahead on December 1. Park across Main Street and leave pets at home.
- Tuesday, December 1: the Festival of Trees opens at Madison Square Center with every tree decorated.
- Thursday, December 3: the tree lighting at 5:30 p.m., then Woody, Buzz, Santa, pizza and the movie indoors.
- Saturday, December 5: the parade at 9 a.m., from Old Canton Road to the Square.
After December 5, the city's one-day December events are over, but the trees at the Square and the lights in the Montgomery House garden stay up for the rest of the month.
I keep track of what's happening around Madison all year, from Main Street to Reunion Parkway, because it's part of knowing this area well. If friends or family visiting for the parade ask what homes near Reunion are worth these days, Cindy Johnston can help. Start with an instant home valuation, and I'm glad to talk through the numbers with you.
