At 5 p.m. on Friday, December 4, West 7th Street closes to cars and fills with Merry Maker's Market vendors. About 25 hours later, at 6 p.m. Saturday, the 40th Annual Columbia Main Street Christmas Parade begins downtown. In between, a two-day historic home tour and five antique-shop Christmas open houses fill the Saturday daylight hours.
These events come from different organizers. Columbia Main Street runs the market and the parade. The tour has its own organizers. The open houses are put on by the shops. The market runs Friday evening, the tour and the open houses fill the daytime hours, and the parade starts after dark on Saturday. The rest of the season falls before and after this weekend.
The Weekend on One Page
| When | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4, 5–8 p.m. | First Fridays: Merry Maker's Market | West 7th Street and the Public Square | Free |
| Fri.–Sat., Dec. 4–5, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Maury Christmas Historic Home Tour | Historic properties across Maury County; headquarters at the Athenaeum Rectory | $25 per person |
| Sat., Dec. 5, starting 10 a.m. | Columbia's Most Wonderful Weekend antique open houses | Five downtown antique shops | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 6 p.m. | 40th Annual Columbia Main Street Christmas Parade | Downtown Columbia | Free |
Only one pair of events overlaps. The home tour runs all day both days, while the antique open houses happen only on Saturday. That gives you a choice to make, and the rest of the plan follows from it.
Friday Night Sets Up the Square
December 4 is the last First Friday of the 2026 season. Columbia Main Street has held First Fridays downtown since 2017, from April through December, and each month has its own theme. November's theme was the Holiday Kickoff and Tree Lighting on November 6. The Muletowner's preview said Santa would light the city's 40-foot tree on the Public Square that night. December's theme is the Merry Maker's Market, from 5 to 8 p.m.
This year's First Fridays covers more ground than earlier seasons. In March, Main Street Media reported that the 2026 event area takes in West Seventh Street, the Public Square and one block of South Main Street. The same report listed new additions for the season: an amplified stage on South Main, a Game Zone and a larger Young Entrepreneurs Market. Columbia Main Street describes First Fridays as live music, food trucks and local vendors, and some shops stay open late.
Friday is also a good time to scout Saturday. The antique shops on the open-house list are a short walk from the square. You'll also get to know the downtown parking lots a day before the parade.
Saturday Daylight Goes to Old Houses and Old Shops
The Maury Christmas Historic Home Tour runs Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Tickets are $25 per person. The tour includes historic homes and properties around Maury County, some privately owned and some public. The event listing names three ticket outlets: the Maury County Visitors Center, Historic Elm Springs and the Athenaeum Rectory, which is tour headquarters. The Athenaeum is at 808 Athenaeum St.
Because the tour covers the county rather than just downtown, it takes the most time and driving of anything this weekend. That's why the two-day schedule matters. If you start the tour Friday morning, you can be back downtown by 5 p.m. for the market and still have Saturday free for shopping.
Saturday at 10 a.m. is the start of Columbia's Most Wonderful Weekend, when five antique shops hold Christmas open houses at the same time:
- Bleu 32/Brocante Bleu
- Angela's Attic
- Baxter's Mercantile
- Columbia Antiques Marketplace
- Loblolly
The open houses are free. The event listing suggests pairing them with the historic home tour for a full weekend of shopping and local history.
If you'd rather do everything on Saturday, the order works out. Start at the antique shops at 10, drive the tour stops in the early afternoon, and get back downtown before the tour closes at 4. That leaves two hours before the parade.
By Six O'Clock, Everything Points Back to West 7th
The 40th Annual Columbia Main Street Christmas Parade begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 5. Last year the Columbia Daily Herald reported that the 39th parade went down West 7th Street into the heart of downtown. Columbia Main Street organized it with the City of Columbia. If the 2026 parade follows the same route, it will use the same block where the Merry Maker's Market set up the night before.
That makes parking the main thing to plan for both evenings. For First Fridays, Columbia Main Street lists three free downtown lots, on 6th Street, Woodland Street and 8th Street, plus street parking across the downtown district. There is no designated ADA parking during First Fridays, so anyone who needs an accessible space should arrive early. On Saturday, the home tour closes at 4 p.m. and the parade starts at 6, so there are two hours to park and find a spot along the route.
The Weeks on Either Side
Columbia's other holiday events fall in the weeks before and after this weekend. In date order from publish day:
- A Very Maury Christmas, November 20–22. This is the market's 12th year. It opens with a preview party Friday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The market runs Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Santa there both days. Details are on Visit Columbia's event page.
- Garden Lights at the Polk Home, November 25–December 23. The gardens of the President James K. Polk Home are lit nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. Admission includes one hot beverage. Children under 3 get in free, and tickets are required for ages 3 and up. Proceeds go toward preserving the home. The four-week run makes it an easy stop on any evening between the bigger events. Event details here.
- Deck the Gingerbread at BAD Bakery & Café, November 28. From 9 a.m. to noon at 106 E. 7th Street. Decorating reservations are $50 per group or house.
- Santa & Mrs. Claus at Hidden Bee Farm, November 29. From 1:30 to 4 p.m. for $10. Proceeds support the farm's animal rescue.
- The parade weekend, December 4–5.
- A Worthy Clause 5K & Fun Run, December 12. From 9 a.m. to noon at Riverwalk Park. Seventy-five percent of race proceeds go to the event's nonprofit partners.
- Breakfast with Santa at BAD Bakery & Café, December 12–13. The bakery's third annual breakfast runs 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. at 106 E. 7th Street. Family tables are reserved in advance: $90 for up to three guests, $115 for four, or $140 for five. Reservation details are on the event listing.
- Winter Solstice Celebration, December 21. Maury County Parks & Recreation lists it from 10 a.m. to noon on the county calendar.
Both BAD Bakery events are on East 7th Street, near the parade blocks. The Polk Home lights run longer than anything else on the list. They open more than a week before the parade weekend and stay lit until two days before Christmas.
If December's events have you thinking about which part of Columbia fits your next chapter, from a walk-to-the-square address to a place with more room out in the county, Sarah Nicodemus and our team would be glad to talk it over. Book a free consultation and we'll start there.