Two Parades, One Saturday: Easley and Powdersville's Holiday Calendar Comes Down to Dec. 5 and Dec. 12

Easley and Powdersville's 2026 holiday calendar is built around two Saturdays. On Dec. 5, two daytime events run the same 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. hours, and Lessons and Carols follows that evening just over the line in Central. On Dec. 12, Powdersville holds its Christmas parade at 11 a.m. and downtown Easley holds its Parade of Lights at 6 p.m.

The gap between the two parades is seven hours. That's enough time to see both, have lunch, and still find a spot on the Easley curb before dark. Dec. 5 is the opposite case: the Easley Holiday Market and the last weekend of Christmas at the Farm run the same hours, so families planning both will have to pick a morning and an afternoon. The weeks before those dates are mostly a warm-up, and the sign-up deadlines for groups fall in November.

The Season at a Glance

Thanksgiving Week Comes First

The first event on the calendar is in November. Singer Scotty Inman is playing a free community Thanksgiving concert on Sunday, Nov. 22, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cross Roads Baptist Church on Crossroads Church Road in Easley. It's an hour-long evening on the Sunday before the holiday, and it costs nothing.

The weekend after Thanksgiving is when the season starts in earnest, at Arran Farm on Lenhardt Road. Evergreen Traditions runs Christmas at the Farm there, and in 2026 it's a two-weekend-only event: Nov. 27, 28 and 29, then Dec. 5 and 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Tickets are $25 for adults 18 and older and $15 for children ages 3 to 17. Children 2 and under are free, and every ticket has to be bought in advance rather than at the gate. Parking on site is free.

With only five days of operation, there's no slow late-December week for a relaxed visit. Thanksgiving weekend is one of the two windows, and the other ends on Dec. 6.

The city tree lighting is the one familiar event without a firm date yet. The City of Easley's tree lighting page still shows last year's event, held Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. downtown, and no 2026 date has been posted. The city's pictures-with-Santa page is in a similar spot, with a date list that doesn't name a year. Both are worth checking again in November.

The one weeknight event on the list is just south of the area. Point of Grace performs Christmas at Concord on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at Concord Baptist Church on Concord Road in Anderson. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show runs from 7 to 8:30.

Dec. 5: Three Events, Two of Them at the Same Time

The first big Saturday is busy because the daytime events overlap rather than follow one another.

The Easley Holiday Market runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Larry Bagwell Gym, 111 Walkers Way. The City of Easley describes it as a day of local vendors, handmade gifts and holiday treats. Out on Lenhardt Road, Christmas at the Farm opens its final weekend at exactly the same hour and closes at exactly the same time.

A household that wants both events has a few ways to split the day:

• Market Saturday, farm Sunday. Arran Farm is also open Sunday, Dec. 6, which is the season's last day. That leaves all of Saturday for the market.
• Morning at one, afternoon at the other. Both run five hours. Since farm tickets are bought ahead of time, settle the farm half of the day before choosing the ticket date.
• Daytime at either, evening in Central. Southern Wesleyan University holds Lessons and Carols that night from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Newton Hobson Chapel and Fine Arts Center, 737 Wesleyan Dr. It starts more than four hours after the daytime events close, so it fits after either one.

Whatever the plan, Dec. 6 is the last chance at Arran Farm this year.

Dec. 12, 11 a.m.: Powdersville Goes First

The second Saturday starts in Powdersville. The PVHS Athletic Booster Club hosts the 6th annual "A Very Merry Christmas Parade" at 11 a.m. The club says plainly that the parade isn't only for school groups. It's open to family-friendly businesses, clubs, organizations and churches from Anderson, Greenville and Pickens counties.

The route posted by the booster club is short and simple:

1. Floats stage at Redemption, 315 Roe Road.
2. The parade turns right out of the Redemption campus and heads up Roe Road toward Highway 153.
3. It turns left onto Havird Way.
4. It ends in front of the PVHS stadium.

Because the whole route runs along Roe Road and Havird Way, spectators can choose a spot near the start or near the stadium at the finish. The late-morning start also leaves the rest of the day open, which matters on Dec. 12.

Dec. 12, 6 p.m.: Easley's Parade of Lights Closes the Day

Seven hours after the Powdersville parade begins, the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce starts the Easley Christmas Parade of Lights in downtown Easley. The Chamber holds it on the second Saturday of December at 6 p.m., which puts the 2026 parade on Dec. 12. If weather forces a change, the backup is Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m. A move would turn it into an afternoon parade instead of a lighted night parade, so check the forecast that week.

The Chamber names winners in four categories: Best Overall, Best Float, Best Walking Group and Best Band. The Chamber's page also links to a route map, which is the best guide for choosing a viewing spot downtown.

The two parades work as a pair. The Powdersville parade is a daylight event that ends at a stadium. The Easley parade is a nighttime event built on lights downtown. Families with kids marching in a band or riding on a float may end up at both.

The November Deadlines Behind the December Dates

For businesses, churches, clubs and makers, the deadlines that matter come well before the events themselves.

• Monday, Nov. 9: Last day to apply as a vendor for the Easley Holiday Market. The city says space is limited and encourages early applications.
• Friday, Nov. 20, or sooner: Applications for the Easley Parade of Lights close at capacity or on Nov. 20, whichever comes first, and late applications carry a fee. The Chamber takes questions at (864) 859-2693 or [email protected].
• Powdersville parade entries: Registration goes through the PVHS Athletic Booster Club's parade listing, and entries are open to groups from all three counties.

A group that wants to be in both parades on Dec. 12 needs to get both entries in, and the Easley one could fill up before Nov. 20.

If the holidays have you thinking about where you'll be celebrating next year, whether that's a bigger house near the Easley parade route or a quieter place out toward Powdersville, Kiersten Bell + Co would love to talk it through with you, and maybe save you a spot on the curb. Let's Connect.