Who runs the Jingle Bell Parade? For decades it was the Chamber of Commerce Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Ferrysburg. Starting this year it's the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival.
At the curb on Saturday, December 5, you'll see the same parade. It starts at 6 p.m. on Franklin Street and ends at the Central Park tree lighting, as it always has. What changed is the organization handling entries, scheduling and volunteers. The rest of downtown's holiday season, from Light Night on Friday, November 20, through Santa in Centertown, is still built around that one Saturday.
What changed hands in March
The Chamber announced the transition in a March 6, 2026 press release. It described the parade as a tradition it had organized and hosted "for decades." Mark Allen, the Chamber's President and CEO, said:
"As an organization dedicated to building community and supporting local traditions, it has been a privilege for the Chamber to lead the Jingle Bell Parade for so many years."
The release said the Chamber would help with the transition. The Festival said its goal is to preserve the parade's legacy and traditions. The Chamber's praise focused on the Festival's experience running community celebrations and large events.
For anyone who helps with the parade, the practical change is the contact. Questions about entries, scheduling and volunteering now go to the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival at 616.846.5940 or through the Festival's Jingle Bell Parade page. The Chamber no longer handles them.
The route and the rules carried over
The Festival's route is the same one the Chamber described in its 2023 parade release. The parade starts on Franklin Street, heads west to Harbor Drive, turns north along Harbor, then east onto Washington Avenue, and finishes at Central Park. Three years ago it ran on Saturday, December 2 at 6 p.m. This year it runs on Saturday, December 5 at 6 p.m. The slot hasn't changed: the first Saturday evening of December.
Visit Grand Haven's listing promises more than 80 holiday floats plus Santa and Mrs. Claus. At Central Park there's a carol sing-along, the Salvation Army serves hot chocolate, and local businesses hand out candy.
Candy only shows up at the end because of the parade rules. The Festival's 2026 registration page says candy "is not permitted in the Jingle Bell Parade again this year," so the ban carries over from before. Entries can still hand out candy in Central Park at the tree lighting. The other rules shape what the parade looks like from the sidewalk:
- Spacing: entries keep about 50 feet apart, measured as two yellow pavement markings.
- No stopping: countermarching, dancing in place, drilling and stopping along the route are not allowed, which keeps gaps from opening between floats.
- Size limits: entries can be no taller than 12 feet from the ground, towed items no longer than 30 feet, and semi trucks are not allowed.
- Crowd size per entry: walking groups are capped at 15 people per entry, and car clubs at 15 vehicles.
- Sound: music is "highly encouraged," and entries that plan to use it note it on the application.
- Message: the parade is not a platform for political, religious or social causes.
Entering costs $100, plus a $4 credit card processing fee, and registration is open on the Festival's site. The same page notes that the City of Grand Haven's open receptacles ordinance, which prohibits drinking on public land, covers every area tied to the parade.
December 5, hour by hour
Grand Haven's busiest holiday evening starts well before 6 p.m. The Tri-Cities Historical Museum at 200 Washington Ave. is hosting Holly Jolly Family Day from 3 to 6 p.m. that Saturday, with crafts, face painting and hot chocolate. It ends right when the parade starts, and the museum sits on the same street where the parade route finishes.
The listed times line up like this:
- 3 p.m. Holly Jolly Family Day opens at the Tri-Cities Historical Museum, 200 Washington Ave.
- 6 p.m. The museum event wraps up and the Jingle Bell Parade steps off on Franklin Street.
- After the parade it heads west to Harbor Drive, north along Harbor and east on Washington Avenue toward Central Park.
- At Central Park you'll find the community tree lighting, the carol sing-along with Santa and Mrs. Claus, Salvation Army hot chocolate, and the candy that wasn't allowed on the route.
The parade and the tree lighting end in the same spot.
The Saturdays on either side
Grand Haven Main Street opens the season one week before Thanksgiving. Holiday Light Night is Friday, November 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Washington Avenue, and the district gets its annual lighting while Main Street businesses, shops and eateries stay open. For questions, Main Street's number is 616-844-1188.
After that, the season moves between Washington Avenue and Centertown, the North 7th Street district a few blocks away:
| Date | Event | Where | Host or listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20, 5–8 p.m. | Holiday Light Night | Washington Avenue | Grand Haven Main Street |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. | Small Business Saturday | Washington Avenue | Visit Grand Haven listing |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 3–6 p.m. | Holly Jolly Family Day | Tri-Cities Historical Museum, 200 Washington Ave. | Tri-Cities Historical Museum |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 6 p.m. | Jingle Bell Parade and tree lighting | Franklin St. to Central Park | Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. | Santa in Centertown | Momentum Center, 401 N. 7th St. | Centertown listing |
Small Business Saturday's listing promotes local shopping, new shops, unique products and holiday deals across downtown.
Santa in Centertown is the next stop after the parade. Santa, Mrs. Claus and reindeer will be at the Momentum Center, with free hot chocolate for kids 12 and under and a chance to take a photo with a "Who" in Jingletown. In the week before, participating Centertown shops run the Elf in the Window hunt, so the shop windows along that stretch keep the season going in the days between the two Saturdays. The City's calendar lists the event under Grand Haven Main Street's Centertown neighborhood.
The handoff happened elsewhere downtown, too. Rainy Days Cafe at 121 N. Beechtree St. now goes by Cowan's Cafe, and the Grand Haven Tribune reported that the new name is the only change customers will see.
The next big date after that is Winterfest, which runs January 28 through 31, 2027, at Mulligan's Hollow Ski Bowl, 600 Mulligans Drive. Visit Grand Haven's listing lists the usual program: cardboard sled races, Glowbowl, snow volleyball, dog-sled demonstrations and a fireworks finale.
Whether you're planning a December 5 that starts with crafts at the museum and ends in Central Park, or you have family coming in for the tree lighting and want a place close to Washington Avenue, the team at Andrea Crossman Group knows how Grand Haven's downtown fits together season by season. We're happy to share what we know. Discover Lakeshore Living.
