Holiday lights and Christmas events in Tuscaloosa 2026

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address; the dates below are for the 2026 season. Facts come from Tuscaloosa’s One Place’s Tinsel Trail site, the City of Tuscaloosa’s Holidays on the Plaza page and each organizer’s own page, linked below. The parade and the courthouse tree lighting have their own page: Christmas parade and tree lighting.

Tuscaloosa’s big holiday light display is the Tinsel Trail, more than 200 live Christmas trees sponsored and decorated by local businesses, groups and families on Government Plaza, 618 21st Ave., downtown. It lights up at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, 2026, and stays up from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. The city’s outdoor ice rink opens beside it the same day.

What this means for you

• Free: the Tinsel Trail and every event on it, including four free Santa photo nights.
• Hours: the trees are lit from dusk to dawn; you can walk the trail by day too.
• Ice rink: Holidays on the Plaza, Nov. 23 to Jan. 3; skating is paid. Questions: City Special Events, 205-248-5282.
• Parking: the city lists free parking in the downtown deck at 2230 Seventh St.
• Parade night: Monday, Dec. 7. See our parade page.

Holiday events at a glance

The Tinsel Trail

The Tinsel Trail, started in 2013, is a fundraiser for Tuscaloosa’s One Place, a family resource center. Every tree has its own electricity and a sign naming the sponsor and the decorator; staff and volunteers tend them daily. The 2026 trail is presented by Pepsi, the City of Tuscaloosa, University Medical Center and Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa.

• Grand Opening, Monday, Nov. 23: tree lighting at 5:30 p.m., performances and free photos with Santa.
• Pet Palooza, Sunday, Dec. 6, 3 to 5 p.m.: free Santa photos with pets. Leash and vaccination ordinances apply; clean up after your pet.
• Holiday Market, Saturday, Dec. 12, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: more than a dozen local vendors with gifts and seasonal items.
• Suit Up with Santa, Saturday, Dec. 12, noon to 3 p.m.: free Santa photos; wear your holiday best.
• Family Night, Friday, Dec. 18, 4 to 6 p.m.: free Santa photos, crafts, games, prizes and giveaways.

Questions go to toptinseltrail@tuscaloosaoneplace.org.

Holidays on the Plaza: the ice rink

The City of Tuscaloosa’s Holidays on the Plaza, with Coca-Cola, runs Monday, Nov. 23, 2026, through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027, with an outdoor skating rink and visits from Santa. Pass prices, Family Skate Day Tuesdays and the rain policy are on our parade and tree lighting page. Group rates and a private party tent can be booked through the city.

The city’s 2026-27 rink calendar sets the hours day by day:

• Opening week, Nov. 23-29: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Wednesday; closed Thanksgiving; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a $10 skate special on Black Friday; 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
• Dec. 1-18 (school weeks): closed Mondays; 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 5 to 10 p.m. Friday (10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18); 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
• Dec. 21 to Jan. 3: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. New Year’s Day and Saturday, Jan. 2, and 1 to 8 p.m. on closing day, Sunday, Jan. 3, with a $10 skate special.
• Santa at the rink: 3 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 29, Saturday, Dec. 12, and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 19-20.
• Family Skate Day: $12 passes every Tuesday.

Concerts and shows

• Home Alone in Concert, Friday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m.: the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, with the Alabama Choir School, plays the film score live at the Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater. Tickets through Ticketmaster or the amphitheater box office, open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
• First Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 8 p.m.: downtown galleries open late, with art, food and drinks, centered on the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center, 620 Greensboro Ave. (First Friday Tuscaloosa).

Dickens Downtown in Northport

Northport, across the river, turns Main Avenue into a Victorian Christmas street for Dickens Downtown, a free evening with falling snow, a carriage procession, a live nativity, church open houses and a tree lighting. Last year’s was Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, from 5 to 8:30 p.m., with the tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. at Historic Shirley Place, 512 Main Ave., according to the Visit Tuscaloosa listing. The 2026 date was not out as of Oct. 17.

Menorah lightings and other displays

We found no public menorah lighting in Tuscaloosa posted for Hanukkah 2026 as of Oct. 17. Public light displays at homes, churches and neighborhoods are added here when the organizer posts dates and an address it wants shared.

After Christmas

City Hall is closed Thursday and Friday, Dec. 24-25, and Thursday’s garbage, trash and recycling are picked up Saturday, Dec. 26, according to the city’s holiday schedule. Tree recycling dates are on our parade page, and New Year’s plans are on our New Year’s Eve page.

More guides: Black Friday and holiday shopping, Thanksgiving in Tuscaloosa and things to do this month.

Frequently asked questions

When does the Tinsel Trail open in Tuscaloosa in 2026?

The Grand Opening and tree lighting is 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, 2026, at Government Plaza, 618 21st Ave. The trail of more than 200 decorated live trees stays up from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.

Is the Tinsel Trail free?

Yes. Walking the trail and every event on it are free, Tuscaloosa’s One Place says. The trees are lit from dusk to dawn. Skating at the city’s ice rink next to it costs extra.

Where can I get free photos with Santa in Tuscaloosa?

The Tinsel Trail offers free Santa photos at its Nov. 23 opening, at Pet Palooza from 3 to 5 p.m. Dec. 6, at Suit Up with Santa from noon to 3 p.m. Dec. 12 and at Family Night from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 18.

When is Dickens Downtown in Northport?

The 2026 date was not out as of Oct. 17. Last year’s free Victorian Christmas evening was Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Main Avenue, with a tree lighting at 5:30 p.m.