"Our team is committed to preserving the parade's legacy and traditions while ensuring it thrives for future generations," Tracy Riley, executive director of the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival, said when the Jingle Bell Parade changed hands this spring, as reported by the Grand Haven Tribune. The Chamber of Commerce Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Ferrysburg had organized the parade for decades. On Saturday, December 5, the Festival team runs its first one. Very little about the parade will change, and the parts that stay the same all point toward the same corner of downtown. The floats pass by along the route. The candy, the hot chocolate, Santa, and the tree lighting are all waiting at Central Park.
The Festival kept the date and the route
The Festival's own event page says the 2026 parade returns with the "same festive date and parade route you know and love," now with its team in charge. The start time is 6 p.m. According to Visit Grand Haven's parade listing, the route runs in four legs:
- Start on Franklin Street and head west.
- Turn north onto Harbor Drive.
- Turn east onto Washington Avenue.
- Finish at Central Park for the community tree lighting.
The same listing promises more than 80 holiday-themed floats, music, and appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus. After the last float, everyone gathers at Central Park with Santa, Mrs. Claus, and friends for a Christmas carol sing-along. The Salvation Army serves hot chocolate there, and local businesses hand out candy.
The handoff was planned months ago. The Chamber's press release is dated March 6, 2026. The Tribune reported that the Chamber would help during the transition while the Festival prepared to host its first Jingle Bell Parade. Mark Allen, the Chamber's president and CEO, called the Festival "the perfect partner to carry this tradition forward," citing its "deep roots in community celebration and event management." That experience comes from running the summer festival, and it shows in the parade rules.
The candy rule sends families to the finish
Families with young kids will feel this rule most. Rule four in the Festival's 2026 entry rules reads:
Candy is not permitted in the Jingle Bell Parade again this year. Entries are allowed to pass out candy in Central Park at the tree lighting after the parade if they wish.
The words "again this year" mean the Festival kept a rule that was already in place. For a child holding an empty bag, the candy comes at the end of the route, after the last float.
Other rules keep the line moving at a steady pace. Entries may not countermarch, dance in place, drill, or stop along the route, because those things open gaps and slow the whole parade. Each entry keeps two yellow road markings, about 50 feet, between itself and the next, and each entry is limited to 15 walkers. With more than 80 entries, that spacing adds up to about three-quarters of a mile of empty street between the first float and the last, not counting the floats themselves. The lead units reach Central Park well before the tail of the parade leaves Franklin Street. Along most of the route, you see each float roll by once. At Central Park, you get the end of the parade plus everything that happens after it.
A few other rules shape the street. Entries can be no taller than 12 feet, towed items no longer than 30 feet, and semi trucks are not allowed. The Festival encourages music and says the more music the better. The city's open-container rule applies to every area tied to the parade. The entry fee is $100 plus a $4 card processing fee. Businesses, groups, and families thinking about a float for next December can reach the Festival at 616-846-5940 or through coastguardfest.org.
Central Park is one stop in a holiday run along Washington Avenue
The parade sits in the middle of a few weeks of downtown evenings, and Washington Avenue is at the center of almost all of them. Here is the schedule from the publication date on:
| Date | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 20 | Light Night | Washington Avenue, downtown | 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday | Washington Avenue | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Jingle Bell Parade and tree lighting | Franklin St. to Central Park | 6 p.m. start |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Santa in Centertown | Momentum Center, 401 N. Seventh St. | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
Light Night falls on Friday, November 20. The city describes it as the district lighting and the start of the holiday season, run with Grand Haven Main Street and the businesses along Main Street. Light Night is when the downtown lights come on. Two weeks later, the parade ends under those same lights, and the tree lighting at Central Park caps it off. Visit Grand Haven's November newsletter promises "special holiday deals" along Washington Avenue for Small Business Saturday on the 28th.
Santa in Centertown, the week after the parade, moves things a few blocks east. According to Visit Grand Haven's listing, the event at the Momentum Center brings Santa, Mrs. Claus, and reindeer, free hot chocolate for kids 12 and under, and activities at Centertown shops, including "Elf in the Window." A family that missed Santa at Central Park in the crowd after the parade gets a daytime chance one week later.
Our October post on Grand Haven's skeleton display looked at which downtown storefronts stay active after summer. The holiday calendar answers a similar question. The same Washington Avenue blocks host a lighting night, a shopping Saturday, and a parade finish in less than three weeks.
Warm places along the last leg of the route
The parade's final leg runs east on Washington Avenue toward Central Park. Several places along that stretch post evening hours on their own websites:
- Kirby House, 2 Washington Ave. Posted hours run until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and the restaurant says it stays open through the seasons.
- Odd Side Ales and Side Bar, 41 Washington Ave. Posted hours run until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Visit Grand Haven's listing says the coffee bar serves espresso drinks and hot chocolate.
- Smokey Jose's, 100 Washington Ave. Posted hours run until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Kilwins, 101 Washington Ave. The store page lists hours until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, a late stop for fudge or chocolate after the tree lighting.
- Righteous Cuisine, 211 N. 7th St. This Centertown spot posts hours until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
These are the hours each business lists. Holiday weekends can change a schedule, so check with the business before you go.
Next year's parade will pass something new. The former Floto's Gifts building at 123 Washington Ave. received a $390,000 state grant, and the redevelopment plans call for a first-floor seafood restaurant called The Fin, expected to open in 2027, according to the Grand Haven Tribune.
Emily and Dave at Emily Garcia Homes follow Grand Haven's downtown calendar closely. If you're curious which Grand Haven streets put you within walking distance of Washington Avenue and the Central Park tree lighting, contact Emily and Dave for a personalized market plan.
