"So many memories are made here at the Christmas Parade and Christmas Under the Stars," Boaz Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jill Johnson told The Sand Mountain Reporter last fall, ahead of the 2025 parade.
She named those two events together for a reason. For the past two Decembers they ran as one evening. The parade rolled through downtown, and then the crowd went over to Old Mill Park for the tree, Santa and hot cocoa. Holiday shopping had its own single day at the VFW Fairgrounds.
The 2026 calendar looks different. Boaz's holidays now run across three separate weekends. The two that changed are hosted at the Boaz Recreation Center and Old Mill Park, both paid for with the same 2018 bond.
How December Worked in 2024 and 2025
The 2024 Boaz Christmas Parade drew hundreds of people along downtown streets and more than 200 floats, vehicles and tractors, according to The Sand Mountain Reporter. Afterward, Christmas Under the Stars at Old Mill Park had a tree lighting with Santa, vendors, free entertainment, hot cocoa and cider, and the Tinsel Tree Trail.
The 2025 plan followed the same pattern. The parade was set for Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m., with Christmas Under the Stars starting at 6:30 p.m. The lineup included Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who doing skits on stage, the Snead State Jazz Band and Just Dance Academy. Betty Gilbreath, a Chamber ambassador, was named grand marshal.
Shopping happened earlier on its own day. WAFF reported that the 2025 Hometown Marketplace Holiday Edition, hosted by BoxTruck Boutique co-owners Rachel Noles and Staci McDowell, took place at the VFW Fairgrounds on Saturday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with more than 100 vendors.
So the 2025 season had one Saturday of shopping and one big December evening. The rest of this post covers what changed.
The Marketplace Went From One Saturday to Three Days
The fourth annual Hometown Marketplace Holiday Edition is leaving the fairgrounds for the Boaz Recreation Center at 400 Elizabeth St. It now runs three days, Nov. 12 through 14. When this post goes up, the VIP night is two weeks away.
Here is how the three days break down, according to the event's own schedule:
- Thursday, Nov. 12, VIP Girls' Night, 6–9 p.m. Tickets are $50, presale only, and will not be sold at the gate. The ticket covers early shopping, a swag bag with a vendor voucher and a supper voucher for a food truck, plus Golden Tickets hidden around the event. It's for ages 12 and up with a ticket. Strollers aren't allowed, but rolling carts are, and a baggage check and help carrying items to your car are available.
- Friday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. General admission is $5, and ages 18 and under get in free.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Same $5 admission. James Spann holds a meet-and-greet and book signing from 9 to 11 a.m. in an area that's free to the public. The Miss Hometown Pageant, sponsored by First Bank of Boaz, starts at 10 a.m., and the Hometown Paw-liday Pageant for dogs, sponsored by Sittin' Pretty with Katy, is at 2 p.m. A car show has been announced, with details still to come.
The organizers still advertise more than 100 vendors, plus food trucks, a kids' fun zone, a petting zoo and pony rides, and Santa and the Grinch. That's about the same vendor count as 2025. What changed is the length: a single 10-hour Saturday has become an evening and two full days, under a roof, in mid-November.
A Building the 2018 Bond Paid For
The marketplace's new venue comes from a decision the city made eight years ago. In May 2018, the Boaz City Council took out a $12 million bond issue to build Old Mill Park and a new recreation center. The Sand Mountain Reporter reported that the park cost $3.2 million, leaving less than $9 million for the center. Then the August 2019 construction bid to Eidson & Associates came in at $12.75 million, and the council went back to the bond market for up to $8.5 million more. That money covered the rest of the center and work on the former outlet storefronts around it.
The center went up on the former outlet property and, according to The Sand Mountain Reporter, officially opened in the first week of August 2021. It includes an eight-lane indoor pool, an outdoor pool with a slide, a gymnasium, a walking track and four conference rooms. Its architect, Lathan McKee, puts it at about 47,000 square feet with an upper-level walking track. The city's Parks and Recreation booking site lists six pickleball courts you can reserve at the same address.
The property around the center is changing too. WAFF reported in February that the Boaz Outlet Center Rehabilitation Project started the previous October with parking lot resurfacing, drainage work and new traffic flow. Tenants received a three-month rent credit because of lost foot traffic. Mayor Tim Walker told the station, "everybody knows that we were one of the largest outlet centers in the country, we're not that anymore," and said the city is rebranding with a focus on community development. He said the outlet center's name will change and that local schools may be asked for ideas.
The marketplace moving to the Rec Center fits that plan. A shopping weekend that used to happen at the fairgrounds now happens in a building the city put up on the old outlet grounds.
Dec. 4 Stays Downtown
The parade is the one part of the season that didn't move. The Boaz Area Chamber of Commerce is holding the 2026 Boaz Christmas Parade on Friday, Dec. 4. Lineup starts at 4 p.m., and the parade starts at 5:30 p.m. The listing gives downtown Boaz, 100 E. Bartlett St., as the location, and float entries cost $10.
The Chamber opened registration early this year so businesses, churches, schools, organizations and families have time to build floats. Last year, Johnson said the 2024 parade had about 200 entries and she expected about the same for 2025.
The route changed in 2025, and the Chamber posted a new map before last year's parade. Check its updated map before you pick a spot on the curb, and call the Boaz Area Chamber of Commerce at 256-593-8154 if you have questions.
The Park Gets a Weekend of Its Own, Dec. 11–12
A week after the parade, Old Mill Park hosts its own two-day event. The City of Boaz bills Christmas in the Park as the first time its city Christmas celebration has come to Old Mill Park. It runs Friday, Dec. 11, from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 12, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The city's listing includes Santa photos from 4 to 8 p.m. both days, train rides around the park, a Ferris wheel, vendors, food vendors, and hot chocolate and coffee. Admission is free. The Boaz Area Chamber's event page gives the same dates and times.
The park is at 10315 AL Hwy 168, and it was the first thing that 2018 bond built. The Gadsden Times covered its grand-opening concert in August 2019. The paper described an amphitheater stage, a pirate-themed splash pad, a playground, a paved quarter-mile walking loop, and two shaded pavilions with restrooms. Before, the park's Christmas program lasted a few hours after the parade. Now it gets a full Saturday and a Friday night, train rides around the park, and a Ferris wheel.
The Three Weekends Side by Side
| Weekend | Event | Where | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 12–14 | Hometown Marketplace Holiday Edition | Boaz Recreation Center, 400 Elizabeth St. | Thu. 6–9 p.m. VIP; Fri. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | $50 VIP presale; $5 general; 18 and under free |
| Dec. 4 | Boaz Christmas Parade | Downtown Boaz, 100 E. Bartlett St. | Lineup 4 p.m.; parade 5:30 p.m. | $10 float entry |
| Dec. 11–12 | Christmas in the Park | Old Mill Park, 10315 AL Hwy 168 | Fri. 5–9 p.m.; Sat. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. | Free |
The table shows how the season spreads out. The Saturday sessions at the Rec Center and Old Mill Park are four weeks apart, with the parade's Friday night between them. A family that tried to do everything on one Saturday and one December night in 2025 has three weekends to work with this year. Two of those weekends take place at the park and the center the 2018 bond paid for.
The marketplace calls the Rec Center "newly renovated." The construction record shows a building that opened in 2021 on the old outlet property. Shoppers heading to 400 Elizabeth St. on Nov. 12 are going to the same center the bond paid for, which this year is also hosting a holiday weekend.
If the way Boaz is rebuilding its old outlet grounds has you wondering what your own house is worth, Impact Realty can help. We follow those projects and Boaz home sales closely, and our agents answer the phone. Get Your Instant Home Valuation and see where your home stands before the holiday rush.
