On Sept. 1, the Annville Township commissioners voted 5-0 to approve Celebrate! Annville's Holiday Parade of Lights for Saturday, Nov. 21. It will be the town's first. Organizers expect it to start at 6 p.m. and finish around 7. The route runs along Maple Street, starting near the Annville-Cleona Community Pool and ending near the Lebanon Valley College campus.
The time was chosen on purpose. Lebanon holds its annual holiday parade the same Saturday. According to LebTown's June coverage, the Annville proposal set its evening start so people could go to Lebanon's parade first and still make it back for Annville's. December 5 works the same way. The town's three biggest events that day each have their own time slot, and none of them overlap. Taken together, this year's holiday calendar is set up so you can attend everything.
Why Maple Street, And Why After Dark
The route is about traffic. In its request to the township, Celebrate! Annville said a Maple Street route would minimize disruption to the U.S. Route 422 corridor and accommodate what it called the township's "current traffic realities." Anyone who drives through the square at Route 422 and Route 934 knows why. Main Street can't close for an evening as easily as a side street can.
The time is about Lebanon. The Community of Lebanon Association lists its 50th Annual Lebanon Holiday Parade for Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026. LebTown's events calendar shows a 10 a.m. step-off on Cumberland Street, with the route running from Lincoln Avenue to 9th Street. The CLA's own page confirms the date but not the start time, so check with the CLA closer to the day. Either way, a morning parade in the city and an evening parade on Maple Street leave the whole afternoon open.
The proposal also gives a sense of the first year's size. The parade subcommittee expects 30 to 40 entries or groups and about 500 spectators. The groups it hopes to attract include local marching bands, emergency services, churches and nonprofits, scout troops and youth groups, local businesses, decorated floats and vehicles, holiday walking groups, and people dressed as Santa Claus. The organizers wrote that they hope the parade
"becomes a sustainable annual tradition that continues to grow through community participation, volunteer involvement and local partnerships."
In June, they also asked the board to consider making the Saturday before Thanksgiving the parade's permanent date.
A Preservation Group Running A Parade
Celebrate! Annville started in the fall of 2023 as a subcommittee of Friends of Old Annville. That nonprofit works on preserving historic buildings in the township and finding new uses for them. The parade is the newest of several things the group has added to Main Street's season.
Annville Township's 2026 newsletter says lighted wreaths and snowflakes went up along Main Street for the 2025 holiday season, along with a lighted tree at the Main Street Plaza. The same newsletter describes plans for 20 American 250 banners on Main Street and eight flowering pole baskets near the Route 422 and 934 square. Over two years, that adds up to street decorations, a lit plaza, and now a parade.
The plaza at 50 W. Main St. is where the next big event takes place.
December 5, In Order
Two weeks after the parade, Saturday, Dec. 5 has three events, two from Celebrate! Annville and one from Lebanon Valley College, and their times don't overlap. Here is the day from start to finish.
- 8:45 a.m., East Main Street. Line up for Celebrate! Annville's Santa arrival at the Annville Free Library.
- 9 a.m., Annville Free Library. Santa arrives. The library program includes music, crafts, games and a Mrs. Claus storytime.
- 5:45 p.m., the plaza at 50 W. Main St. Gather for the Annville Tree Lighting. Expect music, carols, refreshments and Santa arriving by firetruck.
- 6 p.m., same plaza. The tree is lit. The township's listing says the Washington Band and the Annville-Cleona school choirs will provide music and carols.
- 6:20 p.m., Miller Chapel. Preludes begin for Lebanon Valley College's Christmas at The Valley.
- 7 p.m., Miller Chapel. The evening performance of Christmas at The Valley begins.
Between the tree lighting at 6 and the chapel preludes at 6:20, you have about 20 minutes to get from the plaza to campus. If that's too tight, there is a matinee on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m., with preludes at 2:20.
Check admission before you go. LVC's 2025 listing said that year's concerts were free and open to the public. The 2026 listings don't yet give a price, say whether reservations are needed, or state admission terms.
The Weeks Around The Two Saturdays
Before, between and after the two big Saturdays, the campus calendar fills in. The township's Trick or Treat night is Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. Here are the LVC dates already posted.
| Date | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Sun., Oct. 25, 4 p.m. | Brian Major Opera Gala, Carmean Music Series | Zimmerman Recital Hall |
| Nov. 5–8 | Wig & Buckle presents The Prom | Leedy Theater |
| Fri., Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. | Dana Allaband and Kenneth Bell chamber concert | Lutz Hall |
| Tue., Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m. | Adam Rogers Trio, ticketed | Zimmerman Recital Hall |
| Thu., Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m. | Contemporary Styles Combo and Workshop Concert | Lutz Hall |
| Tue., Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m. | The Valley Jazz Orchestra Annual Fall Concert | Leedy Theater |
The jazz combo concert on Nov. 19 is two days before the parade, and the Valley Jazz Orchestra plays four days before the tree lighting. LVC's event pages don't always state public admission terms or prices, so check each event listing before you plan around one. The Wig & Buckle page links to ticketing and notes that tickets are free for LVC students.
What Isn't Settled Yet
Several parade details were still open as of early October. The June request asked the township for temporary road closures, barricades, route safety measures, parking restrictions along the route, and permission for amplified sound. The September approval coverage didn't spell out final closure or parking terms. The roughly 8 p.m. reopening time came from the June packet, not from a traffic notice. If you live on or near Maple Street, watch the township's event page for the parking rules. Its listing currently shows "6:00 am" in the time field, which doesn't match the 6 p.m. start reported after the vote.
Groups that want to enter the parade can contact Celebrate! Annville directly about how to sign up. The Santa costume showcase was described as "under consideration," and any post-parade events are still subject to future partnership talks and approvals.
One more project could affect getting around town during the season. PennDOT plans to rehabilitate the South White Oak Street bridge over Quittapahilla Creek on Route 934. It expects temporary lane shifts and no detour, with about four months of work. The project page lists a proposed start of September 2026 but also says work could begin in fall 2026 or spring 2027. If work starts this fall, drivers coming into town from the south on Route 934 may hit lane shifts during parade weekend.
Every date above is already on the calendar. Holiday weekends in Annville are often when homeowners start thinking about next year, whether that means more room or a smaller, easier house a few blocks from Main Street. If that's on your mind this season, Denise Bollard is glad to talk it through, without pressure, whenever it suits your calendar. Schedule a consultation.
