Christmas Events in Rockwall TX 2026: Parades & Lights

Christmas events in Rockwall, Fate, Heath and Royse City for 2026. Parade, tree lightings, Festival of Trees and more, with dates, times and parking.

Every year I see the same question pop up around here. When is the Christmas parade? Where is the tree lighting, and where can we see Christmas lights? So I pulled the 2026 dates from the city pages for Rockwall, Fate, Heath and Royse City and put them in one list, in date order.

The quick list

Fri Nov 13 and Sat Nov 14: Festival of Trees holiday pop-up store, Hilton Rockwall Lakefront
Nov 20 to Dec 6: White Christmas at Rockwall Community Playhouse
Sat Nov 28 and Sun Nov 29: Thanksgiving weekend card show from Cards on the Harbor
Tue Dec 1: Royse City tree lighting, 6:30 p.m.
Fri Dec 4: Fate tree lighting, 6 to 9 p.m.
Sat Dec 5: Rockwall Hometown Christmas (parade, festival and tree lighting)
Sat Dec 5: Christmas in Heath, 4 to 8 p.m.
Sat Dec 12: Royse City Christmas Parade of Lights, 6:30 p.m.
Sun Dec 13: Cards on the Harbor December holiday card show

Put these on your calender now. Dec 5 is the big one. Rockwall and Heath both have events that day.

Rockwall Hometown Christmas: Sat Dec 5

This is Rockwall's biggest holiday day. The city runs it from morning to night in Historic Downtown.

9 to 10:30 a.m.: Kiwanis Christmas Parade. The city says more than 100 floats go from the Rockwall County Library on Yellowjacket Lane to downtown. The route is about 1.5 miles. It goes on rain or shine. This year's theme is "The Magic of Christmas."
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Hometown Christmas Festival on the square. There is a holiday market, Santa and the Grinch in San Jacinto Plaza, a snow play area, train rides, bounce houses, games and crafts.
5 to 7 p.m.: Tree lighting at City Hall, 385 S. Goliad St. The tree lights up around 6:15 p.m. There are crafts, hot chocolate, cookies from the Rockwall Women's League and one more chance to see Santa.

Parking is at The Center, 108 E. Washington St., at City Hall, and at other public lots downtown. The city also runs a free trolley from the First Baptist youth parking lot at 710 S. Goliad St. to The Center from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. If you have little kids, the trolley is the easy way. Streets on the parade route close during the parade.

Want to be in the parade? Float sign-up with Rockwall Kiwanis is open until 5 p.m. on Nov 25.

Christmas in Heath: Sat Dec 5

Heath holds its event the same day, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Towne Center Park, 1000 Festival St. The Herald-Banner says the tree lighting is at 6 p.m. There will be Santa with live reindeer, mini train rides, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, food trucks, live music and free home-baked cookies. New this year is the Candy Cane Lane Christmas Market.

Here is the catch. Rockwall lights its tree around 6:15 p.m. and Heath lights its tree at 6 p.m. You can't be at both. My plan would be the Rockwall parade and square in the morning, then pick one tree lighting at night.

Fate Christmas Tree Lighting: Fri Dec 4

Fate goes the night before, from 6 to 9 p.m. at City Hall, 1900 CD Boren Pkwy. The city lists mini train rides past the lights, bounce houses, crafts, a hot cocoa bar, a cookie bar, photos with Santa, choir music and a s'mores fire pit.

Fate asks you to park at Miss May Vernon Elementary or Bobby Summers Middle School and ride the free shuttle. Shuttles start at 5 p.m.

Royse City: Tue Dec 1 and Sat Dec 12

Royse City splits it into two nights. The tree lighting is Tue Dec 1 at 6:30 p.m. at Cookson Court, with Royse City ISD choirs. The Christmas Parade is Sat Dec 12 at 6:30 p.m. The theme is "Red Lights and Blue" for America's 250th birthday. Sign-up for parade entries is free through Royse City Main Street.

Where to See Christmas Lights in Rockwall

Rockwall tree lighting, Sat Dec 5: City Hall, 385 S. Goliad St., 5 to 7 p.m. The tree lights up around 6:15 p.m.
Heath tree lighting, Sat Dec 5: Towne Center Park, 1000 Festival St., at 6 p.m.
Fate tree lighting, Fri Dec 4: Mini trains take you around City Hall, 1900 CD Boren Pkwy., to see the Christmas lights, 6 to 9 p.m.
Royse City, Tue Dec 1 and Sat Dec 12: Tree lighting at Cookson Court at 6:30 p.m., then the Christmas Parade of Lights at 6:30 p.m. Entries are asked to use plenty of lights.

For more holiday events as they get added, see our events page.

More holiday things to do around Rockwall

Festival of Trees, Nov 13 and 14. Helping Hands of Rockwall County runs a holiday pop-up store at the Hilton Rockwall Lakefront from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. It is free and open to the public. Helping Hands is marking 50 years this year. The Friday luncheon and style show and the Saturday gala with the Josh Abbott Band are sold as tables and sponsorships.
White Christmas, Nov 20 to Dec 6. Rockwall Community Playhouse, 609 E. Rusk St., has 11 shows: Nov 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29 and Dec 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. If you want the parade on Dec 5, pick a different night for the show.
Card shows. Cards on the Harbor has a two-day Thanksgiving weekend show on Nov 28 and 29, and a holiday card show on Sun Dec 13. Good if you have a Pokemon kid on your gift list.

Before you go

These dates come from the cities and groups that run each event, as of Nov 3. Weather can change plans, so check the city's page the day before. I'll update this post if a date moves.

You can also see more local events on our Rockwall Connect events page. If your church, school or business has a holiday event, you can add it there for free.

Sources

More from Rockwall Connect

Photo: Christmas light display at a home in Saugus, Massachusetts, by Anthony92931, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

Christmas Events in Rockwall TX 2026: Parades, Tree Lightings and More