On Saturday, December 5, 2026, Washington Street's day starts at 7 a.m. with a one-mile run. Next come a 5K at the river, a Viking river ship tied up at the City Riverfront for most of the day, and a Toy Story parade at 5 p.m. Every other weekend between now and New Year's runs on a lighter schedule.
The six weeks from Thanksgiving to New Year's look evenly spread on a calendar, but they aren't. Thanksgiving weekend sets up the season, December 5 carries most of it, and the remaining weeks run on the weekly fixtures downtown keeps all year. One recurring Friday event, which still shows up on the December listings, won't happen at all this year.
Thanksgiving weekend sets the stage, and Sunday is the shopping day
The season's lights come on first. A Very Merry Downtown Christmas, sponsored by Vicksburg Main Street and the City of Vicksburg, decorates Washington Street Park from Friday, November 27 through December 31, 2026. That gives downtown more than a month of lit evenings, starting the day after Thanksgiving.
The riverfront gets busy even earlier. The Main Street calendar lists a Viking call on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, at 8 a.m. The Saturday after Thanksgiving opens with the Lunar Run Club at 7 a.m. from 1100 Washington Street. Lunar Shaved Ice & Coffee hosts that one-mile run every Saturday morning, holidays included.
Downtown's main shopping event comes on Sunday. The 30th Annual Old Fashioned Christmas Open House takes over Washington Street on November 29 with live Christmas music from 1 to 5 p.m. and an appearance by Santa. According to Visit Vicksburg's listing, Santa will be at 1416 Washington Street from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
The poinsettia giveaway has a few conditions. Main Street is handing out free poinsettias to the first 100 shoppers who show a receipt for a downtown purchase of $25 or more. Pick-up is at Crawford Square, between Cinnamon Tree and Petersons. The limit is one per person, while supplies last. If you're counting on a plant, shop early in the afternoon and keep the receipt. With only 100 poinsettias, the giveaway can run out long before the music stops at 5.
A week before all this, November 21 offers a smaller preview. Bella La Vita Photography holds Santa photos at 10 a.m. at 1514 Cherry St., and the Main Street Market Supper Club meets at 6:30 p.m. at 902 Cherry St.
Saturday, December 5, from first light to the parade
Thanksgiving weekend opens the season, but December 5 is the day it comes to a head. Here is how the published schedules line up:
- 7:00 a.m. The Lunar Run Club leaves from 1100 Washington Street, as it does every Saturday.
- 8:00 a.m. The Reindeer Run 5K starts at Catfish Row Art Park, 1200 Levee St., and raises money for the Low Cost Spay & Neuter Clinic. On RunSignup, the 5K run and the 5K walk are $35 each and the Fun Run is $15.
- 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. A Viking vessel is listed at the City Riverfront. Viking's Mississippi River ship, the Viking Mississippi, carries 386 guests.
- 5:00 p.m. The Downtown Christmas Parade of Lights rolls up Washington Street. The city's standard parade route starts at Washington and Belmont and heads north on Washington to Jackson Street.
This year's parade has a Toy Story theme, the Vicksburg Daily News reported, with toy-themed floats and lights along Washington Street. Visit Vicksburg's listing gives the official title, "You've Got a Friend in Downtown Vicksburg," and invites clubs, churches, schools, bands, drill teams, businesses and individuals to enter. You can download application packets from the Vicksburg Main Street website or call 601-634-4527.
The overlap is what makes this Saturday different. The 5K starts at the river right as the riverboat's posted hours begin. The boat is listed to leave at 6 p.m., an hour after the parade steps off on Washington Street. For much of the day, downtown has runners, river guests and parade crews working through the same blocks.
The weekend winds down on Sunday, December 6, with the jazz brunch featuring Jessie Primer at The Watermark, 1415 Washington St., starting at 11 a.m.
The riverboats set the rhythm of the busier days
December 5 isn't the only date when cruise guests come ashore. The Main Street calendar lists river cruise calls through the season, all at the City Riverfront. On the listings, the docking address is 912 Cherry Street.
| Date | Vessel listed | Listed start |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 23 | American Melody | 8:00 a.m., docked until 11:00 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Viking | 8:00 a.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | American Melody | 8:00 a.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Viking | 8:00 a.m., docked until 6:00 p.m. |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | American Melody | 6:00 a.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Viking | 8:00 a.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Viking | 8:00 a.m. |
American Cruise Lines' American Melody is smaller than the Viking ship. It was built in 2021 and carries 180 guests. Two of the Viking calls land on Saturdays. December 5 matches a boat day with the parade, and December 19 matches one with the Lunar Run Club, which leaves from 1100 Washington Street at 7 a.m. that morning. If you avoid Washington Street when it's crowded, the riverboat schedule is a better guide to which weekdays will be busy than the holiday events are.
The Friday walk across the river is off for the rest of 2026
One recurring event drops out of the season. Through spring, summer and fall, the Friday Sip & Stroll opened the Old Mississippi River Bridge to people on foot. The Main Street calendar still lists it for Fridays at 8 a.m. from 4210 Washington Street, I-20 Exit 1A, including December 4, 11 and 18.
Those dates are canceled. On Monday, November 2, the Warren County Board of Supervisors voted to call off the remaining Sip Strolls for November and December because of upcoming maintenance on the bridge, the Vicksburg Daily News reported. The paper reported that the board will decide the future of the strolls once that maintenance is finished.
The bridge has been closed to cars since 1998. It now serves as a railroad bridge and opens to pedestrians only on special occasions, according to earlier Vicksburg Daily News coverage. Without the Friday strolls, the season's only regular Friday morning outing is gone. Out-of-town guests who wanted a walk over the Mississippi will have to wait until the county sets new dates.
The weeknights between the big dates
Once the parade is over, December falls back on the same fixtures downtown runs all year. These are the events that stay on the Main Street calendar after December 5:
- Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Trivia Night at Key City, 1311 Washington Street.
- Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. Salsa and bachata lessons at the SCHF, 1302 Adams St. Line dance practice meets at the same address on Mondays at 5:30 p.m.
- Fridays, 9:00 p.m. Music Trivia Night at The Biscuit, 610 Grove Street, including December 4, 11 and 18.
- Several nights a week, 7:00 p.m. BINGO at 1712 Monroe Street.
- Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, 10:00 a.m. Storytime at 700 Veto St., with Mind & Body Wellness Yoga with Fawn at the same address on Mondays at 5:30 p.m.
With the Friday morning bridge walk gone, Friday's regular downtown outing moves to the evening, with music trivia at The Biscuit at 9 p.m. The Washington Street Park lights stay on through December 31, so a walk past the park before or after any of these fits easily into a weeknight.
Our Vicksburg-area team at Stedman Ulmer Properties keeps track of how Warren County's calendar shapes everyday life, from parade Saturdays on Washington Street to the small-acreage tracts just outside town. If you're thinking about what comes after the holidays, search properties with us or call the team for a local read on the county.
