Pell City's three big holiday events are put together by the people who live here. That covers the Lights in the Park displays at Lakeside Park, the floats on Cogswell Avenue and the runners at the Rotary Jingle Bell Run. Local businesses, churches, scout troops and neighbors build Lights in the Park one display at a time. The Christmas Parade fills up with floats from schools and civic groups. The Rotary Club organizes the Jingle Bell Run, and the money it raises stays in town. Each one has its own sign-up window. Lights in the Park setup opens on November 13, two weeks before Thanksgiving.
So the season you see in December starts getting built in mid-November. Here's the calendar, in order.
The deadlines, in the order they hit
| Date | What happens | Who runs it |
|---|---|---|
| First week of November | Lights in the Park participants learn their assigned spots | Pell City Parks & Recreation |
| Friday, Nov. 13 | Display setup opens at Lakeside Park | Pell City Parks & Recreation |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Setup closes, lights go on and voting opens | Pell City Parks & Recreation |
| Sunday, Nov. 29 | Last day to register for the Jingle Bell Run and be sure of a shirt and swag bag | Pell City Rotary Club |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Christmas Parade registration deadline | Pell City Chamber of Commerce |
| Friday, Dec. 11 | Christmas Parade, 7 p.m., Cogswell Avenue | Pell City Chamber of Commerce |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Jingle Bell Run, 8 a.m., Lakeside Park | Pell City Rotary Club |
| Thursday, Dec. 17 | Lights in the Park voting closes at 9 p.m. | Pell City Parks & Recreation |
| Thursday, Dec. 31 | Last night of lights | Pell City Parks & Recreation |
Lakeside Park comes up again and again in that table. The light show runs there for five weeks, and the run starts there the morning after the parade. That puts the busiest stretch of the season on the weekend of December 11 and 12.
Lights in the Park is a neighborhood build, display by display
According to the City of Pell City's 2026 Lights in the Park page, Pell City Parks & Recreation hosts the event, but the displays themselves come from the community. Discover St. Clair's 2025 holiday guide names businesses, churches and individuals as the builders. The numbers have held steady. The St. Clair News-Aegis counted more than 70 displays in 2023, the city counted more than 80 entries in 2024, and LakeLife 24/7 reported more than 70 for 2025.
The 2024 winners list shows who's behind the bulbs. The city called that year's contest its first. Woody's Tree Service won Overall, and other category winners included House of Prayer, Faith Community Fellowship, Metro Bank, Clean Haul Roll-Off, Alabama Clearing & Excavating and Girl Scouts Troop 24216, according to the city's winners announcement. That list includes a tree service, an excavating company, two churches, a bank and a Girl Scout troop, all set up along the roads that wind through the park.
What changed for builders, and what didn't
In 2024, display participation was free, with "no costs or fees." That changed in 2025. LakeLife 24/7 reported in November 2025 that the city was starting a Sustainability Initiative, and the rule carries into 2026. Builders choose one of two options:
- Option A: pay a non-refundable $50 contribution at registration. Parks & Recreation uses the money to buy new displays.
- Option B: skip the fee and submit a dated receipt showing at least $50 of new Christmas lights or display materials bought within the last six months.
The city calls it "a direct investment in the event's longevity and quality." Either way, the $50 adds lights to the park, whether they go on your display or on the city's own.
The build rules are the same as before, and they're specific enough to plan around before setup opens on November 13:
- Use outdoor-rated lights only, because the displays sit out through wet and freezing weather.
- Set up your own display and firmly secure every part to the ground.
- Bring your own extension cord. Each display gets one electrical connection, and Parks Maintenance staff turn every display on and off each night.
- Wrap the extension cord receptacle in water-resistant plastic to prevent shorts.
- Build a holiday scene. A sign or banner plus one figure or inflatable is not enough.
- Use weather-resistant materials throughout.
The city says it isn't responsible for lost or damaged displays on city property, and it can ask for removal of any display that deteriorates. Questions go to Valerie Painter at [email protected] or 205-338-3818, ext. 1.
The awards give builders a reason to go big
The city's 2026 page says awards and recognition "return in 2026." A panel of independent judges picks Best Overall, Judge's Choice, and visitors vote in nine more categories by scanning QR code signs placed around the park. The categories are themed on Christmas songs and stories. The Silent Night Award goes to the simplest, cleanest display, White Christmas to the best use of white lights, and Deck the Halls to the most over-the-top lighting. The Reason for the Season Award honors the best Nativity, Rock Around the Christmas Tree the best animation, and the Christmas Story Award the best youth-inspired display.
Voting runs from Friday, November 27, to 9 p.m. Thursday, December 17. Winners get an award sign beside their display for the rest of the season and a mention on the city and Parks & Recreation Facebook pages. They also appear in December's digital Discover St. Clair, January's digital LakeLife 24/7 and the February 2027 print issue of Discover.
Visiting the lights
Lights in the Park is at Lakeside Park, 2801 Stemley Bridge Road, and you enter through the Civic Center parking lot. In 2025 it was a free drive-through with lights on until 9 p.m. each night, LakeLife 24/7 reported. The city hasn't posted 2026 hours or admission details yet, so check the Lights in the Park page before you load up the car. Voting runs most of the season, so a trip before December 17 lets you vote.
The parade takes its theme from the lake
The Pell City Chamber of Commerce chose "Christmas at the Lake" as the 2026 Christmas Parade theme. The Chamber's event page describes it this way:
Imagine Santa cruising the lake, reindeer on the dock, festive pontoons, sparkling waterfront holiday scenes, and plenty of hometown Christmas spirit.
The Chamber has invited schools, businesses, churches, civic groups and community organizations to build floats on that theme, the same mix of groups that fills the park. The parade runs Friday, December 11, from 7 to 9 p.m. It starts at Pell City High School, goes straight down Cogswell Avenue/Highway 78, turns at Food Outlet and comes back to the high school. Float lineup starts at 3 p.m., and registration closes Friday, December 4. Sponsors get early lineup for premiere spots if they arrive by 3 p.m. Questions go to [email protected] or 205-338-3377.
The Chamber's safety rules for spectators are short. Don't approach vehicles, don't cross the street once the parade starts, don't run into the road, and keep an eye on children.
Saturday morning, the season moves back to Lakeside Park
About 13 hours after the parade starts, the fourth annual Pell City Rotary Club Jingle Bell Run starts at Lakeside Park. According to the race's registration page, this year's proceeds go to the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City. The money will help build a fully handicap-accessible garden with raised planter beds, an herb garden and a flower garden with water features.
Race morning on Saturday, December 12:
- 7:00 to 7:45 a.m.: registration and packet pickup
- 8:00 a.m.: opening ceremony and start of the 5K and 10K
- 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.: photos with Santa Claus
- 9:30 a.m.: 1-mile Fun Run/Walk
- 10:00 a.m.: awards ceremony
Both courses repeat 2025's certified routes. Cash prizes return for the top three finishers in the 5K and 10K, along with a best-dressed holiday costume prize. New this year is a 12 Days of Christmas raffle. Prizes go out on the race's Facebook page starting December 1, and every registration counts as a raffle ticket. The team contest is back too. The team with the most registered participants earns a donation of up to $1,000 for the charity of its choice. The course mixes asphalt paths, roadways, grass and a wooden bridge, so the organizers say it may not suit strollers. Leashed pets are welcome under Lakeside Park rules. Register by Sunday, November 29, to be sure of your shirt size and swag bag.
The rest of the city calendar, by last year's dates
Pell City's other holiday events haven't posted 2026 dates yet. Last year's dates give a rough idea of timing. The city's 2025 guide listed Whobilation on December 4 at 5 p.m. The St. Clair News-Aegis listed gingerbread house sessions on December 11 and 13, with registration required. It also listed Annie Jr. at the Center for Education and Performing Arts on December 11, 13 and 14. The 2026 dates will appear on the city's site as they're confirmed.
If your business, church or troop wants a spot at Lakeside Park this year, you'll be setting up between November 13 and 27. Billy Brodie, a former firefighter and paramedic, works this part of St. Clair County. If you're building your first Lights in the Park display, entering a float on Cogswell Avenue or lining up a team for the Rotary run, Billy Brodie is glad to help spread the word.
