The West Tennessee Iris Society's garden at the West Street and Poplar Pike railroad crossing had its last viewing season in May 2018. It had run for more than 30 years and showed over 400 varieties of iris. This December the same small triangle of land is on the City of Germantown's holiday lighting list. It sits beside City Hall, Depot Park and Bobby Lanier Farm Park as one of four public spaces the city is paying professionals to light.
The parade, the tree lighting and the farm festival each happen on a single date. The decorations at all four sites stay up through early January, so the season is a set of places you can visit for weeks, and the events fall inside that stretch.
Four Sites on One Contract
At its Oct. 26 meeting, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a contract with Pine Ridge Lawn & Landscaping LLC for professional holiday lighting and decorations. The city's Nov. 2 announcement says the competitive bid drew three qualified proposals. A Parks and Recreation review panel evaluated them on design, visual appeal, cost, qualifications and experience before recommending Pine Ridge for the $60,000 contract.
The 2026 sites are:
- Germantown Municipal Center and City Hall, 1930 S. Germantown Road
- The Former Iris Garden, at the West Street and Poplar Pike railroad crossing
- Depot Park, 2260 West Street
- Bobby Lanier Farm Park, 2660 Cross Country Drive
In 2022 the city teamed up with the Beautification Commission and began hiring professional lighting vendors to design and install its displays. The program has added locations since then. Four years in, it runs on a competitive bid, a review panel and a $60,000 contract.
West Street, Where the Garden Grew
Two of the four sites are on West Street, which makes them the easiest pair on the circuit to see on one outing.
The Germantown history archive says the city and the iris society got permission in 1986 to plant a garden on a small triangular parcel owned by the railroad. The garden ended after the May 2018 season. Space at Oaklawn Gardens was set aside for iris, but every remaining rhizome sold at the society's final sale. Eight years later, the city still calls the parcel by its old name, and it is lit again for the holidays.
Depot Park, also on West Street, covers two acres. It holds the Parks and Recreation administration offices and the restored historic Train Depot. The Depot is also where the season ends. Santa at the Depot, presented by the Germantown Historic Commission, is Saturday, Dec. 19, from 1 to 4 p.m. It includes Santa photos and a mailbox for letters. Families who make that afternoon trip can also see the lit Iris Garden parcel on the same street.
The Farm Park Joined in 2024, and It Is the Only Ticketed Site
Bobby Lanier Farm Park is the one site tied to a ticketed event. The city added the Farm Park to its professional lighting program in 2024 to set the scene for a ticketed December event. The park is a 10-acre working farm run for agricultural education. To get there from Germantown Road, turn east on Stout Road.
Lights on the Farm is Saturday, Dec. 5, from 5 to 9 p.m.
| Detail | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Admission | $10 per person; children under 1 free |
| Tickets | Online at the city's registration page or on site |
| Activities | Sleigh rides on lit trails, face painting, live music, Santa photos |
| Parking | Cloyes Soccer Fields, with overflow behind the fire station |
The price matches 2025, when the event was held Dec. 6 with the same lineup. The parking details come from the Germantown Journal's holiday guide. Sleigh rides only run on Dec. 5, but the Farm Park lights stay up into January like the rest of the circuit.
A Calendar That Builds Through Three December Saturdays
With the lights as the backdrop, Germantown's events start with smaller dates in late November and build through three Saturdays in December. By Thursday, Nov. 12, here is everything still ahead.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat. Nov. 21 and Sun. Nov. 22 | New Ballet Ensemble's NutRemix | GPAC |
| Sun. Nov. 22, 6 to 8 p.m. | All Aboard! Holiday Kick-Off | Saddle Creek South |
| Fri. Nov. 27, 5 to 8 p.m. | Holiday Tree Lighting | City Hall |
| Dec. 4 to 13 | Madeline's Christmas, youth production | Germantown Community Theatre |
| Sat. Dec. 5, 5 to 9 p.m. | Lights on the Farm | Bobby Lanier Farm Park |
| Sun. Dec. 6 | The Sounds of Christmas, RSVP Chorus | Germantown Community Theatre |
| Sat. Dec. 12, 2 to 5 p.m. | Germantown Holiday Parade | Farmington Boulevard to Exeter Road |
| Sat. Dec. 12, 7 p.m. | Germantown Symphony Orchestra Holiday Concert | GPAC |
| Sat. Dec. 19, 1 to 4 p.m. | Santa at the Depot | Depot Park |
The first family event outdoors is at Saddle Creek. Saddle Creek's event page says the kick-off sets up in front of Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken. It includes an outdoor screening of The Polar Express, Santa photos and train rides, and Rise stays open late with a short menu that includes hot chocolate. Bring your own chairs and blankets.
The city's tree lighting falls the day after Thanksgiving. Families gather in the City Hall parking lot for holiday songs and marshmallows and the lighting itself. Refreshments and Santa follow inside City Hall. It is also the one event held at a site on the lighting contract, since City Hall and the Municipal Center are the first stop on the list.
At GPAC, the two December performances of When You Believe: A Madonna Christmas Story on Dec. 16 and 17 are listed as sold out in the Germantown Journal.
Dec. 12 Runs From Farmington Boulevard to GPAC
The second Saturday in December is the busiest day of the season. The Germantown Holiday Parade begins at 2 p.m. at Kimbrough Road and Farmington Boulevard. It heads west on Farmington to Exeter Road, turns north on Exeter and ends at the Germantown Athletic Club. The city's listing promises floats, horses, school groups, community clubs and marching bands, with Santa arriving last on a Germantown fire truck.
Porter-Leath is back this year and will collect new, unwrapped toys along the route for local children. Bring a toy when you come to watch. Questions about the parade go to Michelle Forbert in the city's office at (901) 751-7638.
The parade is scheduled to finish at 5 p.m. Two hours later, the Germantown Symphony Orchestra plays its Holiday Concert at 7 p.m. at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre. On the same weekend, Germantown Community Theatre's run of Madeline's Christmas ends on Dec. 13, so one weekend has a parade, an orchestra and a youth theater show.
Wolf River Boulevard Through Mid-December
One driving note covers the busiest weeks. The city scheduled lane closures on Wolf River Boulevard to begin Monday, Nov. 9, for the first phase of the Wolf River Medical Campus at 7460 Wolf River Blvd. Contractor Grinder, Taber & Grinder's first phase centers on the median, with one lane in each direction closed along about 1,000 feet. The city's notice puts the closures at about four to five weeks. That runs into the stretch that includes Lights on the Farm and the parade weekend, so build in extra time if your route uses that part of Wolf River.
The campus is planned as two two-story medical office buildings. The first phase also relocates fire hydrants and builds entrance driveways. When the lane closures end, all four lit sites will still have weeks left before the decorations come down in early January.
At The Judy Mac Team, we know Germantown from its West Street depot to its Farm Park trails, and we're glad to see the city light up all four of these places. If friends or family are thinking about a move to Germantown this season, we'd be glad to show them the neighborhoods along the route. Contact us.
