Last December, joining the Manchester Christmas parade took no paperwork. The Manchester Mirror's 2025 guide told anyone who wanted to march to show up at 5:45 p.m. in the Emanuel Church parking lot. No registration was required. The parade was a no-candy parade. It headed east on Main Street and stopped at Adrian Street. Afterward, Mayor Patricia Vailliencourt gave Santa the Key to the City on the Mill Porch at 201 E Main St.
That open-door approach runs through the whole event. Christmas in the Village isn't a city department or a festival nonprofit. Every year a few downtown business owners, local churches, the historical society and other volunteers put it together. That also means there's always room for another helper. When the 2026 date was announced in late September, organizers were still looking for someone to coordinate the parade.
The Parade Moved From Opener to Finale
Through 2024, Christmas in the Village ran over two days. The 2024 lighted parade took place on Friday, December 6, and ended at the Manchester Mill. There the mayor lit the tree, Santa visited with children and SRSLY Manchester handed out free hot chocolate. Craft sales, the museum open house and Blacksmith Shop demonstrations filled the next day.
In 2025 the event became a single Saturday. The Mirror described the evening parade as "capping off the event instead of kicking it off the night before." That changed how the day unfolds. Under the old format, the parade drew people downtown and gave them a reason to come back Saturday. Now Saturday is one long build toward 6 p.m., starting with church breakfasts and ending at the Mill Porch.
How the One-Day Format Ran in 2025
The 2025 schedule is the best model for what December 5 may look like. In order:
- 9 to 9:30 a.m.: The day began across town. Zion Lutheran Church on S Fletcher Rd hosted Breakfast with Santa. Craft fairs opened at Manchester United Methodist Church on Ann Arbor St, Emanuel UCC's Fellowship Hall on W Main St and Sharon Church on M-52. St. Thomas Lutheran held its German Bake Sale at Freedom Township Hall, with a cookie walk of more than 20 varieties.
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The east end of Main Street took over. The Manchester Area Historical Society opened the Kingsley-Jenter House at 302 E Main St for a craft show and museum open house. Two doors down, the Blacksmith Shop at 324 E Main St fired its forge for blacksmith and tinsmith demonstrations, and the Still Pickin' Band played from noon to 3.
- Midday: Downtown businesses kept extended hours with holiday specials. Participants included Dragonfly and Birch, Millie's Coffeehouse, Frank's Place, River Raisin Mercantile, The Vintage Flea, The Sassy Peacock, Steele Grafix, All Thingz Green and Village Hair Forum.
- 3 to 5 p.m.: Santa was on the Mill Porch, with free hot chocolate from SRSLY Manchester.
- 6 p.m.: The lighted parade. The Manchester Men's Club set up donation stations along the route and gave the food it collected to the Community Resource Center.
- 6:15 to 7:30 p.m.: The Key to the City ceremony, then more time with Santa on the Mill Porch.
Almost every item on that list belonged to a different host: a church, a museum, a service club, a shop, a youth group. With that many hosts contributing, the full schedule comes together close to the event. In 2025 the Mirror's guide came out on November 24, less than two weeks before the parade. Updates were posted to the Christmas in the Village Facebook page.
Who Holds It Together
The 2025 guide credited three organizers: Kathy LaHaie, Merrill Guerra and Sue LaRocque. Sponsors were the Manchester DDA, The Manchester Mill, Worth Repeating and Manchester Mill on the Water. It's a small group for an event that fills a whole Saturday and shuts down Main Street at night.
The parade is the part that needs the most hands on the day itself. The Manchester Mirror reported on September 28 that downtown businesses had set this year's theme and planning meeting, and added:
"They are particularly looking for an individual or organization to take over coordinating the parade."
The same article said the coordinator would need to "round up multiple volunteers to work at the line-up and the intersections on the day of." A public planning meeting was set for Thursday, October 22, at 7 p.m. at Dragonfly and Birch, 115 E Main St. The article also lists [email protected] as the contact for taking on the parade or helping in other ways.
What 2026 Has Confirmed So Far
| 2025 | 2026, as announced September 28 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, December 6 | Saturday, December 5 |
| Format | One day, parade at the end | One day, parade at the end |
| Parade start | 6 p.m. | 6 p.m. |
| Lineup | Arrive 5:45 p.m., Emanuel Church lot | Lineup begins 5:30 p.m. |
| Theme | Not stated in the guide | "O' Christmas Tree" |
| Parade coordinator | Not listed separately | Organizers were seeking one |
The September announcement covered the date, theme, format and parade times. It didn't list church sales, Santa's hours on the Mill Porch, business specials or the parade route for 2026. Those details came together in late November last year, and this year's schedule is likely to arrive the same way.
November Runs on the Same Blocks
The volunteer groups behind December 5 are busy in November too, often in the same buildings.
- Blacksmith Shop and Kingsley-Jenter House: The Manchester Area Historical Society's calendar lists both open Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. on November 8, 15, 22 and 29, and again on December 6, the day after the parade. These are the same two East Main buildings that anchor the Christmas in the Village craft show and forge demonstrations. Details are on the historical society's events page.
- Zion Lutheran Harvest Dinner, Saturday, October 31: Takeout only, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., $16 per meal, at 3050 S Fletcher Rd, according to the Manchester Mirror. It's the same church that hosted Breakfast with Santa last December.
- Manchester District Library, 912 City Rd: Bingo in the Teen Spot on November 5 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Adult Book Club meets November 18 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the History Room, and a Perfect Pie Crust Workshop is set for November 19 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the City Room, per the library's event calendar.
- Wonder-garten Lantern Walk, November 14 at 4:45 p.m.: The 14th annual walk takes place at Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve. It's free, and families are asked to bring a lantern or flashlight, or a glass jar to make a lantern on site. RSVP is through the form linked in the Mirror's announcement.
- Sharon Mills County Park quilting bee: Drop-in sessions on November 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and November 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., all skill levels, no registration, at 5701 Sharon Hollow Rd, as reported by the Manchester Mirror.
- River Raisin Distillery, 480 W Main St, November 22: Great Lakes Crafting, LLC is hosting two workshops. A Christmas Kinusaiga fabric-mosaic session runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., per TownVue. A vintage-style ceramic Christmas tree painting session runs from 1 to 3 p.m., with tickets on Eventbrite. The ceramic trees happen to match this year's "O' Christmas Tree" theme.
The Mill Porch Is Still the Center
Through both formats, the Manchester Mill has stayed at the heart of the event. In 2024 the parade ended there for the tree lighting. In 2025 the Mill Porch at 201 E Main St hosted Santa before and after the parade, plus the Key to the City ceremony in between. The Mill is also listed as a sponsor. If 2026 follows the 2025 pattern, the evening of Saturday, December 5, will close on that porch, with the Key to the City handoff at 6:15 p.m. and Santa visits running until 7:30.
Whoever ends up coordinating the parade, the plans on Main Street are made by people who live and work here, and The Faeth Team enjoys following them every December. If you're thinking about your own plans for the year ahead, we're happy to start with a simple question. Get your free home valuation, and we'll show you what your Manchester home is worth heading into the new year.