The Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce has announced that its annual Christmas festival and parade will be held on Friday, Dec. 4, featuring a holiday cinematic theme. This year’s celebration, titled “Christmas at the Movies,” encourages participants to transform downtown into a winter wonderland inspired by their favorite holiday films.
The event runs from 4 to 8 p.m., with local businesses, schools, churches, clubs, and community groups invited to create floats depicting iconic scenes, characters, and decorations from beloved Christmas movies. The parade floats will be judged based on theme interpretation, craftsmanship, and creativity.
The festivities begin at 4 p.m. with festival vendors set up along South Baker Street between Sixth and Seventh streets, marking a return to the Baker District after last year’s relocation to the Farmers & Merchants Bank parking lot. The parking lot, however, will still play a role in this year’s event, hosting the Ultimate Auto Group Christmas Cruise-In starting at 4 p.m. near Main Street.
Entertainment will kick off at 4:30 p.m. with music by DJ Peace at Veterans Plaza. At 5 p.m., the Mountain Home High School Chamber Choir will perform carols in a program sponsored by First Security Bank. Following these performances, the First Security Bank Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Veterans Plaza. The annual ceremony, now in its eighth year, includes a reading of the Nativity story from the Gospel of Luke before the lighting of the tree.
The Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade, sponsored by Danfoss, will begin at 6 p.m. and follow its traditional route starting at Hospital Drive, traveling down South Main Street, and ending at the square. Previous years have seen creative themes such as 2022’s Dr. Seuss-inspired “A Mountain Home Wholiday,” and 2021’s “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” which saw NEXT Powered by NAEC take first place.
The festival will conclude at 8 p.m. Community members interested in registering for the parade can contact the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce at 870-425-5111 for more details.