Bellevue's Holiday Parade Started at a Brunch Table. In Its Third Year, It Takes Over Highway 70 for a Morning.

In January 2024, four Bellevue moms sat down to brunch and asked a simple question. Why did they have to drive their kids to Franklin or Fairview to see a holiday parade? According to the Tennessean's Brad Schmitt, Kristi Gooden, Christy Mullen, Jodi Owens and Tammi Schneiderman didn't stop at asking. They called the Bellevue Harpeth Chamber of Commerce, their Metro Council representatives, and local businesses and civic groups. Eleven months later, Holidays in the Vue rolled down Highway 70 South.

The third parade steps off Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 10 a.m. Most of the people marching in it live and work in Bellevue too. The parade has grown on local entries, and that growth now shows up in two places: in the crowd along the route, and in how long Bellevue's main roads stay closed that Saturday morning.

A year later, about 2,000 more people along the route

The organizers publish their own numbers after each parade. From 2024 to 2025, entries grew by about 40 percent and spectators by at least half, while the volunteer team grew far more slowly.

The 2026 figures are what organizers expect, not counts. The parade's official site advertises more than 65 floats, vehicles, walking groups and performers, plus Santa and Mrs. Claus, and a crowd of more than 6,000. The founders told the Tennessean they expect more than 8,000 this year.

The crowd grew by about 2,000 people between 2024 and 2025, and the volunteer team grew by five. The organizing side changed in 2026, too. Holidays in the Vue incorporated as a Tennessee nonprofit public benefit corporation and received 501(c)(3) status this year. Donations now cover production, marketing, permits, and safety and security logistics. Allegiance Pressure Washing is back as presenting sponsor.

The entries are Bellevue's own

The first year had some big-name guests. WKRN's preview of the inaugural parade listed the Titans drumline and cheerleaders, the Predators' mascot GNASH, Mayor Freddie O'Connell, and grand marshal Miss Tennessee Carley Vogel. The award winners tell you more about the parade's character. In both years they were almost entirely local:

• 2024 award winners: Bellevue Middle School Band, MOVE Inclusive Dance, Al Menah Shriners, STR Towing & Recovery with Girl Scout Troop 613, Allegiance Pressure Washing, Advance Financial Foundation, and Plantation Pub
• 2025 award winners: Dance In Bloom, Bellevue Church of Christ, YMCA Bellevue, Advance Financial Foundation, STR Towing & Recovery with Girl Scout Troop 613, Moore & Moore Garden Center, and Saint Henry Catholic Church

STR Towing and Girl Scout Troop 613 won both years, as did Advance Financial Foundation. In 2025, Davidson County Source reported that the lineup included Miss Tennessee Zoe Scheiderich, Miss Tennessee's Teen Analee Shaver, GNASH, the Predators' Energy Team, local schools and bands, and the Nashville Speedway pace car. TriStar Bellevue Freestanding ER handed out bells along the route. NewsChannel 5 reported that Moore & Moore Garden Center, which had a float in the parade, sold an animal coloring book illustrated by one of its employees, with the proceeds going to Nashville Zoo conservation programs.

The parade celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and other December holidays. Gooden described the first morning this way to the Tennessean:

"We got so many thank-yous and high-fives as we were staging all of the entrants before the parade even began."

Groups that want in this year should move soon. The participation page says capacity and some entry categories are limited. Fees are $75 for businesses and $30 for nonprofit and non-commercial groups, and some entrants can get a waiver.

What the closures cover

Bigger crowds and longer lineups need more road. The route runs 1.2 miles along streets most of Bellevue uses for errands. Floats stage at Bellevue Middle School, 655 Colice Jeanne Road. They turn left onto Colice Jeanne, left onto Highway 70 South, right onto Sawyer Brown Road, then left into One Bellevue Place at Esterbrook Drive, 7620 Highway 70 South.

Organizers have posted the closures for Saturday, December 5, 2026. They run from about 9:30 a.m. to about 11:45 a.m.:

1. Colice Jeanne Road from Bellevue Middle School to Highway 70 South
2. Highway 70 South from Colice Jeanne Road and Cross Timbers Drive to Sawyer Brown Road
3. Sawyer Brown Road from Highway 70 South to One Bellevue Place and Esterbrook

Police close the major intersections. Emergency vehicles can still reach every home and business along the route, but no other traffic gets in or out until the parade clears and the roads reopen. Organizers suggest Old Harding Pike, Baugh Road, Cross Timbers Drive, Hicks Road and Old Hickory Boulevard to get around. Some MTA bus routes will detour. Details are at nashvillemta.org or 615-862-5950.

The morning starts before the closures do. Last year, Davidson County Source reported that entrants staged at the middle school from 8 to 9:15 a.m., ahead of the 9:30 closures. If you live off Colice Jeanne, expect float traffic well before Santa shows up. Anyone with a Saturday breakfast, a practice or a shift on the far side of Highway 70 should plan to cross before 9:30 or after noon.

Where to stand

You can't park at Bellevue Middle School, since the lot is used for staging. Street parking near the route is fine where signs allow it. The what-to-know page points spectators to the sidewalks along Highway 70 South and Sawyer Brown. Organizers especially want people to fill the stretch of Highway 70 between Slate Apartments and Carriage Drive and Cross Timbers. Bring chairs or blankets. Public restrooms are at Red Caboose Park.

The founders expect a bigger crowd than last year, and the Tennessean column ends with a tip: get there early to claim a spot. The Highway 70 stretch near Cross Timbers sits close to the start, so floats reach it first. The Sawyer Brown end puts you near One Bellevue Place, where the parade wraps up.

The lights stay up longer than the parade

The committee has also put up something that outlasts the parade. It added a holiday lighting display at the beautification site at Highway 70 South and Old Harding Pike. Allegiance Holiday Lighting, part of Allegiance Pressure Washing, installed it. Last year the lights were unveiled on the evening of November 19, 2025. They kick off the parade season and stay lit until early January. Organizers hope to expand the display to more spots around Bellevue. "We wanted to shine the light on Bellevue and always envisioned that festive lights would extend the energy and spirit of the parade...and make kids smile too!" Mullen said on the Holidays in the Vue site.

For the next few weeks, then, the corner of Highway 70 and Old Harding Pike is the parade's year-round piece. You can drive past it on a weeknight, then watch the floats come down the same road on the morning of December 5.

If you live along the route, December 5 means a close-up look at Bellevue's newest tradition and a morning-long detour around it. When you start wondering what your own spot near Highway 70 is worth, Gracie Youngblood can give you a clear answer with no pressure. Get Your Instant Home Valuation whenever you're ready, maybe once you've folded up the parade chairs.