Holiday Events In Nashua And Nearby: Tree Lightings, Parades

NASHUA, NH — There is no shortage of things to do in Nashua to get the winter holiday season off to a rollicking good start.

Christmas and Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, intersect this year, with Hanukkah running Dec. 18-26. Christmas, of course, is on Dec. 25, but you don’t have to wait to start taking in all the sights and sounds of the holidays.

Saturday is Nashua's Winter Holiday Stroll. The event, in its 25th year, begins at 5 p.m. at City Hall. Each year, over 30,000 people gather for Winter Holiday Stroll.

The stroll begins with a candle-lit procession from City Hall to the Hunt Memorial Building, about half a mile, for the lighting of the city Christmas Tree.

The tree lighting is followed by over 60 performances, animatronic animal rides, a wide selection of street vendors, live ice sculpture carving and the unveiling of Nashua's new holiday lights.

Christmas parades — often complete with Santa Claus, festively decorated floats and marching bands — are a holiday tradition, both nationally and locally.

Several big parades are taking place this year, including the Mayor’s Annual Christmas Parade in Baltimore City, Maryland; the Target Holidazzle Parade in Minneapolis; and the Christmas Boat Parade in Newport Beach, California.

Parades in the area may not be able to match those in size, but the heart behind them is just as big. Parades to catch here at home include:

• North Andover Santa Parade, North Andover, Massachusetts, Noon on Saturday
• Nutfield Holiday Parade, Derry, 1 p.m. on Saturday
• City of Lights Parade, Lowell, Massachusetts, 4:30 p.m. on Saturday
• Andover Santa Parade, Andover, Massachusetts, 1 p.m. on Sunday
• The 2022 Santa Parade & Tree Lighting, Newburyport, Massachusetts, 3 p.m. on Sunday
• Annual Holiday Parade and Santa Shuffle, Manchester, 4 p.m. on Dec. 3
• Merrimac Santa Parade, Merrimac, Massachusetts, 1 p.m. on Dec. 4