76th Annual Hattiesburg Jaycees Christmas Parade

🎄 The 76th Annual Hattiesburg Jaycees Christmas Parade is coming to Downtown Hattiesburg! 🎄

Join us on Thursday, December 3, 2026 for one of Hattiesburg’s favorite holiday traditions!

For 76 years, the Hattiesburg Jaycees Christmas Parade has brought our community together to celebrate the magic of the Christmas season. This year, we’re ready to make it bigger, brighter, and more festive than ever!

✨ What to Expect:

🎅 Santa Claus

🎄 Festive floats

🥁 Marching bands

💃 Dance & performance groups

🚗 Decorated vehicles

🏢 Local businesses & organizations

🍴 Food vendors

🎁 Plenty of Christmas spirit!

Bring the entire family, find your favorite spot along the parade route, and help us fill Downtown Hattiesburg with Christmas cheer!

📅 Thursday, December 3, 2026

📍 Downtown Hattiesburg, Mississippi

The parade is organized by the Hattiesburg Jaycees, and we’re inviting businesses, nonprofits, churches, schools, clubs, community organizations, families, and other groups to be part of this year’s celebration.

Want to participate in the parade? Float and group registration is available!

Want to showcase your business? Sponsorship opportunities are available and offer a great way to support a long-standing Hattiesburg tradition while putting your business in front of thousands of people throughout the Pine Belt.

📣 Help us spread the word! Click Interested or Going, invite your friends and family, and share the event.

We can’t wait to celebrate Christmas with Hattiesburg! 🎅🎄✨

The Hattiesburg Jaycees are excited to return in person for our 76th Annual Christmas Parade, Wednsday , December 3rd, 2026, at 6 PM.

ENTRY FEES - Each registration is valid for (1) car, truck/ trailer, float, walking group or (2) golf carts

Early Registration - 8/22/2026-9/30/2026

• $85 Commercial
• $50 Nonprofits & families

Regular Entries- 10/1/2026-11/13/2025

• $100 Commercial
• $60 Nonprofits & families

LATE Entries - 11/14/2026-11/30/2026

• $150 Commercial
• $75 Nonprofits & families

Absolutely no cash will be accepted for registration. If your business or organization needs to pay via check or money order please mail them to 1305 Camp Street Hattiesburg MS 39401 Attn: Hattiesburg Jaycees Parade Registration. Please include your organization name and an email address. Once your check is processed you will receive a promo code for registration. Any returned checks will have a $40 processing fee to complete registration.

No refunds or transfer of registration will be permitted. Registrations are considered a donation to the Hattiesburg Jaycees.

If you show up at line-up and are not on our list, you will be asked to pay a $250 registration fee and your entry will be placed at the end of the parade and will not be judged or entered into the contest.

Any entrant that joins the Jaycees will receive a 20% discount on membership dues for the year.

1. Entry and payment must be turned in by November 29th, 2026 at 5 PM CST. Entries submitted after this date are not guaranteed participation.
2. We receive numerous last-minute entries each year, for this reason, the line-up and check- in site will not be announced until the Captain's meeting, date will be emailed closer to parade. It will be via zoom.
3. Line up will begin at 4:00 and end at 5:30. Please tell all members of your group to arrive on time or they will not be included. We will NOT release any line-up information prior to the Captain's meeting. If someone from your group cannot attend you will receive the information via email 24 hours prior to the parade.
4. Each entry must have a poster, sign, or banner to represent who they are and what their float name is. You will be given a parade number as well to affix at a visible position. This allows the judges and the public to identify you, and to determine how well the entry fits this year's theme. If the judges cannot see both the number assigned to you and your group name, you will forfeit the competition portion of the parade. The poster, sign, or banner can be attached to the float or car or may be carried by a member of your group. It must be legible and large enough for viewers to read/understand.
5. No Santa Clauses allowed! There is only one Santa Claus, and he has already been contacted by the Hattiesburg Jaycees.
6. No decorations, costumes, dance, songs, attire, etc. which are in bad taste, sexually suggestive or explicit, or otherwise not in the spirit of Christmas. This is a family-oriented event, primarily for the children of our community, and entries that do not conform to that standard will be removed from the line-up at the discretion of any current Jaycee Members.
7. For judging purposes, your entry must follow the parade theme. If your entry does not conform to the theme, it will not be judged.
8. The contact person listed on your entry form will inform all participants in your entry where to meet to line up. Please also tell each participant the FULL name of the organization which you listed on the entry form.
9. City ordinances do not allow for the throwing of candy or favors; you may hand them out, but do not throw them. Please do not throw Suckers or any type of candy that has a stick.
10. Any performance that stops the parade must be limited to 30 seconds. The police will enforce this to keep the parade moving along.
11. Prizes will be awarded and winners will be notified immediately following the parade. Winners will also be posted on the Hattiesburg Jaycee Facebook page.
12. For the safety of everyone, an adult must supervise all children who may be in your entry. No entry will be allowed to start the parade unless there is a supervising adult present. Make sure children do not get on/off vehicles until it has completely stopped.
13. Participants may NOT sit on the hoods or roofs of any vehicles.
14. In order to keep our children safe along the parade route, we now require at least 4 "walkers" to accompany each vehicle entry, and 6 "walkers" to accompany each float entry. "Walkers" should be at least 16 years of age, and will need to help keep crowds away from your float or vehicle as it moves along the parade route. Walkers should be encouraged to hand out candy/favors, but do not throw per city ordinance.
15. No horses or other live animals are allowed in the parade.
16. Personal golf carts will be allowed, 2 carts per paid entry will be allowed. Carts should be decorated in theme with the parade.
17. Each registration is valid for 1 car, truck/ trailer or walking group. Groups that need additional vehicles will need to purchase separate registration for each entry.
18. The Hattiesburg Jaycees will not be liable for any accidents or property damage caused by any participants in this parade. Entries are responsible for their own liabilities. Proof of insurance is required upon entry. Parade applicants and each person riding on a float agree to hold harmless and indemnify the Hattiesburg Jaycees participating in the 2025 Christmas Parade.
19. The show must go on no matter the weather. All entries are non - refundable, non-transferable.

There are 3 prizes: Best Float, Best Walking/ Performing Group, and Jaycee's Choice. Prizes will be awarded, and winners will be notified at the City of Hattiesburg’s Christmas Tree lighting. Winners will also be posted on the Hattiesburg Jaycee Facebook page. You do not have to be present to win your prize, but it’s highly encouraged that you are there to receive your award. (The Tree Lighting is at the discretion of the City of Hattiesburg, if they change their agenda for the Tree Lighting Ceremony, we will announce the winners on Facebook/Instagram)

For details about the Tree Lighting please contact the City of Hattiesburg.

Please note that the parade organizers, the Hattiesburg Jaycees, are all volunteers who have busy lives and jobs. We receive hundreds of calls and emails regarding the parade. Rest assured your questions will be answered as quickly as possible. It may be to your benefit to use social media, including liking our Facebook/ Instagram page and joining our Parade Event on Facebook, as your question may already be answered there or you may get a quicker response there, rather than calling into our one phone line. Please expect 3 business days in response to your inquiries.

This is a time of celebration, and we want everyone involved to have a good time.

Funds raised from the parade help to support the Hattiesburg Jaycees projects and programming throughout the year. The Hattiesburg Jaycees are a national award-winning part of JCI USA. JCI (Junior Chamber International), JCI USA, JCI MS is a 501(c) 4 aimed at empowering young people to create positive change within their communities and beyond. JCI members around the globe are striving today to become tomorrow's leaders. The Hattiesburg Jaycees active membership is open to those 18 to 40. Our mission is to grow the JCI movement one community at a time. JCI focuses on building leaders through four areas of opportunity: Service to community, Individual Development, Management & Business, and International Opportunity. JCI membership is diverse and open to those in all walks of life. Take the opportunity today. To learn more visit jcims.weebly.com or to join us, https://app.glueup.com/org/hattiesburgjaycees/memberships/