"We are having to change the parade route for the next couple of years while that project is pending and under construction," then-Downtown Manager Alicia Hartley told the Houston Home Journal in December 2025. She was explaining why the Perry Christmas Parade would leave General Courtney Hodges Boulevard and move onto Washington Street and Main Street.
The City published the new route on November 20, 2025. On December 5, the day before the parade, rain in the forecast got it canceled.
That makes Saturday, December 5, 2026, the first time Perry will actually see a Christmas parade on its construction-era route. The theme is carried over from last year, and the bridge work behind the detour is scheduled to run into 2028. The parade along Washington and Main that most residents have never seen will probably be Perry's December routine for several more years.
The Bridge That Moved the Parade
The construction is GDOT Project 0015553, listed as "SR 7/SR 127/US 41 @ Big Indian Creek in Perry." It's a bridge replacement on the stretch of US 41 that Perry knows as General Courtney Hodges Boulevard. According to the GDOT project dashboard, the notice to proceed was issued September 22, 2025, the contractor is Southeastern Site Development, Inc., and the current completion date is March 31, 2028.
The finished bridge will carry five 12-foot lanes: two in each direction plus a center turn lane. It will also have 4-foot bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides, over a project length of 0.284 miles.
The work has already changed how downtown traffic moves. A City of Perry notice scheduled a traffic shift on General Courtney Hodges Boulevard for February 16, 2026, and that detour was later postponed. The City then set a traffic shift and lane closure to begin Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Under that plan, the boulevard's intersection with W.F. Ragin Drive would close and detour traffic would use SR 7, which is Ball Street. The City's graduation-week advisory in May 2026 listed both W.F. Ragin Drive and Main Street as closed where they meet General Courtney Hodges Boulevard. It also suggested drivers use I-75 Exits 134 and 135 when possible.
The old parade needed that corridor. In 2024 the parade started on General Courtney Hodges Boulevard and went up Carroll Street, according to the City's 2024 parade announcement. A bridge under construction until 2028 can't host a December parade, so the parade moved.
A Route Drawn in 2025, Still Waiting for Its First Float
In November 2025, the City published a temporary route:
- Start at New Hope Baptist Church, 1300 Washington Street.
- Proceed down Washington Street.
- Turn left onto Main Street.
- Finish at the Perry VA Clinic, 1309 Main Street.
On Friday, December 5, 2025, at 11 a.m., the City canceled the next morning's parade because of a heavy rain forecast. No float ever traveled the route.
The plan held over to 2026. At an August 31, 2026 council meeting, economic development staff described a temporary alternate route for the period of bridge work. It would begin at New Hope Baptist Church, go down Washington to Main, and end at the VA Center, according to a Citizen Portal summary of that meeting. The parade route "HAS changed due to GDOT road work progress along Gen. Courtney Hodges Blvd.," according to the City's 2026 registration form. Before you pick a curb, check perry-ga.gov for parade-day street details.
The theme carried over as well. The registration form says the City kept "Christmas at the Movies" because last year's parade was canceled, with "Santa himself as the star of the show." Both the City calendar and Visit Perry list the start time as 10 a.m. Saturday, December 5, and Perry Main Street is hosting.
What the Parade Rules Mean From the Curb
Entry rules usually matter only to the groups building floats. Several of this year's rules affect what spectators will see on Washington and Main:
- No candy. The form says candy can't be handed out, for the safety of entries and spectators.
- No stopping. No spot on the route is set aside for dance or jump rope routines. Every entry has to keep moving forward.
- One Santa. The parade will have exactly one Santa Claus, and the City of Perry handles him.
- Toys for entry. Each organization pays its entry fee with one new toy, which is donated to Toys for Tots.
Families who bring children for the candy should plan around that rule. Everyone else gets a parade that keeps moving. Every entry also has to carry identification signs on both sides, so you can tell which school, church, or business is passing.
Groups that want to march in this year's parade have until Friday, November 13, 2026, to apply. A representative from each organization must attend a Parade Safety Meeting on Wednesday, December 2, at 6 p.m. at Perry City Hall, 808 Carroll Street. Questions go to Downtown Manager Jara Hurt at (478) 294-9039.
The Rest of Downtown's December
The parade is one of several confirmed 2026 dates in Historic Downtown Perry. Here they are in order, from the parade application deadline through mid-December:
| Date | Event | Time and place |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 13 | Parade applications due | Online registration form |
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday & Tree Lighting Ceremony | Shopping 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; tree lighting at 6 p.m. on the City Hall Lawn |
| Wednesday, Dec. 2 | Parade Safety Meeting for entries | 6 p.m., Perry City Hall, 808 Carroll Street |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Perry Christmas Parade, "Christmas at the Movies" | 10 a.m., Historic Downtown Perry |
| Friday, Dec. 11 | Pajama Holiday Bash | 6 to 9 p.m., Historic Downtown Perry |
On Small Business Saturday, downtown shops will offer holiday specials and window displays before the tree lighting closes out the day. The Pajama Holiday Bash is free and comes the Friday after the parade, with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live holiday music, food trucks, and late-night shopping. If your children want more time with Santa than a passing float allows, December 11 is the evening for it.
Before and After 10 a.m. Downtown
A 10 a.m. Saturday start fits the coffee shop's hours. Morning By Morning Coffee at 1012 Main Street lists Tuesday through Saturday hours of 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on its website, so it will be open well before the first float.
For the rest of the day, Visit Perry's January 2026 roundup of downtown sweets lists these Saturday hours:
- Simply Southern Sweets, 1002 Ball Street: Saturday 10 a.m. to noon, so the counter is open only while the parade runs.
- Sweet Evelyn's, 910 Carroll Street: Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Scoopology, 757 Carroll Street: Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., the latest Saturday hours of the three.
For lunch, the City's downtown dining page lists Main Street Social at 740 Main Street and Ghost Runner Pizza at 742 Main Street. It also lists Fuego Fresco Mexican at 1009 Northside Drive, Suite 100, which the City profiled at its opening in November 2025.
For parking, the City keeps a downtown public parking map. Visit Perry's advice for the parade is to find your spot early.
GDOT's March 2028 completion date applies to more than one parade. The Big Indian Creek bridge also shapes how traffic moves around General Courtney Hodges Boulevard, which streets carry detours, and when General Courtney Hodges Boulevard reopens with its new sidewalks and bike lanes. If you're weighing a move within Perry and want to know how that construction timeline affects a particular street, William Walton-Dean can go through the GDOT and City notices with you. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll start with the streets that matter to you.
