Opelika's two biggest holiday events set opposite rules for cars. On Friday, Dec. 4, downtown closes to traffic by early afternoon for the SNOPELIKA parade and tree lighting. Starting five days later, on Dec. 9, the Victorian Front Porch Christmas Tour in the Northside Historic District is a drive-by event on four of its five nights. The only time those porches are open to walkers is Saturday, Dec. 12, from 6 to 9 p.m.
On Dec. 4, park at the edge of downtown or take the shuttle. On Dec. 12, walk. The rest of the holiday calendar fits around those two nights, eight days apart.
December 4: Downtown Closes Hours Before the Parade
The Opelika Chamber of Commerce puts SNOPELIKA at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, 2026. The time to plan around is earlier than that. Downtown streets close at 2 p.m. while parade floats line up, and they don't reopen until 8:30 p.m. If you work downtown or have errands near Courthouse Square that Friday, finish them by early afternoon.
The Chamber lists these parking options, roughly from closest to farthest:
- Opelika Chamber lot, 200 S 6th St. Open to everyone attending. Park in marked spaces only, because parking on the grass isn't allowed.
- Opelika City Hall and The Surcie House lot, 204 S 7th St. This lot, next to the Chamber's former home, stays open for public parking during the event.
- North side of the railroad tracks. All public street parking on N Railroad Ave, 1st Ave and N 8th St north of the tracks is open to attendees.
- Handicap-accessible parking is in the back lot of the Lee County Courthouse, entered from S 10th St, and is reserved for vehicles with valid permits.
- Park and ride from Southern Union. Free shuttles run every 15 to 20 minutes from 4 to 9 p.m. They leave from Parking Lot D on the Southern Union State Community College campus and drop off near City Hall at S 7th Street and Avenue A. To get to Lot D, turn right onto Lake Condy Road at Opelika High School, then right onto S. Union Drive at the Southern Union sign.
The shuttle works best if you live south of downtown or don't want to circle for a spot after 4 p.m. It also takes care of the trip home. Shuttles run until 9 p.m., and the streets reopen at 8:30, so cars and shuttles start moving around the same time.
What the Crowd Comes Downtown For
The closure lasts all afternoon because the parade is large. The Chamber says last year's night parade had more than 90 entries, from marching bands to floats. This year's theme is "Christmas Movies," with entries built around holiday films old and new. Space is limited, and the Chamber says handcrafted floats get priority.
If your family, church, team or business wants a spot, the deadline is close. Applications run Sept. 1 through Oct. 16, 2026, and acceptance notices go out Nov. 4. There's a $75 participation fee, but it's due only if you're accepted. The Chamber points groups that want a guaranteed spot to its SNOPELIKA sponsorship program.
After the parade, the event moves to Courthouse Square. Artificial snow falls over the square, kids can play in it, families can take photos with Santa, and food trucks and local vendors set up. The Chamber's program also lists snowball fights with the Opelika Police Department.
The center of the evening is a 72-foot Christmas tree, which the Chamber calls the second tallest in Alabama. The Observer's community calendar for the week of Oct. 5, 2026 lists SNOPELIKA from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The parade starts at 5:30, downtown activities follow, and the tree-lighting ceremony is at 7:30 p.m. That leaves about an hour and a half of snow and vendors after the tree is lit. SNOPELIKA happens rain or shine, so a bad forecast won't cancel it. Plan the evening that way.
Five Days Later, the Cars Come Back
The Victorian Front Porch Christmas Tour runs Dec. 9 through 13, 2026, according to Auburn-Opelika Tourism's event listing. About 60 Victorian and historic homes on North 8th and 9th Streets decorate their porches with life-size Santas, angels, toys, carousel horses and other Christmas figures. The tour started in 1993 with only a few homes. The listing notes it has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Living.
Unlike SNOPELIKA, the tour is built around driving. The listing calls it a self-directed driving tour, and the schedule shows that's true on all but one night.
| Date | Day | Format | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 9 | Wednesday | Driving tour | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Dec. 10 | Thursday | Driving tour | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Dec. 11 | Friday | Driving tour | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Dec. 12 | Saturday | Walking tour, streets closed to non-foot traffic | 6 to 9 p.m. |
| Dec. 13 | Sunday | Driving tour | 5 to 9 p.m. |
The One Night on Foot
On Saturday, Dec. 12, the streets close to everything except people on foot for three hours. The listing describes candlelit porches, costumed carolers and holiday music along the streets. That's the only night you can stop at a porch for as long as you like without holding up traffic.
The walking night also starts an hour later than the driving nights. If you're coming from a weeknight drive-by habit, you'll want to adjust. The four driving nights open at 5 p.m., and the walk starts at 6.
Compared with last year, the schedule moved back one day on the calendar. The City of Opelika's 2025 listing ran the tour Dec. 10 through 14, with the walking tour on Saturday, Dec. 13, and the time still to be announced. The 2026 listing sets the walk for 6 to 9 p.m. ahead of time. The 2025 city listing also mentioned a bike tour. The 2026 listing doesn't, but it doesn't say the bike tour was dropped either. Check with the organizers at [email protected] before you plan around one.
North 8th Street Does Different Jobs a Week Apart
The two events share one street, and that ties the season together. On Dec. 4, the Chamber lists street parking on N 8th St north of the railroad tracks as SNOPELIKA overflow. From Dec. 9 through 13, North 8th is one of the two streets lined with decorated porches, and on Dec. 12 it's closed to everything but foot traffic.
If you live in the Northside or near it, that means two busy stretches in about a week. Parade night brings parked cars to the streets north of the tracks. Tour week brings a slow line of cars past the porches Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday evenings, and Saturday's street closure replaces the cars with people on foot.
For everyone else, it's handy for planning. If you park on N 8th for SNOPELIKA, you'll get an early look at the street before its porches are fully lit for the tour.
The Quieter Dates Around Both Nights
A few smaller events fill in the weeks before and after.
The Opelika Public Library is holding a Kids Craft Fair: Holiday Market on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Lewis Cooper Jr. Auditorium. It's open to all ages, and registration is required, according to the library's event calendar.
SNOPELIKA depends on volunteers. Volunteers have to attend an information session on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the Opelika Chamber, and they get their assignments by email by Dec. 3. The Chamber says each volunteer gets a food and drink voucher for the event and is entered to win a $500 grand prize.
Several downtown traditions haven't posted 2026 dates yet. The City of Opelika's 2025 holiday roundup listed these events for last season:
- Opelika Holiday Open House, Nov. 9, 2025, noon to 5 p.m., from Opelika Main Street
- Small Business Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, during normal business hours, with Opelika Main Street and the Chamber
- Christmas in a Railroad Town, Dec. 12, 2025, 6 to 9 p.m., in Historic Downtown Opelika, presented by Opelika Main Street
These are 2025 dates. They show roughly where the events tend to fall, but they aren't confirmed for 2026. Last year, Christmas in a Railroad Town fell the night before the porch walk. If it lands near Dec. 12 again, downtown and the Northside could both be busy on the same weekend. The city's "Opelika's Very Merry Christmas" page is labeled for 2026 but hadn't published its full lineup at the time of writing. Watch it and Opelika Main Street's calendar as December gets closer.
Mark Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 12, on your calendar first. On the 4th, leave the car at the edge of downtown or at Southern Union's Lot D. On the 12th, leave it at home and walk North 8th and 9th Streets.
If you're hosting family in Opelika this December or thinking about how close to downtown you'd like to live, these two nights show a lot about how different parts of town work. If you'd like to talk through any of it, Carter Pair is happy to help. Contact Carter.
