December in Franklin, Kentucky is a magical time for our historic downtown district. Franklin boasts thousands of lights and Christmas decorations in every direction you look. The lights that were added to our courthouse in 2024 draw a lot of attention. What was already a magical little town is even more spectacular with this addition. This year’s annual Small Town Christmas celebration is on Saturday, December 6th on the historic downtown square.
Lots of events are scheduled to take place including the Kiwanis Club of Franklin’s Annual Christmas Parade. The theme this year is “A Storybook Christmas on Main Street” and we can’t wait to see all the entries for this. Storytime with Athena and The Grinch was a new event last year and is back this year by popular demand. We will have two sessions this year and reservations will be required. More information on that can be found on our website.
What is a Christmas celebration without the Polar Express? Our train rides are free, fun and something kids look forward to each year. Santa Claus will be in Franklin at the North Pole Pavilion so bring those letters with you to the Meet and Greet. Along with all the other excitement, some of your favorite Christmas characters will be walking around and available to meet, fire pits will be roaring to warm you up and make s’mores, and we can’t forget the live music that will be playing all afternoon!
What else can you possibly ask for? All the activities for the day are FREE. Food vendors will be set up with all kinds of food options, but if you need to warm up, you can visit one of our local downtown restaurants or coffee shop. The downtown merchants will be open that day so pop in and take care of a little Christmas shopping while you’re in town.
“Small Town Christmas is such a fun time and one of my favorite events to host. Franklin will truly be a magical experience and place to visit all through December. Franklin has a lot to offer all the time but especially around Christmas,” said Kim Roberts, Executive Director of Franklin-Simpson Renaissance.
For the time of all the activities or to make reservations required for Storytime with The Grinch, visit franklinsimpsonrenaissance.com or follow our Facebook page. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 270-586-8482 or by email at kim.fsrenaissance@yahoo.com.
-submitted by Kim Roberts, Executive Director
Franklin-Simpson Renaissance