Montgomery's December Sign-Ups Open This Month, and the Parade Has a Hard Cap

Nobody is thinking about Christmas right now. That is exactly why this is worth reading in August, because the City of Montgomery has already posted its December registration windows and one of them can close before the deadline printed next to it.

The Lone Star Christmas Parade runs Saturday, December 12. The city has capped the 2026 parade at 100 approved entries, taken on a first-come, first-approved basis. Registration closes as soon as 100 approved entries are in, even if that happens before the October 31 deadline. Early registration runs July 31 through September 30 and costs $25. After that it is $50 from October 1 through October 31, or until the cap is reached. A new parade route and a set of FAQs are coming later. Entries go through the city's form at pci.jotform.com/form/261416311400137.

So the $25 window and the certainty of a spot are the same window. Waiting until October costs twice as much and carries a real chance the parade is already full.

Light Up Montgomery, the residential and commercial decorating contest, opens registration on August 31 and closes October 31. You have to register to be judged. Judging happens Monday, November 30 through Wednesday, December 2, and winners are recognized on December 5 at Light Up the Park. The city says its registration link is coming soon, so that one is a calendar note rather than something you can do today.

Christmas in Historic Montgomery is the third. Vendors register through the Montgomery Historical Society, at mhs-tx.org/christmasinhistoricmontgomery.

Montgomery is a small town that puts on a genuinely large December, and a lot of what fills it is a neighbor deciding in August to enter something. If you are on the fence about the parade, the cap is the part to pay attention to.