At 6:15 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, Souderton will light its Christmas tree in the courtyard at Broad Street and Washington Avenue. That courtyard sits where the town's first tree lighting was held about a century ago. The next morning the Souderton Holiday Parade comes down Main Street, through the low stretch local residents call The Hollow, and turns east on Broad Street.
Souderton Connects chose "A Hometown Christmas Through Time" as the 2026 parade theme. The theme fits the weekend closely. Both events take place in the part of town where Souderton first grew into a downtown. If you know a little of that history, the parade route reads like a short walk through the borough's past, and it also helps you choose where to stand and where to eat afterward.
The weekend at a glance
| Souderton Tree Lighting | Souderton Holiday Parade | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Friday, Dec. 4, 2026 | Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026 |
| Time | 6:15 p.m. | 11 a.m. |
| Where | Univest Town Center Courtyard, Broad St. and Washington Ave. | Starts at the Summit of Main Street, ends at School Lane |
| Presented by | Univest | Harleysville Bank |
| Santa | Greets children and takes photos by the tree | Rides on a fire truck |
Sources: the Souderton Connects tree lighting page and the Souderton Connects parade page.
Friday night, on a hundred-year-old spot
In 2023 the tree lighting was held in the new Univest courtyard. North Penn Now reported that the new courtyard sits on the exact spot of Souderton's first tree lighting, about 100 years earlier. That same year Univest bought a new tree and donated it to Souderton Connects so it could stay part of the tradition for years to come.
So the ceremony has gone back to where it started. In the North Penn Now account of the 2023 event, Santa and Mrs. Claus pulled up on a fire truck, children raced over to see them and then lined up for photos, Downtown Scoop served Christmas-flavored ice cream, and Good Will Canteen poured hot chocolate. Those vendors were from 2023. For 2026, the Souderton Connects page says more vendors are still to be announced, so check back before you go.
The page does say Santa will be there to greet children, and it encourages photos by the lit tree. The courtyard is at Broad and Washington, a short walk from the Broad Street storefronts the parade passes the next morning, so one parking spot can work for both nights out.
Saturday morning, down through The Hollow
The parade route starts at the Summit of Main Street, runs downhill through The Hollow and then turns east on Broad Street to School Lane.
The name comes from the landscape. Souderton Borough's 2023 revitalization plan explains that local residents call the main downtown stretch of Main Street "The Hollow" because it sits in the valley between two hills. The plan also outlines how the town grew. Souderton started as a place where people from the surrounding farms came to sell goods and buy supplies. Industry followed the railroad, and the town later became a retail destination with a major department store. Today the main commercial area runs along Main Street, which is PA-113, with more shops branching onto Broad Street in both directions.
In other words, the parade covers Souderton's core in the order it filled in: Main Street through the valley, then Broad Street. A theme about Christmas "through time" has a lot to work with on that route.
The parade has also been running a long time. The Reporter's December 2009 coverage put it in its 51st year that season and said it was held on the first Saturday of December, the same weekend it falls on in 2026. That year, according to The Reporter, the Indian Valley Boys & Girls Club were the parade marshals, the Indian Valley Junior Women's Club walked the route collecting Pennies for Presents, and church groups and a group from the Indian Valley Arts Foundation sang carols. Back then the route ended at the former Souderton Area High School parking lot at School Lane and Broad Street. The endpoint is still School Lane.
Who's in it, and how to join
Souderton Connects lists local schools, community and faith organizations, businesses, emergency services and community members who take part "just for the fun of it." Participants are encouraged to decorate their vehicles, their floats and themselves however they interpret "A Hometown Christmas Through Time." Anyone who wants to march or ride can sign up through the parade registration page.
If you can't be there in person, Souderton Connects streams the parade live on its Facebook page.
Picking your spot along the route
Each stretch of the route has a different feel, so choose based on how you want to spend the morning.
- The Summit of Main Street. The parade starts here, so you'll see every unit at the beginning, before the line spreads out.
- The Hollow. This is the historic center of downtown and the densest run of storefronts on the route. Several food stops sit within a short walk.
- The turn onto Broad Street. Here the route moves from Main into the Broad Street business blocks, close to the courtyard where Friday's tree stands.
- East Broad toward School Lane. This is the end of the route, near several East Broad Street businesses, if you want to head straight from the curb to lunch.
Where to warm up along the way
The newest restaurant near the route is Nonno Pasta Bar at 424 N. Main St. The Reporter reported that it opened in late November 2025 in the former Caruso Brick Oven Trattoria space, serves pasta-focused Italian food and catering, and held its ribbon cutting on Oct. 22, 2026. Parade weekend falls right around the first anniversary of its opening.
The Souderton Connects business directory lists these spots on or just off the route. Check each business's hours for that weekend before you plan around it.
On Main Street, through The Hollow
- Souderton Family Restaurant, 120 N. Main St.
- New Station Pizza, 126 N. Main St.
- The Burger Shop, 162 N. Main St.
- Exhibit B Gallery, 105 N. Main St., Unit B
- Scooters Bike Shop, 130 N. Main St.
On Broad Street
- Northbound Restaurant, 2 W. Broad St.
- Broad Theater, 24 W. Broad St.
- Broad Street Italian Cuisine & Pizzeria, 30 W. Broad St.
- La Herradura, 38 W. Broad St.
- Olde Indian Valley Inn, 101 E. Broad St.
- The Broad Street Grind, 117 E. Broad St., Suite 1
- Bakers on Broad, 503 E. Broad St.
A block off the route, on W. Chestnut Street
- Downtown Scoop, 11 W. Chestnut St.
- Tilly Mint's Tea Room, 20 W. Chestnut St.
Before the parade, Main Street spots like The Broad Street Grind or Souderton Family Restaurant suit a coffee or an early breakfast, and the Broad Street blocks are close by for lunch once the last float passes. Most of these addresses sit on the same two streets the borough plan describes as Souderton's commercial core, so a morning at the curb also covers most of downtown.
Telford's dates, before and after
Telford, Souderton's next-door neighbor, has two holiday events that fall on either side of the Souderton weekend. Both are listed on the Telford Borough happenings page.
- Telford Holiday Market: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Penn Valley Church, 320 N. 3rd St.
- Telford Tree Lighting: Friday, Dec. 11, 2026, 6 to 8 p.m., at Telford Train Station, Penn Avenue and Main Street.
Taken together, the season runs from the Telford market on Nov. 21, to the Souderton tree and parade on Dec. 4 and 5, to Telford's tree at the train station on Dec. 11.
If you're watching the parade from a Main Street porch this year and starting to think about what's next, whether that means staying close to The Hollow, moving across town or selling a longtime family home, the Luke Miller Team is happy to talk it through over coffee on Broad Street, with no pressure and a clear plan for the steps ahead. Contact Us.
