The Apex Rotary Christmas Parade is 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, on Salem Street; the tree lighting is 4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Parking, GoApex detour.

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Facts come from the Town of Apex tree lighting and Christmas parade pages. This page is updated each year at the same address.

Updated Oct. 25: the town has posted the 2026 parade for 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, on Salem Street, with parking limits and the GoApex detour. The 2026 route, chair rules and closure times are not posted yet.

The Apex Rotary Christmas Parade steps off at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, on Salem Street downtown. The town says it is the only nighttime holiday parade in Wake County. The season starts the night before with the tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 4, on the Town Hall campus.

Who to call

  • Tree lighting: Apex Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, 919-249-3402
  • Christmas parade: the Apex Rotary Club
  • Snowman Stroll and downtown holiday promotions: Bailey Robertson, 919-249-1046
  • Police non-emergency (parade-day parking and chairs): 919-362-8661

Tree Lighting Ceremony: Friday, Dec. 4

4:30 to 7 p.m., Town Hall campus, 73 Hunter St. Free, and run by the town.

According to the town, the 2026 lighting includes:

  • The tree lighting with the Apex Town Council and community members, and Santa and Mrs. Claus
  • A free photo and ornament with Southbound Santa
  • Entertainment from the Poetry Fox, the American Caroler Company and a DJ
  • Craft stations, holiday vendors from local shops and bakeries, and Be Easy Coffee
  • Performances starting at 4:30 p.m. by a middle school group, the Apex High School Dance Team (5:05 p.m.), the Pleasant Plains Elementary Chorus (5:25 p.m.), the Apex Friendship Elementary Chorus (5:50 p.m.), the Academy of the Performing Arts (6:05 p.m.) and the Scotts Ridge Elementary Chorus (6:25 p.m.)

Apex Rotary Christmas Parade: Saturday, Dec. 5

5 p.m., Salem Street, downtown Apex. Free. The parade is organized by the Apex Rotary Club, and proceeds benefit local charities, chiefly Western Wake Crisis Ministry. It runs rain or shine.

What the town’s parade page says for 2026:

  • Restricted parking: parking is unavailable or limited along Salem, Hunter, Center, Chatham and Seaboard streets.
  • The Depot lot is closed to vehicles all day Saturday.
  • Accessible parking: a limited number of spaces behind Apex Fire Station 1 for holders of an accessible parking pass, first come, first served.
  • GoApex Route 1 runs an alternate route from 1 to 10 p.m. so riders can still reach Salem Street.

The town has not yet posted the 2026 route, chair rules or road closure times. We will add them here when it does.

For planning, here is how the 2025 parade, on Saturday, Dec. 6, worked, from the town’s parade page at the time:

  • Start time and route: 5 p.m., from Apex Peakway at Ambergate Station, down Salem Street, ending at Moore Street. The Salem Streetscape project is due to be substantially finished by mid-December 2026, so check the 2026 route when it is posted.
  • Chairs: allowed after 10 p.m. Friday, only inside the marked brick area of the sidewalk on North Salem Street between Chatham and Center streets. Others were moved to the Police Department, 205 Saunders St.
  • Accessible viewing: a marked area at Apex Fire Station 1, plus two sections of first-come bleachers in front of the station. Limited accessible parking behind the station.
  • Road closures: Salem Street from Apex Peakway to Williams Street (NC 55), 1 to about 8 p.m., plus parts of Apex Peakway, Hunter, Center and Chatham streets and West Moore Street.
  • Parking: the Saunders Lot, behind the Tobacco Mule Exchange and across from the Police Department; The Depot lot was closed. GoApex Route 1 ran a detour from 1 to 10 p.m.
  • Can’t make it? WRAL aired the 2025 parade live.
  • The parade runs rain or shine.

More holiday events in Apex

  • Chanukah Festival, 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, at the Apex Senior Center, 63 Hunter St., organized by Chabad of Cary, with games, crafts, food and a menorah lighting on the town campus (details).
  • Drive-in movie: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Friday, Dec. 18, 2026, at Pleasant Park; tickets on Etix.
  • Jazz and Jive Night, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at The Depot, 220 N. Salem St.
  • Holiday Tour of Lights, the town’s map of homes and businesses with light displays. In 2025 it ran nightly Dec. 6-31, 6 to 9 p.m.; the 2026 map has not been posted (seasonal tours).
  • Snowman Stroll on Salem, a downtown passport promotion, Friday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 13; pick up a passport at the tree lighting (details).

Christmas week trash pickup

Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25, is a landfill holiday: Friday pickup moves to Saturday, Dec. 26. Christmas trees go out with yard waste through January, stripped of lights and decorations. See our trash and recycling guide.

Light displays, the Chanukah Festival, holiday shows at The Halle and the Grinch drive-in are on our holiday lights and Christmas events page.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Apex Christmas tree lighting in 2026?

Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on the Town Hall campus, 73 Hunter St. Santa and Mrs. Claus attend, with free photos and ornaments.

When is the Apex Christmas parade?

The 2026 Apex Rotary Christmas Parade is at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, on Salem Street downtown, according to the Town of Apex. It runs rain or shine.

Is the Apex Christmas parade at night?

Yes. The town says it is the only nighttime holiday parade in Wake County.

Where do I put chairs for the Apex Christmas parade?

The 2026 chair rules are not posted yet. In 2025, chairs could go on marked brick sidewalk areas along North Salem Street between Chatham and Center streets after 10 p.m. the Friday before. Chairs outside those areas were moved to the Police Department.