When does the Murphy Christmas Market close on Saturday, December 5? The Town of Murphy's market listing says "10 AM till Parade comes through," and then it adds "6-7:30pm depending on location." Shopping on a given block stops when the floats, trucks and tractors get there.
That one detail explains how the whole weekend fits together. The town is calling it Murphy Mountain Christmas, and it covers two long days downtown, from 1 p.m. Friday to the end of the parade Saturday night, with a break overnight. Friday builds toward the tree lighting. Saturday builds toward the parade, and the parade route also sets the market's hours.
Saturday's clock is set by the parade route
The Murphy Christmas Parade steps off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, 2026. The town lists the start at Valley Village Shopping Center and the finish at Murphy First Baptist Church, across from McDonald's. Between those two points, the Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority's holiday guide lays out the route street by street:
- Starts at Valley Village Shopping Center
- Follows Andrews Road
- Continues onto Valley River Avenue
- Passes through downtown
- Goes down Hiwassee Street past the historic L&N Depot
- Ends at Murphy First Baptist Church
Now set that next to the market. The town says shops, sidewalks, Town Square and the L&N Depot will all be "transformed into Murphy Christmas Market," with craft and gift vendors downtown and at the depot, plus hot chocolate, craft activities for kids and decorated storefronts. The depot is a market venue and also sits on the last stretch of the parade route. A vendor table there stays busy until close to the end of the parade, which comes after the parade has already moved through downtown.
That's why the town gives a window and not a single time. Blocks near the start of the route see the parade first. The depot and Hiwassee Street see it last. The tourism authority describes the market as running "all the way through parade time, so there's no rushing." In practice, the closer your spot is to the church end of the route, the longer you can keep shopping before the parade arrives.
Santa comes at the very end. The town's parade page says to "watch for Santa at the end" and notes "safe places to watch along the whole route."
Friday afternoon gets downtown open first
Saturday's market works because Friday has already filled downtown. On Friday, December 4, the regular First Friday Art Walk becomes what the town's Art Walk listing calls "an extended Holiday Shopping Experience," running 1 to 8 p.m. A normal Art Walk evening starts at 5. The Valley River Arts Guild produces the Art Walk. Its page lists the season as May through December, 5 to 8 p.m., rain or shine, with "November and December extended hours for Craft Extravaganza: 1 PM - 8 PM for extra holiday shopping!"
The town's December listing promises music at the Downtown Stage, arts and crafts on the sidewalks, performances, art demonstrations and activities for kids. It also says downtown merchants stay open until 8 p.m. on Art Walk evenings. To find participating businesses, watch for the yellow flags out front. The Guild is based at the Murphy Art Center, 12 Peachtree St.
The tree lighting fits inside that Friday afternoon. The town lists the event as 6 to 7 p.m. at the downtown Christmas tree, with the tree lit at 6:30, "in conjunction with the December Murphy Art Walk." There's no admission charge. So the tree goes up about an hour and a half before the Art Walk ends. If you come for the lighting, the shops are still open for another hour and a half.
The town's Christmas Market page links artwork titled "2-Day Christmas Art Walk." That fits how the weekend is laid out. The Art Walk closes at 8 p.m. Friday, and the market opens at 10 a.m. Saturday on the same sidewalks.
The weekend at a glance
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4, 1 p.m. | Holiday Art Walk opens, merchants open late | Sidewalks throughout downtown |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 6 p.m. | Tree lighting event begins | Downtown Murphy at the Christmas tree |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m. | Tree is lit | Downtown Christmas tree |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 8 p.m. | Art Walk and late shop hours end | Downtown |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m. | Murphy Christmas Market opens | Shops, sidewalks, Town Square, L&N Depot |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 6 p.m. | Parade leaves Valley Village Shopping Center | Andrews Road to Valley River Avenue |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 6 to 7:30 p.m. | Market wraps up block by block as the parade passes | Downtown to Hiwassee Street |
| Sat., Dec. 5, end of parade | Santa arrives at the end of the parade | Murphy First Baptist Church |
Eating between Friday and Saturday
Downtown restaurants are part of the plan too. The town's Art Walk listing asks visitors to "dine in our restaurants and cafes." One newer option is Kobe Grill at 9 Central St. The town's directory says it serves lunch and dinner. The Chattanooga Times Free Press wrote about it as a new opening in July 2025, in a story about new restaurants in Murphy.
Hours matter on Saturday. The town directory lists Wagner Worx Co-Working Bar at 104 Tennessee St. with Saturday hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., so on parade day it closes at about the time the parade starts. Its weekday hours of 1 to 8 p.m. line up exactly with Friday's Art Walk.
The Saturdays before and after
The December weekend sits between two Second Saturday: Shop & Sip afternoons, and the first one is this Saturday. Main Street Murphy and the downtown retailers hold Shop & Sip on November 14 and December 12, 2026, both from 2 to 5 p.m., with refreshments, treats, special sales and raffles. The town's page for the series groups participating retailers by street:
- Peachtree Street: Gray Matters Boutique, Indigo Mountain Traders with its Hat Bar Bar mocktail bar, Marketplace Antiques, FairyCross Bottle Shop, and the Murphy Art Center with wine and refreshments
- Tennessee Street: House of Esther and S+S Linked, Serenity Mountain Gift Shop & Boutique, Peaceful Trails, Enchanted Butterfly, The Little Shop, Glitz & Glamour, Narrative Bookstore with its Dirty Soda Bar, Burning Acres, and All American Estate Clearing & Antiques
- Valley River Avenue: Linen & Pearl, Simply Sweet Baby Boutique, Open Studios at the Cherokee County Arts Council, Black & White Market, and Blue Moon Elise
Those three streets are the same blocks the parade crosses on December 5. That makes November 14 a good chance to see what's on the shelves before the market crowds arrive. December 12 is a quieter afternoon on the same streets once the parade weekend is over.
The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce's event calendar also lists a Holiday Art Market on Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On that schedule, the art market ends an hour after Shop & Sip begins, so you can do both the same day.
Down the road in Andrews, the tourism authority's calendar lists Grinch Night on December 18, with photos with the Grinch, and the Andrews Christmas Parade on December 19. That gives families a second parade two weeks after Murphy's.
Getting into the parade
Community members and organizations can enter the parade for free. The town is taking entries through Saturday, November 28, 2026, on its 2026 parade registration form. That's a little over two weeks from today, and the Saturday after Thanksgiving is the last day. Any float, truck or tractor that registers will travel the full route, past the market vendors along Valley River Avenue and the depot on Hiwassee Street.
We'll see you somewhere along Valley River Avenue on December 5. If you're thinking about your own Murphy property this season, whether it's a family place downtown or acreage outside town, Randy Dockery and our team are glad to sit down and talk over a free home valuation and local market advice, before or after the parade.
