Miami Township's Holiday Parade, presented by Kroger, steps off tonight at 7 p.m. on Business 28. It's free, it's outdoors and you don't have to register. The route starts at Miami Plaza near Mosaic Church and runs along Business 28 to Meijer. The Clermont Chamber's listing puts the start near Scene 75, and spectators get in free.
Tonight matters more than usual because the other big township holiday gathering works differently in 2026. The Christmas tree lighting is now the last part of a spaghetti dinner that you buy tickets for. For this season, the parade is the township event you can join without a ticket.
Tonight on Business 28
The township's event page tells spectators to bring a lawn chair. The lineup includes high school marching bands, lighted floats, local businesses, the township's Fire, Police, Service and Recreation departments, churches, school groups and civic organizations. Groups pay $25 to enter, and applications go through the Recreation Department at (513) 248-3727.
The route covers the township's busiest restaurant stretch. The township's 2024 dining guide lists these places along it, so you can grab dinner before the parade or something warm after:
- Panera Bread, 1066 State Route 28
- Penn Station, 1083 State Route 28
- O'Charley's, 1088 State Route 28
- Starbucks and Dickey's Barbecue Pit, 1090 State Route 28
- Donatos Pizza, 1097 State Route 28
- Dairy Queen, 5981 Meijer Drive, and Blue Chip Cookies, 5991 Meijer Drive, near where the parade ends
The Meijer Drive stops are at the finish line, on the same street as the Civic Center at 6101 Meijer Drive, where the township's next big holiday night happens.
Three Years, Three Versions of the Tree Lighting
The parade has kept the same basic shape: a Thursday night in November on Business 28. Last year's ran on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. The tree lighting has changed every year.
| Year | Date and time | Venue | Format | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sat., Dec. 7, 2–5 p.m. | Civic Center | Santa arrives by fire truck at 2:30, lights the tree, then photos, dance performances, games, crafts | Free |
| 2025 | Fri., Dec. 5, 6–8 p.m. | Community Park | Santa arrives by fire truck at 6:00 for the countdown, then photos, crafts and refreshments inside the Leming House | Free |
| 2026 | Fri., Dec. 4, 6–9 p.m. | Civic Center | Spaghetti dinner, photos with Santa and Buddy the Elf, Christmas movie, then the outdoor tree lighting | Ticketed |
In 2024 it was a Saturday afternoon. In 2025 it moved to a Friday evening, and the Summer 2025 township newsletter introduced it this way:
"Join us for a magical evening as we kick off a new annual Holiday tradition in Miami Township!"
The 2026 version keeps the Friday evening and drops the Community Park setting. The lighting goes back to the Civic Center, where it was in 2024, and now comes at the end of a sit-down dinner. The Fall 2026 newsletter calls the Spaghetti Dinner with Buddy the Elf "a brand-new event" and says the team hopes it will become a family favorite.
What the Dec. 4 Ticket Covers
The dinner runs Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Miami Township Civic Center. Padrino's, at 111 Main Street in Milford, provides the spaghetti. The evening includes pictures with Santa and Buddy the Elf and a Christmas movie playing the whole time. Then everyone heads outside for the tree lighting, which the township describes as the official start of the holiday season.
Here's what tickets cost on the township's registration site:
- Township residents: $15 per adult, $10 per child
- Non-residents: $18 per adult, $12 per child
For two adults and two kids, that's $50 for a resident household or $60 for a non-resident household. The two previous lightings were listed as free. Dinner registration is required, and both adult and child tickets were marked available on the registration page in early November. Questions about the evening go to the Recreation Department at (513) 248-3727.
So the township's December kickoff now works like a reservation, and that makes tonight's parade the township's walk-up holiday event.
Milford and Loveland Have Their Own Lightings
Neighboring towns hold their lightings within about a week of the township's, so a family could fit in more than one.
Milford's Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony is Friday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m., the day after Thanksgiving. It's at Five Points Landing Park, 527 Lila Avenue, with the CinCity Shakers Dance Troupe and Santa lighting the tree. The City of Milford calendar lists it with Milford Hometown for the Holidays, which runs Nov. 27–28 in the downtown business district. Back in 2021, the city held its lighting at Memorial Park downtown.
Loveland's 6th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival is Saturday, Dec. 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. in historic downtown Loveland, the night after the township dinner. The Loveland-Symmes Chronicle reports that the tree is along the Little Miami Scenic Trail near West Loveland Avenue, and that parts of West Loveland Avenue and nearby streets will close for the festival. The Alex Siegel Memorial Foundation will collect toys during the festival for children spending the holidays at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. The city's festival page has more details.
The Season in Order
- Thursday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m.: Miami Township Holiday Parade presented by Kroger, along Business 28 from Miami Plaza to Meijer. Free.
- Friday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m.: Milford Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Five Points Landing Park, 527 Lila Avenue.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 6–9 p.m.: Spaghetti Dinner with Buddy the Elf and the township tree lighting at the Civic Center, 6101 Meijer Drive. Tickets required for dinner.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 4–8 p.m.: Loveland's 6th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival in historic downtown Loveland.
- Thursday, Dec. 10, 10–11:30 a.m.: Deck the Halls at the Civic Center for ages 3 to 6, with reindeer games, songs, crafts and a holiday treat. $20 for residents, $25 for non-residents.
Deck the Halls is in the Civic Center six days after the tree lighting. Tonight's parade finishes at Meijer, and both of the township's December events are at the Civic Center on Meijer Drive.
If a season of parades and tree lightings has you wondering what your own place on the township map is worth heading into 2027, Close to Home Consultants can give you a clear, local answer. Get Your Home Valuation, and our team will follow up with the Miami Township numbers that apply to your street.
