Where does Short Pump hold its Christmas parade? It doesn't have one of its own. The closest thing is a Henrico County convoy that passes through on a Tuesday evening in December, and the tree lightings are spread over three weekends, each run by a different host.
That's the real shape of the holiday season around West Broad Village. Four separate tree lightings, a county parade of lit-up trucks, and two Santa events for dogs fall between mid-November and mid-December. Knowing which host runs which night makes it much easier to plan, because each event has its own crowd, start time and setting.
The parade belongs to the county
As Short Pump Now puts it, Short Pump has no town Christmas parade. Its holiday parade is Henrico County's Holiday Express.
The county's event listing describes a parade of "merry and bright" vehicles from Recreation and Parks, Police, Fire, Public Utilities and the libraries bringing Santa Claus "right down Santa Claus Lane." The Three Chopt and Tuckahoe tour, which covers Short Pump, runs Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. It ends at Deep Run Recreation Center, 9910 Ridgefield Parkway, where families can meet Santa.
The other two tours run the same hours: Wednesday, Dec. 9 in the Varina District and Thursday, Dec. 10 in the Brookland and Fairfield districts. The county hasn't posted a street-by-street route on its listing. To find out whether the convoy passes your street, email [email protected] or call Henrico Recreation and Parks at 804-501-7275.
Since the parade comes to the neighborhoods and Santa waits at a rec center, the tree lightings do the job a downtown parade does elsewhere. Each one marks the season for a different corner of western Henrico.
The lights come on in stages
Here's the order, starting the day after this post goes up:
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 13, 6 p.m. | Grand Illumination | Short Pump Town Center, Main Plaza | Not listed |
| Fri., Nov. 27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., lighting that evening | Grand Kick-Off Celebration | The Virginia Cliffe Inn, 2900 Mountain Road | Free entry |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 4 to 8 p.m. | Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration | West Broad Village, 2250 Old Brick Road | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 4:30 to 7 p.m. | 28th annual tree lighting | Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Road | Free |
| Tue., Dec. 8, 5 to 8 p.m. | Henrico Holiday Express | Ends at Deep Run Recreation Center | No charge listed |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Santa Paws 2026 | Short Pump Park, 3329 Pump Road | Free photos |
Short Pump Town Center goes first
The Short Pump Town Center events page lists the Grand Illumination for Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. in the Main Plaza, with live music, a visit from Santa and the lighting of the center's Christmas tree. Last year's was also on a Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, at the same hour. The center's number is 804-364-9500 if you'd like to confirm before heading over.
The same night also opens the mall's long Santa season. The center lists Photos with Santa in the Clubhouse every day from Friday, Nov. 13 through Thursday, Dec. 24. Pet Night with Santa runs Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m., Nov. 23 through Dec. 15. Both are booked through the center's events page, which doesn't list prices, so check there before you go.
The Town Center's lighting comes two weeks before Thanksgiving. If you're closer to Old Brick Road, you'll get a second lighting in your own neighborhood without that early-November crowd.
Thanksgiving weekend has two lightings on back-to-back days
The two lightings fall on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, and they're very different events.
Friday, Nov. 27 at The Virginia Cliffe Inn. The inn is trying a new format this year, "A Carriage House Christmas at the Inn." It runs Nov. 27 through Dec. 23 across the Carriage House, the Pavilion and a heated tent, and the grounds are open to the public with no entry fee. The Grand Kick-Off runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday with a market of local artisans and crafters. The inn's page promises its Granny's Spice Tea and Keith Butler's signature Brunswick stew. The day ends with a tree lighting and carols from the Greater Richmond Chorus. The market continues through Sunday, Nov. 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For the rest of the season, the Carriage House rotates its local artisans. The tea parties and Breakfast with Santa need tickets bought ahead of time.
Saturday, Nov. 28 at West Broad Village. The Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at 2250 Old Brick Road. The village lists a visit from Santa, hot chocolate, music, photo spots and the lighting of its tree, and the event is free. It's the only tree lighting in this run that happens within walking distance of homes on and around Old Brick Road. The four-hour window also gives you room to fit dinner in before or after.
You can do both in one weekend. The inn's market is a daytime event that ends with its lighting on Friday, while the village's evening starts at 4 p.m. Saturday. If you have family in town for Thanksgiving, that's two outings, and both are free to attend.
Glen Allen lights the last tree on Dec. 5
The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen holds its 28th annual tree lighting on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 2880 Mountain Road. It's free. The center's Festival of Trees exhibit opens from 5 to 7 p.m. the same evening. The drive is about eight miles east of Short Pump, close to the Virginia Cliffe Inn on Mountain Road. If you missed the inn's opening weekend, you can stop by its rotating artisan market on the same trip.
That's four tree lightings, and only one of them is in Short Pump proper. The Town Center's is the only other one on West Broad Street. The rest are up Mountain Road.
The dogs get their own Santa dates
The last event on the county's Short Pump calendar is Santa Paws 2026, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12 at Short Pump Park, 3329 Pump Road. Photos with Santa are free, and county staff take them on your own phone or camera. Vendors and concessions cost extra. Short Pump Now reminds visitors to keep dogs leashed and notes that the park's dog park has its own rules.
If a Saturday morning doesn't fit, the Town Center's Pet Night with Santa offers weeknight evenings instead. It runs Mondays and Tuesdays from Nov. 23 through Dec. 15, 4 to 7 p.m., in the Clubhouse.
The days the county closes
Henrico County offices close Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26 and 27, for Thanksgiving, and Thursday and Friday, Dec. 24 and 25, for Christmas. The Thanksgiving closure covers the same Friday as the Virginia Cliffe Inn's kick-off. If you have an errand at a county office that week, get it done by Wednesday, Nov. 25.
Before you head out to any of these, it's worth taking a quick look at the host's page that week. For the Holiday Express, watch Henrico County's social media in early December for route details.
At Cowan Realty, we like knowing what's going on in the neighborhoods we serve, from Mechanicsville to West Broad Village, because it's part of what makes a place home. If you have questions about the area this season, or you'd like to talk through plans for the new year, Renee would be glad to hear from you. Work with Us.
