Benton's Christmas Season Opens on Three Straight Days, and Each One Has a Different Host

Check-in for the Run Run Rudolph 5K opens at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Riverside Park on Citizens Drive. About 59 hours later, at 6 p.m. Monday, the Saline County Christmas Parade leaves Market Street by CW Lewis Stadium. Between those two times, Benton opens its Christmas season three times. Benton Parks & Recreation runs Saturday. The City of Benton has Sunday evening. Saline County lights its courthouse Monday night, at the same time as the parade.

Each day has its own host, its own location and its own time of day. As the weekend goes on, the events move from the park off Citizens Drive into the blocks around the courthouse. That changes how you plan. If you only go to Monday's parade, you miss the first two openings. If you go Saturday morning, you're at a different park, run by a different organization, than you'll be on Sunday night.

Saturday belongs to the park, and it starts before sunrise

Saturday is the Parks & Recreation morning. MySaline reports that Run Run Rudolph is organized by Benton Parks & Recreation and the Saline County Striders and presented by Everett Chevrolet. The 5K starts at 7:30 a.m., and a Fun Run for kids 12 and under follows at 8:30. The city's event listing puts it at Riverside Park, 1800 Citizens Drive.

By publish day, early registration has closed, and so has the guaranteed race shirt that came with it. Standard 5K registration runs through Dec. 4 at $35 for River Center members and $45 for everyone else. On race day it's $40 and $50. The kids' Fun Run is $10.

The toy drive can save you the entry fee. Runners can register for the 5K free by donating a new, unopened toy to the Boys & Girls Club of Saline County. To qualify, you have to register in person at the River Center by Monday, Nov. 30, and drop the toy off there. Church House Coffee Company will serve hot drinks on site for runners and spectators.

As the race winds down, the same address becomes a market. Santa in the Park & Mistletoe Market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1800 Citizens Dr. A family can run the 5K, change, and still have most of the market's five hours left to shop and see Santa without moving the car. Both events appear on the Benton Parks and Recreation calendar for Dec. 5.

The Bryant side of the county is busy that Saturday too. MySaline's holiday list includes Cocoa with Santa at SugarDumplin's Cupcakes, 5407 Hwy 5 Suite 12 in Bryant, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Little Rock's holiday parade on Broadway and W. Markham starts at 3 p.m. the same day. You can get through the Benton morning and still make either one.

Sunday moves the season to North Main Street

On Sunday evening, the city takes over at another park. The City of Benton's Small Town Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. at Owens-Mooney Park on N. Main St., presented by Ascend Technologies.

The city's event page describes the tree lighting as the start of a downtown season with millions of lights, horse-drawn carriage rides, an outdoor ice rink, pictures with Santa at the gazebo, hot chocolate, and the boutiques, shops and restaurants downtown. Last year, according to MySaline's 2025 rink coverage, the rink at the Downtown Benton Farmers Market opened after the tree lighting at Owens-Mooney Park. Benton Parks and Recreation ran it, and Everett Buick GMC sponsored free general admission.

This year, the city calendar lists Ice Skate Rink sessions at the Farmers Market, 125 W. Ashley Street, at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7, and Thursday, Dec. 10. Last season, open skating came in 45-minute sessions on weeknight evenings and ran longer on weekends. Private group rentals were $150 for up to 48 skaters. Those are 2025 terms. Check the city's listings for this year's rink before you go.

Monday's parade shares its start time with the courthouse lighting

Monday is the county's night, and it's the most crowded of the three. The 2026 Saline County Christmas Parade starts at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7. MySaline's parade announcement says it coincides with the lighting of the Saline County Courthouse Christmas display. The same report says Saline County's Santa makes his first appearance of the season that night, both in the parade and at the Courthouse Gazebo.

The parade has landed on a Monday before. The 2025 parade was Monday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m., at the same time as the courthouse lighting. The 2023 parade was Monday, Dec. 4, also at 6 p.m. On a weeknight, you're working with traffic leaving work and the 5:45 barricades, so the route map matters more than it would on a Saturday.

This year's theme is "A Fairytale Christmas." Here's the route, in order:

1. Starts at S. Market Street and Smith Street, by CW Lewis Stadium.
2. Right on North Street.
3. Right on Main Street.
4. Ends at Ashley Street.

Streets will be barricaded by 5:45 p.m., so plan to have your car either inside the route or clear of it by then. The route ends on Ashley Street, the same street as the Farmers Market at 125 W. Ashley, where the city calendar lists a 5 p.m. rink session that evening.

You can also enter the parade instead of watching it. Groups, local businesses, dance crews, sports teams, marching bands, decorated vehicles and individual walkers are all invited. Registration forms are due Nov. 30, the same day as the toy-drive registration deadline for Run Run Rudolph. Paper forms are available at Benton City Hall, 410 River St., and at the Benton Area Chamber of Commerce, 607 N. Market St. The top three entries win cash prizes: $300 from Retro Rose Records, $200 from Mayor Tom Farmer and $100 from the Saline County Economic Development Corp. Questions go to Matt Thibault at the City of Benton.

After the opening weekend, the courthouse lawn carries the season

Once the parade has passed, most of December happens on the courthouse square. MySaline's 2025 Christmas on the Square coverage says the county decorates the courthouse and lawn every year and brings Santa to the courthouse for five nights in December. Last year, after the Dec. 1 lighting, those nights were a Special Needs Night on Dec. 11, a Character Night on Dec. 12, and gazebo visits on Dec. 18 and 19. Story Time with Mrs. Claus at 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. was new in 2025, presented by Everett Chevrolet and the Saline County Library. Those are last year's dates. This year's square calendar comes from the county.

The rest of December's listings stay close to home:

• Dec. 1: Midtowne Kids performs "A Simple Christmas Play" at 6 p.m. at 4037 Boone Rd. Admission is free.
• Dec. 18: Inclusive Skate Night, 6–7:45 p.m., on the Parks & Recreation calendar.
• Dec. 18–19: Midtowne Church's drive-thru Nativity with live animals and actors, 6–8 p.m., at 4037 Boone Rd.
• Dec. 19: A Christmas Movie Night showing Home Alone, 6–8 p.m., on the Parks & Recreation calendar.
• Dec. 31: MySaline's holiday list includes a New Year's Eve party at ACDI downtown. Last year ACDI and the City of Benton held a free Ball Drop starting at 7:30 p.m. at ACDI's headquarters, 403 North Main Street, benefiting Bright Futures Benton.

One more downtown morning comes first

Before the Christmas weekend comes Saturday, Nov. 21. The Saline County Striders' 3rd Annual Turkey Trot 5K starts at 8 a.m. that day at Market Street and Sevier Street downtown. Two weeks later, the same running club helps put on Run Run Rudolph at Riverside Park. The 2026 season starts with the Striders at Market and Sevier on Nov. 21, and the parade comes down Market Street on Dec. 7. Mark Nov. 30 on your calendar between the two: it's the deadline for both parade entries and free toy-drive registration at the River Center.

Krystina will have her camera at Owens-Mooney Park and along the parade route this December, because downtown Benton under millions of lights is a scene we love to photograph. If you're thinking about how your own home would look in that light, or want to talk through what the season means for timing a sale or purchase in Benton, Lindsey & Krystina Realtors are happy to schedule a free consultation or put together your free home valuation.