The Winters Tractor Parade: What You Need to Know
There are bike parades, boat parades, and golf cart parades, but in Winters, it’s all about the Holiday Tractor Parade.
Winters is proud of its agricultural heritage, and that pride comes out in full force each December, when locals give their tractors a glow-up and they chug along Main Street festooned in colorful lights and holiday bling.
This year, the Winters Holiday Tractor Parade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2 beginning at 6 p.m. The parade is part of a larger two-day event that includes a tree lighting ceremony, holiday marketplace, food trucks, a family festival and much more!
The celebration kicks off Friday, Dec. 1 at Rotary Park with a holiday marketplace featuring vendors selling handmade gifts. Food vendors and food trucks will also be on hand, dishing out everything from hot dogs and donuts to lobster rolls and licorice. There will also be activities for the kids, including bounce houses, plus a hot cocoa crawl and elf hunt from 4–7 p.m.
At 5 p.m., the Winters Middle School and Winters High School bands will perform holiday music at the gazebo. The tree lighting ceremony will begin at 6, followed by a meet and greet with the jolly old elf himself, Santa Claus.
The festivities continue the following day, Saturday, Dec. 2 with a family holiday festival sponsored by Winters Friends of the Library. Held from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the community center, there will be music, crafts, and photos with Santa. There will also be quality used books for sale for both adults and children.
Meantime, the holiday marketplace will continue from noon– 9 p.m. At 6PM, the Tractor Parade will begin, with the dazzling brigade of tractors making their way through downtown Winters. Afterwards, you and your little ones can meet Santa and his friends at the gazebo.
Having begun in 2015, the Holiday Tractor Parade is a Winters tradition, with an estimated 30 decked-out tractors and thousands of people joining in the fun. The event is held rain or shine, so come prepared!
Being that it’s a two-day event, you may want to consider staying overnight. There are several lodging options in Winters to choose from so you can rest up before continuing the festivities the next day. You can also make a weekend of it and enjoy the many great restaurants in Winters as well as wineries and tasting rooms.