Flower Mound's Holidays Come Down to Two Saturdays: What to Register for Now and What You Can Just Show Up To

After a Veterans Day opener in November, most of Flower Mound's public holiday season this year happens on two Saturdays, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12. Most of it also happens at one address, 1200 Gerault Rd., which is home to both Gerault Park and the Community Activity Center. The pattern is the same both days. The early-morning event runs on registration, and the other event that day is free to walk into. If you're planning a family December around the Town calendar, the date you need to watch is the sign-up deadline, and the event date comes second.

Here's how the two Saturdays fit together, starting with the November date before them and ending with a couple of new places to eat.

The registration line runs through the morning

The quickest way to see the season is to sort it by what you have to do ahead of time. Four Town-listed events, one of them hosted by Flower Mound Rotary Charities, land on the two Saturdays. On each day, the event that needs advance action comes first.

Put that way, the two Saturdays mirror each other. If you register for the morning events in November, both afternoons are wide open.

Dec. 5 starts with a race and ends at Gerault Park

The first Saturday covers the most ground, both on the clock and across town.

1. 9 a.m., Bakersfield Park. The Reindeer Run 5K & Grinch Sprint is hosted by Flower Mound Rotary Charities in partnership with the Town, and all proceeds go to the Rotary Club's local and international charity work. Every participant gets a medal and a T-shirt. The Town's listing encourages holiday attire and says coffee, hot chocolate, pancakes and cookies will be served after the run while supplies last. Santa Claus and the Grinch will be there for photos, there are awards in each age group, and the top three male and female finishers overall get cash prizes. Registration is through Flower Mound Rotary, and the listing notes that the price goes up on Nov. 1, so check the current rate before you sign up.
2. Midday, open. Bakersfield Park on Duncan Lane and Gerault Park on Gerault Road are separate stops, so the hours between the race and the parade are yours.
3. Evening, Gerault Park. The Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting Ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m., according to the Town's calendar. A Town notice says the evening includes a lighted parade to Gerault Park, live performances, children's activities, food trucks and a community tent.

This year's theme picks up where summer left off. The Town says it is "keeping the July Fourth celebration going" with "A Star-Spangled Christmas: Celebrating 250 Years of Freedom and Festivity." So expect red, white and blue mixed in with the usual lights on the floats.

The floats come from the community. The Town has been taking lighted-float applications from organizations, businesses and neighborhoods, and it scheduled an informational meeting for potential participants at the Community Activity Center for Oct. 27. If your HOA, team or business has been talking about building a float, the parade page has the application and requirements.

The Town hasn't posted a street-by-street route or a parking plan for 2026 yet. Its posted end time is 9 p.m. The parade page is the place to check for logistics as the date gets closer.

Dec. 12 goes from pancakes to popcorn balls

The second Saturday is smaller and slower, and it's built for younger kids.

It starts back at 1200 Gerault Rd., inside the Community Activity Center this time, with Breakfast with Santa. The Town describes a pancake breakfast with crafts and a chance to write a wish list for Santa, and it reminds families to bring a camera. Registration is required, and the Town offers two time slots:

• 8 to 9 a.m.
• 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

The Town's instructions say "each attendee must register individually." A family of four means four registrations, not one booking for the household. If you're signing up a group of cousins or neighbors, plan around that before the slots fill.

From there, the day moves to the Gibson-Grant Log House at 3615 Grant Court for Old Settlers Christmas, hosted by the Town's Historical Commission from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Town's listing includes demonstrations of butter churning and corn shucking, Christmas caroling, crafting tree decorations, warm cider and classic popcorn balls. No registration is needed.

Old Settlers Christmas starts before the later breakfast slot ends, so families with the 9:30 seating can walk out of the Community Activity Center at 10:30 with most of the Log House window still ahead of them. The Log House also stays decorated through the new year, according to the Town. If Dec. 12 doesn't work, you can still see the decorations at the house over the holidays, though the cider and demonstrations are a one-day event.

The season actually opens a month earlier

Before either Saturday, there's the Town's Veterans Day Ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Flower Mound High School football stadium, 3411 Peters Colony Road. The Town's notice describes a free picnic with hot dogs, cake and lemonade from 1 to 2 p.m., followed by the ceremony at 2 p.m. with a veterans review, remarks from local leaders and patriotic music. The Town calendar lists the whole event as running from 1 to 3 p.m.

This is the third Town event of the season that needs no sign-up, and it fits the same theme as Dec. 5. The Star-Spangled parade carries the nation's 250th anniversary into December, and Nov. 8 is the community's chance to honor veterans before the holiday lights go up.

That makes Nov. 8 a good weekend to handle the December registrations too. The Breakfast with Santa slots are posted, the Rotary registration is open, and both Saturdays are still more than three weeks away.

Where dinner fits on a Dec. 5 or Dec. 12 evening

The parade's food trucks cover dinner at Gerault Park itself. For anyone who would rather sit down before or after the parade, or close out a Dec. 12 morning with a long lunch, two restaurants opened this fall.

The Elephant Lounge, Parker Square. Cross Timbers Gazette reported that local chef Michael Lawson opened this French and Italian restaurant on Sept. 29, 2026, in the Parker Square space where Vieux Carré used to be. According to the Gazette, Lawson came up with the concept while he was at the Culinary Institute of America. The opening announcement mentioned a 5 p.m. start on opening day, so call ahead to confirm current hours before planning a lunch around it.

Den10 Lounge, Shops of Flower Mound. The Town announced on Oct. 24, 2026, that Den10 Lounge is open at 1913 Justin Rd., Suite 101. According to the Town, the restaurant puts bold flavors and signature sauces on familiar favorites. The headliner is its Infus'd chicken, brined for 24 hours and marinated in the house seasoning. More details are at den10lounge.com.

Both are good options for out-of-town guests who come in for the parade weekend.

A few dates still to be posted

The Town calendar isn't the only holiday calendar in Flower Mound, but it's the one with firm 2026 dates right now. As of late October, a few other seasonal traditions don't have 2026 dates yet.

• Shop Local Week. Shop Local Flower Mound is a partnership between the Town's Economic Development office and the Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce. It describes an annual Shop Local Week in the first week of December, which this year puts it right around the parade weekend. The site hasn't posted 2026 dates.
• Lakeside Village. Last year's holiday event, with a 30-foot tree lighting, was on a Wednesday in early December. Lakeside Village's events calendar doesn't list a 2026 date yet.
• The River Walk at Central Park. Its events page says more events are coming soon.

If those land on weeknights, as Lakeside's did in 2025, the two Saturdays stay as they are and the season adds an evening or two in between.

Here's the checklist for this month. Register for the Reindeer Run through Flower Mound Rotary, register each family member for Breakfast with Santa, and if your neighborhood or business wants to be in the lineup on Dec. 5, get the float application in. Everything else on the calendar is free to show up to.

At DFW Moore Homes, Lorraina Moore keeps up with the local calendar, from parade nights at Gerault Park to new tables at Parker Square. If you're hosting family for the holidays and want local recommendations for their visit, or you just want to talk about life in Flower Mound, Let's Connect.