No float in Putnam's Holiday Dazzle Light Parade can be taller than 13 feet, because every one of them has to fit under the train trellis. The height cap sits in the entrant rules on the town's registration page, next to the rule against throwing candy and the rule that nobody shows up dressed as Santa. Those rules go a long way toward describing what Sunday night looks like from the curb.
This is the 25th year of the parade. It closes out a three-day stretch that starts at Rotary Park the day after Thanksgiving and ends at the Putnam Municipal Complex on Sunday night. Each day hands off to the next, and the last one runs on floats built by whoever registers before November 25.
Friday, November 27: Santa Turns On the Lights at Rotary Park
The weekend opens at 4 p.m. on Friday with Santa Lights Up Putnam. Santa arrives at Rotary Park on a big red fire truck to light the Christmas lights and the Big Ornament. WINY broadcasts live and hands out hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. The event is free, and some items are for sale.
The Town of Putnam's Parks and Recreation page credits four partners with bringing Santa and the treats: the Putnam Recreation Department, WINY Radio, Jewett City Savings Bank and the Putnam Fire Department.
Friday comes first for a practical reason. In late November it gets dark early, and a 4 p.m. start means the switch flips right around sunset. The lights that go on at Rotary Park Friday are still on Sunday night, when the parade brings more lights downtown.
Saturday, November 28: Daylight Hours on Main Street
Saturday runs in daylight. Putnam's Small Business Saturday celebration happens every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The first Santa Saturday of the season is the same day, and the second is December 19. Each Santa Saturday gets its own theme, posted on the Discover Putnam Facebook page.
The Discover Putnam business directories cover the downtown blocks the day is built around. A few of the Main Street names that fit a four-hour shopping window:
- Antiques Marketplace at Bugbee's on Main, 109 Main Street
- Wonderland Comics, 160 Main Street
- Painted Baker Cafe, 172 Main Street, for a stop between shops
The day also has something for artists. The Putnam Arts Council is taking drop-offs for its open-call Small Works exhibit on Saturday and Sunday, both days from 2 to 5 p.m. Artists 13 and older can submit up to four original pieces, none bigger than 8 by 10 inches. Sunday's drop-off window closes at 5 p.m., the same hour the parade starts, so anyone planning both should get their work in before heading to the curb. The full schedule is on the Putnam Arts Council exhibits page.
Sunday, November 29: The 25th Holiday Dazzle Light Parade
The 25th Annual Northeastern Connecticut Holiday Dazzle Light Parade starts at 5 p.m. downtown. Discover Putnam is listed as the organizer. The town's calendar sets the date the same way every year: the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
The route is 1.5 miles long. Entrants line up on one side of Grove Street, and the parade officially ends at the Putnam Municipal Complex, at the corner of Providence and School Streets. Last year, Patch called it "one of the most spectacular nighttime parades in New England," with "dozens of glowing floats, marching bands, costumed characters, and thousands of lights."
The entrant rules also explain what you'll see from the sidewalk. The town gives this instruction to everyone who registers:
"Lights are the most important part of this event... the more the merrier, the brighter the better!"
Entrants are also encouraged to bring music, live or recorded, as long as it stays at a reasonable volume. Candy is the rule families at the curb will notice most. Throwing candy or novelties is strictly prohibited, because darkness, moving vehicles and lots of children together create safety hazards. Walkers can still hand candy to spectators. That means a kid near the front of the crowd gets candy handed to them by someone walking past.
Santa gets the same treatment. The committee provides an official Santa and Mrs. Claus for the parade and asks entrants not to dress as Santa themselves. So the Santa who lights Rotary Park on Friday is followed on Sunday by a parade with exactly one Santa in it.
Getting a Float Into the 25th
Registration opened October 1, 2026, through the town's RecDesk program page. Groups that want to enter have until November 25, the day before Thanksgiving, to submit an entry form, the fee and a description of their entry.
Entrants who are still building can work from the published rules:
- Height. Floats can be no taller than 13 feet so they clear the train trellis.
- Arrival. Assemble by 3:30 p.m. on one side of Grove Street, and keep the staging area clean.
- Who rides. Young children and elderly participants are encouraged to ride on a float instead of walking all 1.5 miles.
- Candy. Hand it out, don't throw it.
- Costumes. No Santas.
- The finish. Floats and vehicles head straight back to the Grove Street area. Only walkers and marchers end at the Municipal Complex.
The last rule matters for anyone picking up a walker. The town asks entrants to arrange drop-off and pick-up ahead of time to avoid traffic delays, and it recommends carpooling. A family with one kid on a float and another marching will be collecting them in two different places, Grove Street and Providence and School Streets.
Dinner Before 5 or After the Last Float
A 5 p.m. start in late November leaves two dinner options: eat early before you claim a spot, or eat late once the walkers reach the Municipal Complex. These downtown spots are listed in the Discover Putnam restaurant and café directory:
- 85 Main, 85 Main Street
- Bear Hands Brewing Company, 75 Main Street, Suite 1
- Courthouse Bar & Grille, 121 Main Street
- The Stomping Ground, 132 Main Street
- Nikki's Dog House, 5 Canal Street
- The Broken Crust, 185 Kennedy Drive
- Leona's Baking Co., 347 Kennedy Drive
Blackstone Putnam at 35 Main Street, which opened in early 2025, is on the same stretch. Call ahead to confirm hours before you plan dinner around a table for a group.
What the Weekend Leads Into
When the parade ends, December picks up right away. The Bradley Playhouse at 30 Front Street has It's a Wonderful Life on its current schedule from December 4 to December 20. The Putnam Arts Council's Small Works show, made up of pieces dropped off during parade weekend, opens with a reception on Saturday, December 5, from 2 to 5 p.m. It runs through December 20 and ends with an artist talk that afternoon from 3 to 4 p.m.
The Putnam Business Association runs its Gingerbread House Contest in December, with cash prizes. It's open to co-workers, students, families and friends. The second Santa Saturday falls on December 19, the last Saturday before Christmas.
That puts Santa downtown three times between Thanksgiving and Christmas: on a fire truck at Rotary Park on November 27, in the Dazzle Parade on November 29, and again for the second Santa Saturday on December 19.
If you're entering a float, marching with a group, or just trying to figure out how long the walk is from your street to the Municipal Complex, I'm glad to talk Putnam with you. Skyla Gagnon works in Putnam and across the Quiet Corner. Let's Connect.
