Staff Reports
Photos courtesy Lee Ann Krueger (Bartlett Express), Lyn Whitson and City of Bartlett
Every year the City of Bartlett kicks off the holiday season with the Annual City of Bartlett Christmas Tree Lighting, at the A. Keith McDonald Pavilion in W.J. Freeman Park – coupled with the annual Christmas in Bartlett Market, organized by the Bartlett, Area Chamber of Commerce. This year (again) welcomed a large turnout on Friday, November 21, with great support from the Bartlett community.
The tree lighting festivities took place at 6 p.m. as the community heard sounds of the season from the Bartlett Chorus, and there was a special visit from Santa – who arrived on a corvette with Mayor Parsons driving – just to make it all official.
The 6th annual Christmas in Bartlett Market opened on Friday at 4 p.m., with an impressive number of vendors (over 80 booths and food trucks) that shoppers were able to peruse and support.
The Christmas in Bartlett Market continued on Saturday, November 22, with Santa returning to hear Christmas wishes and provide photo opportunities. There were musical performances throughout the day by Bartlett City Schools and Bartlett residents, many kids’ activities, including rides on the Polar Express, contests and so much more.
Kathy Carl, Director of Operations at the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce said, “We are so excited to bring this wonderful event to the Bartlett Community. The Chamber would like to thank our sponsors, vendors, volunteers, and the community for coming out and helping to make our 6th annual Christmas Market an amazing success. We’ve had so many positive comments and we will strive to make 2026 even better. We are Hometown Proud!”
The Christmas in Bartlett Market was made possible by the support of sponsors (like Bartlett’s Serra Chevrolet) and, most importantly, by the Bartlett community.
