Statesville's current Downtown Master Plan dates to 2009. The first posted public session for its replacement falls on Thursday, December 3, inside Broad Street United Methodist Church, a few steps from where the downtown Christmas tree will be lit that evening.
This year's tree lighting has moved, and it now shares the evening with a planning session. Through December, the holiday calendar sends people down Center Street, Broad Street and the downtown alleys. Those same blocks are what a city-hired planning team is studying right now. The trolley route, the carriage rides and the parade all run on ground the new plan covers.
The Tree Leaves the Courthouse Lawn
In 2025, the City of Statesville and the Downtown Statesville Development Corporation held the tree lighting in front of the Old County Courthouse at 300 S. Center Street. The 2026 tree lighting moves to the green at Broad Street United Methodist, 315 W. Broad Street. It runs from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 3.
Much of the program stays the same. Student carolers from American Renaissance School are back, joined this year by singers from the Boys & Girls Club of the Piedmont and N.B. Mills Elementary. Santa arrives, the tree is lit, and hot cocoa is served inside the church.
The new part starts before the carolers do. From 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Broad Street UMC hosts "Cocoa and Conversations." Downtown Statesville describes it as a chance to share ideas for the future of downtown "as part of the Downtown Plan public engagement process," with cookies and cocoa provided. The session is three hours long, and the tree lighting takes up one hour in the middle of it. Families can stop in before the 6 p.m. start or after the lights come on.
What the Plan Covers
The plan behind that session is the Downtown Small Area Plan. The City of Statesville issued a request for proposals on April 13, 2026, and named DSDC executive director Matthew Pierce as the contact. Seven firms applied. A five-member review committee recommended LandDesign. City Council approved the contract on July 13 by a 6–2 vote, Iredell Free News reported. That report also noted that Pierce described the firm's past planning work for Kannapolis and Hickory, and earlier work in Statesville.
The study area covers about 350 acres. It includes the Downtown Municipal Service District and the residential and commercial corridors next to it. The RFP describes the plan as a framework for the next 10 to 15 years. According to the council's staff memo, the plan will make recommendations on:
- Parking management
- Gateway and corridor improvements
- Multimodal transportation
- Public spaces and development form
- Waste management
The memo also expects the plan to look at alleyway improvements. Those are tied to Statesville Public Power's conversion of the remaining downtown circuits from 4 kV to 23 kV, with lines moved underground where practicable. It separately lists major investments expected in or next to downtown during the planning horizon: a downtown parking deck, redevelopment of 120 apartments along Sharpe Street, and a possible extension of streetscape improvements along Center Street and Shelton Avenue.
Many of those topics describe places people pass through during the holidays. A downtown evening means parking, walking between stops and cutting through side streets, and the plan is meant to shape all three. The RFP calls for at least two public workshops, plus stakeholder interviews, small-group meetings and digital engagement. No dates have been posted for those yet, and no adoption date has been published. For now, December 3 is the only public session on the calendar.
The Holiday Route Runs Through the Plan Area
The rest of the season puts people on the streets the planners are studying. Here are the downtown dates from the week this post goes live through mid-December:
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Statesville Pumpkin Fest, 23rd year | Downtown Statesville | 10 a.m.–6 p.m., live music, community stage, food trucks |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Christmas in the Ville, second year | Statesville Event Center | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | The Parlor Tattoo grand opening | 121 N. Center St., Suite 206 | 4 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Turkey Bingo | Statesville Event Center | 4–5 p.m. and 7–8 p.m., $5 cards |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Carriage ride tickets go on sale | Online | Rides Dec. 3, 10 and 17 |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Tree Lighting and Cocoa and Conversations | Broad Street UMC, 315 W. Broad St. | Tree 6–7 p.m.; plan session 4:30–7:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Holiday Shop & Stroll | Downtown, with trolley from W. Broad and N. Meeting | 5:30–8:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Gingerbread Workshop | Location to be announced | Children's event |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Statesville Christmas Parade | Center St., Bell St. to Statesville High School | 3 p.m. |
Turkey Bingo proceeds benefit Iredell County Special Olympics. Tumbleweed Coffee Cafe and Waffle Chick are the announced food trucks.
Carriage tickets open on Thanksgiving
The horse-drawn carriage rides are back for 2026 on December 3, 10 and 17. Each date is a Thursday, and the first is tree-lighting night. Tickets open November 26 through the Downtown Statesville carriage ride page. That date is Thanksgiving Day, so families who want the December 3 ride can book it between Thanksgiving dinner and dessert. The 2025 rides ran December 4, 11 and 18 and boarded at First ARP Church, 123 E. Broad Street. The 2026 listing does not give a boarding spot yet.
The trolley adds a stop at the Event Center
On Friday, December 4, the free Holly Jolly Trolley leaves from the Holly Jolly Depot at the corner of W. Broad Street and N. Meeting Street. It runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and riders can hop on and off. Stops include a live Nativity at First ARP Church, the Little Red Christmas Train, the S'mores Station and the Statesville Event Center Holiday Village. Seats are first come, first served.
Holiday Village is the new stop. It wasn't part of the city and DSDC's 2025 holiday announcement. This year it runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. with crafts, activities, snacks, cocoa and an inflatable. One city events page lists Holiday Village on December 18. The event's own listing says December 4, which matches the Shop & Stroll. Santa Central returns to City Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. the same night.
The 2025 trolley stopped at the Historic Sharpe House and ran Little Blue Choo train rides. The 2026 stop list replaces those with the Little Red Christmas Train and the Event Center. For anyone who comes to Cocoa and Conversations the night before, the trolley ride is a slow tour past the corridors, parking and gateways the plan is meant to address.
The parade covers the Center Street stretch
The Statesville Christmas Parade, hosted by the 30th Masonic District of North Carolina, steps off Sunday, December 13, at 3 p.m. The route is the same as 2025's: Center Street from Bell Street to Statesville High School. Center Street is also one of the two streets named for a possible extension of streetscape improvements. If that work goes ahead, a future parade crowd could be standing on a different sidewalk than the one there today.
Planning the Evening of December 3
To get to Cocoa and Conversations and the tree lighting in one trip:
- Arrive by 5:30 p.m. That leaves time inside Broad Street UMC before the carolers start at 6. The session opens at 4:30.
- Bring one specific idea. The plan's topics are already set, including parking, alleys, public spaces and gateways. A comment about a particular block fits that list better than a general wish.
- Watch the tree lighting outside. The program runs 6 to 7 p.m. on the green at 315 W. Broad Street.
- Go back inside if you didn't finish. The session runs until 7:30 p.m.
- Stay for dinner. Downtown Statesville's listing encourages people to make an evening of it, with holiday lights and wreaths, extended shopping hours, local restaurants and photos by the tree.
Darlene has been watching Statesville's downtown plan since the council vote in July. She's glad to talk about what it could mean for the blocks around Center Street, Broad Street and Shelton Avenue, whether you plan to stay put or are starting to think about selling. Reach out to Darlene (Sharon) Teeter to schedule a free consultation or request a free home valuation, and she'll keep you posted as new public sessions are announced.
