The parade and the tree lighting are still on Perry's holiday calendar for 2026. The one new event happens at night. The City of Perry added the Pajama Holiday Bash on a Friday evening in December, and it lands in a season that already mostly runs after dark: a Thursday-night Ghouls Night Out, a late-afternoon trick-or-treat and a New Year's Eve with a 9 p.m. countdown for kids. Downtown's season has become a run of evening events planned around families with young children, and each one relies on Carroll Street and the blocks around it staying open after dark.
The New Night, and the One That Looks New
The Pajama Holiday Bash runs Friday, December 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. in Historic Downtown Perry. The City calls it "a brand-new holiday tradition" and lists a meet and greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus and other holiday characters, live holiday music, food trucks, and "extended late-night shopping with your favorite downtown retailers." People are invited to come in Christmas pajamas, and it's free. As far as we can tell, it really is new. The City's November 2025 downtown holiday roundup listed Small Business Saturday with the tree lighting and the Christmas Parade, and no Pajama Bash.
The Buzzard Drop runs Thursday, December 31, from 8 p.m. to midnight. The City's 2026 listing describes a "new event schedule" with a 9 p.m. Kiddie Countdown, live entertainment all night, downtown dining, a fireworks finale at midnight, and free admission. Families who went last year will recognize it. The City's page for the celebration that welcomed 2026 lists the same 8 p.m. start, a free Kiddie Countdown at 9 p.m. meant to let families celebrate "without having to miss bedtime," and fireworks at midnight. The 9 p.m. countdown gives families a real stopping point three hours before midnight. With little kids, that can decide whether you go at all.
If you've lived in Perry a while, you know the Buzzard Drop's backstory. 13WMAZ has reported that real buzzards were damaging Perry's water tower, and the decoys put up to scare them off inspired the drop. The celebration that welcomed 2026 was billed as the 13th annual.
The Season, Hour by Hour
Here's the full downtown calendar as the City lists it. Most of it happens after the workday.
| Date | Day | Event | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| October, dates TBA | Not posted | Scarecrow Fest | Not posted |
| October 22 | Thursday | Ghouls Night Out | 5:00–7:30 p.m. |
| October 30 | Friday | Sweets & Treats | 4:00–6:00 p.m. |
| November 28 | Saturday | Small Business Saturday & Tree Lighting | 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. |
| December 5 | Saturday | Perry Christmas Parade | 10:00 a.m. |
| December 11 | Friday | Pajama Holiday Bash | 6:00–9:00 p.m. |
| December 31 | Thursday | Perry Buzzard Drop | 8:00 p.m.–midnight |
Only two of these are morning events, and both fall on Saturdays. Four others start at 4 p.m. or later, three of them on weeknights or Friday nights. Scarecrow Fest is listed only as "October 2026," and the City hasn't posted exact dates yet. The City also notes that event dates and times can change.
Ghouls Night Out and Sweets & Treats Already Run on Late Shopping
The new Bash follows a model downtown has already tried in the fall. When the City described Ghouls Night Out on its Inside Perry podcast in 2025, Downtown Manager Alicia Hartley said more than 10 businesses would stay open late with promotions. She named Trattoria as one planning drink specials. This year's Ghouls Night Out runs Thursday, October 22, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Sweets & Treats runs on the same idea. The City describes it as family trick-or-treating among participating downtown businesses, set for Friday, October 30, from 4 to 6 p.m. In 2025, the podcast said 34 organizations had signed up to hand out treats. The 2026 list of participants isn't posted yet.
These two October events share an approach with the Pajama Bash. Each sets a short, family-friendly window in late afternoon or evening, and the downtown businesses supply most of what there is to do. The December Bash takes that approach into the holidays with extended shopping, food trucks and Santa. The Buzzard Drop's 9 p.m. Kiddie Countdown already does the same for New Year's Eve, giving families an early stopping point before the midnight crowd arrives.
Every Evening Runs Through the Same Storefronts
Because the evening events lean on businesses staying open, the businesses decide what a night downtown is actually like. Several are new in the past year.
In November 2025, the City said the Chalet Lofts had added 12 apartments over ground-floor space, with Fuego Fresco and Ciao Bella Market as the new dining and retail tenants. The Macon Telegraph reported that Ciao Bella Market opened that November with Italian products, deli sandwiches, espresso and coffee, and classes. By December 2025, Scoopology was open at 757 Carroll Street in the former Sweet P's space, serving house-made ice cream and food such as smash burgers. For a Pajama Bash night with kids, an ice cream counter on Carroll Street fits easily into the plan.
When the City promoted last year's Buzzard Drop, it listed these downtown restaurants:
- Orleans on Carroll
- Acres & Oak Kitchen
- Trattoria
- Bodega Brew
- The Swanson
- Scoopology
That same page listed food vendors including Annie Lou's Seafood, PeeWee Sweets, Tipsy Peach Mobile Bar, Smoke Time and Queen's Pretzel Palace. That was the lineup for the night that welcomed 2026. The City hasn't named vendors or performers for this December 31 yet, so treat the list as a guide to the downtown dining that's already there, not a confirmed roster.
One more downtown business could join before the season ends. Left at the Pig Brewing, at 911 Jernigan Street, was under construction in March 2026 with an opening targeted for "late 2026," according to the Macon Telegraph. Plans call for a family-friendly brewery with a taproom, mezzanines, food, beer and wine, a patio and outdoor gathering space. We haven't found a more recent opening date, so it's something to watch for now.
The Daytime Events Stay the Same
The two Saturday events haven't changed. Small Business Saturday & Tree Lighting fills Saturday, November 28, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The City hasn't posted a separate time for the tree lighting itself. The Perry Christmas Parade steps off Saturday, December 5, at 10 a.m. The Houston Home Journal reported that the 2025 parade had about 80 floats, and the Downtown Manager mentioned Acres & Oak Kitchen as one of the local businesses taking part. The 2026 theme, route and grand marshal haven't been announced on the City's downtown events page.
Those two Saturdays bookend the first week of December. The Pajama Bash lands six days after the parade, so families get a second December trip downtown on a Friday evening instead of a Saturday morning.
Planning Around the Evenings
A few details matter more than the full calendar:
- October 22 and October 30 fall eight days apart. Ghouls Night Out is a Thursday evening built around late shopping. Sweets & Treats is a Friday afternoon trick-or-treat that ends at 6 p.m. If you're coming straight from school or work, the times leave you little slack.
- December 11 is the new one. It runs 6 to 9 p.m., it's free, and the City is asking people to wear holiday pajamas.
- The Kiddie Countdown is at 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve. The event starts at 8, so families can come for the first hour and leave before the midnight fireworks.
- Scarecrow Fest dates are still pending. The City lists it only as October 2026, so check its downtown events page before you plan around it.
Questions about any downtown event go to the City's organizer, Autumn Cameron, who is listed on both the Pajama Holiday Bash and Buzzard Drop pages at 478-988-2758.
At AF Realty Group, our downtown Perry office is right in the middle of all this, and we'll be out for these nights too. If you're new to Perry, maybe just in on PCS orders to Robins AFB, and want to know which nights draw the biggest crowds, which side streets are easiest to park on, or where to grab dinner before the Kiddie Countdown, call or stop by. We're happy to help you plan your first holiday season downtown.
