At 158 E. Chatham Street, where Modern Service used to be, there's now a privately run lot charging $3 an hour or $15 a day. The new Cedar Street deck is a very short walk from that lot, and it charges nothing.
Those two lots are a good summary of downtown this December. It's the first holiday season since the Town opened two new decks in the spring. The Cary Report counts more than 2,000 free public spaces downtown now. Spaces are easier to find than in past Decembers. The harder question is which streets close, and when, on the two Saturdays that pull the biggest crowds.
What Changed Between March and April
The Town opened the Cedar Street Parking Deck at 136 E. Cedar St. in March 2026. It added 296 free public spaces, with eight ADA-accessible spaces and 22 EV charging stations on the first three levels. Cars enter from E. Cedar Street, and stairs and an elevator connect the deck to E. Chatham Street and Rogers Alley.
Three weeks later, the Academy Street Parking Deck opened at 206 S. Academy Street, as part of the Meridian Cary development. It has 467 spaces in total, and 225 of them are free to the public. The upper levels are reserved for residents and guests behind an internal gate. You can drive in from Academy Street, or from East Chatham Street by way of the new Waddell Plaza Lane. Its first real test came during the Pimento Cheese Festival weekend.
That gives the Town four free decks downtown:
| Deck | Address | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar Street | 136 E. Cedar St. | 296 free spaces; elevator to E. Chatham and Rogers Alley |
| Academy Street | 206 S. Academy St. | 225 free public spaces; entrances on Academy and via Waddell Plaza Lane off E. Chatham |
| Walnut Street | 113 Walnut St. | Free to the public |
| Town Hall | 121 Wilkinson Ave. | Free to the public |
Downtown Cary Park also lists an accessible public deck behind Cary Regional Library, the Charlie Gaddy Lane lot, and marked street parking.
The private lots have moved the other way. The old Perfect Piece lot, right next to the former Modern Service site, switched to paid parking earlier this year, and neither of those lots validates. Across the street, the lot shared by Big Dom's and Pro's is also paid, but customers of that shopping center get free validation. Those prices date from an August report, so they may have changed. The Cary Report still sees a use for the paid lots on packed festival days, or "for someone who has mobility limitations and needs to be closer to their destination." On a holiday Saturday, what the paid lots offer is a short walk, since the free decks have room.
Saturday, December 5: The Day Everything Opens
Most of the season starts on the first Saturday in December. The free Tree Lighting Celebration runs at Downtown Cary Park, 327 S. Academy St., from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Academy Street is closed from Park Street to Dry Avenue from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Here is the schedule as currently listed:
| Time | Program | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. to noon | Cary Farmers Holiday Market | East Park Street |
| 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Photos with Santa | The Gathering House |
| Noon to 8 p.m. | Holiday Vendor Market | S. Academy Street |
| 2 to 6 p.m. | Reindeer Games | Park Street Arena |
| 2 to 6 p.m. | Snowball Fight Area, Face Painting | The Nest Pavilion |
| 2 to 6 p.m. | Holiday Photo Backdrop | Frantz Square Plaza |
| 3 to 5:15 p.m. | Community Performances | Great Lawn Pavilion |
| 6 p.m. | Official Tree Lighting Ceremony | Frantz Square Lawn |
Three more things start the same day. From 2 to 5 p.m., Victorian Christmas fills the Page-Walker Arts & History Center, the 1870s hotel, with carolers in Dickensian costume, a kids' craft table, cookies, and cider. The Gingerbread Competition, which runs December 5 through 13, is a walk through downtown businesses showing work from more than 50 builders. The Town expects to post the 2026 host map in November, and it says hosts will likely include coffee shops, bakeries, and bookstores. The Gifting Tree Project puts decorated trees on S. Academy Street and inside Downtown Cary Park from December 5 through 27. Voting runs December 5 through 20.
The closure decides how you plan the day. The 11 a.m. closure lands just as the morning market crowd starts arriving for the afternoon. The Academy Street deck lists Academy Street as one of its two entrances. Its second entrance, Waddell Plaza Lane off E. Chatham, is the one worth knowing on a day when Academy is shut. Check the Town's parking page before you leave, because the Town's materials don't say which entrances stay open during the closure.
The schedule also leaves a natural break. The kids' programs at The Nest and Park Street Arena wind down at 6 p.m., and the performances end at 5:15. That leaves a gap of roughly 45 minutes before the 6 p.m. lighting, which is enough time for an early dinner on Chatham if you've already found a spot.
Saturday, December 12: Same Downtown, Different Streets Closed
A week later, the parade closes a different set of streets. The Cary Jaycees Christmas Parade runs from 2 to 4 p.m. It starts on E. Chatham Street at Ward Street, follows E. Chatham to S. Academy, turns left, and ends at Dry Avenue in front of the Cary Arts Center. According to the Cary Jaycees, these streets close from 1 to 4 p.m.:
- E. Chatham Street, from S. Academy to the Urban Park traffic circle
- S. Academy Street, from E. Chatham to Dry Avenue
- East and West Circle Drive
- E. Cedar Street, from N. Walker to Ward
- Ward Street and Hunter Street
- Dry Avenue, from S. Harrison to S. Academy
The route streets are limited to parade traffic starting between 12:30 and 1 p.m. There is no designated parade parking. Parking along E. Chatham and S. Academy isn't allowed, and the Jaycees direct visitors to Town public parking.
This list includes a stretch of E. Cedar Street, the street the Cedar Street deck uses for its entrance. The Jaycees list doesn't say how that closure affects deck access, so check the Jaycees or Town pages before heading out. Walnut Street and Town Hall decks sit off the listed segments, but confirm that on the day as well. The theme, grand marshal, and lineup haven't been announced yet. The Jaycees' parade page says the lineup will be "posted closer to parade."
The Dates Without the Crowds
Between the two big Saturdays, the season has smaller events that are easier to get to:
- Letters to Santa, November 16 through December 6. Use the mailbox at Downtown Cary Park's Academy Plaza, and include the child's name and a return address.
- Holiday decorations map, November 25, 2026 through January 4, 2027. The Town's interactive map marks the downtown display locations.
- Hanukkah Menorah Lighting, Monday, December 7, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Great Lawn Pavilion, on the third night of Hanukkah. It includes a kids' activity, holiday music, and a sweet treat.
- Sensory-friendly Santa, Tuesday, December 8, at the Downtown Cary Park Gathering House. The Town's Santa page and its events calendar list different times, so confirm before you go.
- Dog photos with Santa, Sunday, December 13, 2 to 5 p.m. at the Downtown Cary Park Bark Bar.
- Evening Santa, Friday, December 18, 5 to 9 p.m. at the Gathering House.
The Town's calendar also lists Cary Ballet Company performances December 18 through 20 and Motown & Soul Christmas on December 22 and 23. Before December, the Old North State Storytelling Festival comes to The Cary Theater, 122 E. Chatham St., starting November 6. The Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra plays November 14 from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Where the Gap Before 6 p.m. Goes
Chatham Street has more food options this December than last, and several of them sit right along the parade route. Lloyd's Full Service opened August 26 at 107 E. Chatham St., at the Chatham and Academy corner, in a former service station that's more than 70 years old. The News & Observer reports that chef Dennis Bernard runs the kitchen, cooking updated American classics like pork schnitzel, a signature burger, and a breakfast-for-dinner plate. K38 Baja Grill opened its first Cary location three days later, on August 29, at 147 E. Chatham St.
Douglas Provisions is a small market inside the Douglas Realty space at 107 W. Chatham St. It opened August 20 and sells produce, milk, eggs, and everyday goods. It sits west of Academy, outside both the Dec. 5 Academy closure and the Dec. 12 parade segments listed above, which makes it an easy stop for a forgotten item on either Saturday.
If you're downtown on December 12, the 107 and 147 E. Chatham addresses are on the parade route itself. The Jaycees route runs along E. Chatham before turning onto S. Academy. Getting a table near either restaurant before the 1 p.m. closures could put you at the curb when the floats go by.
If this December has you weighing how many blocks you'd want between your front door and the Academy Street closures, Angie Murphy can walk you through downtown Cary with a builder's and designer's eye. That includes which streets carry festival traffic and which homes sit close to the decks. Schedule a Consultation when you're ready to talk it through.
