City of Joplin Shares List of Festival Holiday Activities for 2024 Holiday Season

Holiday planning starts now with fun events hosted throughout Joplin! To find out more about holiday events around Joplin, check out Visit Joplin.

Veteran’s Parade

Saturday, November 9 | 10:00 am | 15th and Main Street in Joplin

Parade starts at 15th Street & Main, moves north to 3rd Street, turns west and continues south on Joplin Avenue to the City Hall parking lots between 5th and 7th Streets.

Everyone is invited to to line Main Street in honor of our great American heroes, our Veterans!

Turkey Shootout

Friday, November 22 | 6:00 pm | Free event, but pre-registration is required | Kindergarten through eighth grade | Held at Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Missouri

Win a Thanksgiving Turkey at the 25th Annual Turkey Shootout. Children can compete in our annual free-throw contest to win a turkey and/or gift cards from our event sponsor, Academy Sports & Outdoors. Prizes will be awarded for every grade division! Event starts at 6:00 pm for the youngest category, with other age categories following.

Downtown Joplin Alliance’s Holiday Window Decorating Contest

Voting begins Saturday, November 23 and ends on Friday, December 20 | Various locations throughout downtown Joplin

Holiday decorations are a wonderful addition to the season. Come downtown and enjoy the entries of this year’s Downtown Joplin Alliance window display contest following this year’s theme, Retro Christmas.

The community can vote for Best Use of Theme, Most Creative, and Best Use of Lights. Online voting will begin on November 23 and run through December 18, with an awards ceremony on Friday, December 20, at City Hall.

13th Annual Joplin Turkey Trot 5K

Thursday, November 28 | 7:30 am | $20–$50 registration fee

Welcome to the 13th annual Joplin Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk in Downtown Joplin! Runners and walkers are encouraged to join the trot on Thanksgiving morning for what has become a family tradition for many. This certified 5K course begins and ends right in front of Joplin City Hall on Main Street, which is closed to traffic.

Participants of the 5K will enjoy a super soft event shirt, an amazing finisher medal, chip timing, start/finish line announcing by BoCa Enterprises, music by Resonation, Krispy Kreme donuts, and coffee. As Joplin’s largest 5K, this is a race you don’t want to miss!

Learn more and register here.

Letters to Santa through Parks & Rec Express Delivery

Begins Wednesday, November 18 and ends Tuesday, December 10 | Various locations around Joplin

Are your kids already making their list? Make sure to get it sent to Santa by dropping it in Santa’s Mailbox at the Joplin Parks and Recreation offices, 3301 W. 1st Street; Academy Sports & Outdoors; or the Joplin History & Mineral Museum, 504 S. Schifferdecker Avenue. An after-hours mailbox is also available at the Department’s office. Santa’s Mailbox is available November 13 through December. 10.

Letters must include the child’s first and last name, a return mailing address, and a few details about the child (school if attending, brothers or sisters, pets, friends, and a wish list). The letters will be delivered to the North Pole and Santa will write back a personalized letter to each child who sends him a letter.

Please address letters to: Santa’s Workshop, 9 Reindeer Road, North Pole.

City Hall’s Holiday Window Display

Tuesday, November 26 | Joplin City Hall, 602 S. Main Street

This year’s three-panel windows are the fourth installment from area artist Sandra Pemberton and will be completed by Tuesday, November 26. These panels highlight Joplin’s history as a mining town with a jovial holiday appeal. They join the painted stained-glass depiction of Santa pausing at Grand Falls, installed in 2021, the 2022 Department Store Displays of Days Gone By, and last year’s Holiday Home.

This series of art panels decorates the front of Joplin City Hall. Since moving to the Newman Building in 2005, City Hall staff has upheld the Newman tradition of decorating the front windows with festive, holiday-themed windows.

Joplin’s Annual Christmas Parade

Tuesday, December 3 | 6:00 pm | Main Street

Parade runs from 15th to 2nd Street on Main Street. Organizers from host Freeman Health System will announce the theme for this holiday tradition on October 30.

Freeman is seeking entries for the parade, and registration will open at noon on October 30. To register, click here. There is no fee for schools or bands, $20 for nonprofit organizations with an active 501(c) status and all other registrations are $50. Space is limited — a maximum of 80 float entries are sought. The last day to register is November 20, but it is presumed that spaces will be sold out before then.

For more information about placing an entry in the 2024 Joplin Christmas Parade, call Laura Gullett, Children’s Miracle Network Coordinator, at 417.347.4622 or email joplinchristmasparade@freemanhealth.com.

Fourth Annual Holiday Tree Trail

Wednesday, December 4 | 6:00 pm | Mercy Park

If you like Christmas Trees, be sure to visit Mercy Park and the annual Holiday Tree Trail! This year’s Holiday Tree Trail will offer as many as 100 trees, as well as other holiday decorations and surprises.

This annual display’s Opening Night is Wednesday, December 4. It will feature cookies from Casey’s, hot chocolate served by Joplin Rotary Clubs, hot rolls and peanuts from Texas Roadhouse, refreshments sponsored by the Ronald McDonald House of Joplin, and musical performances by Karen’s Dance Studio. Join the fun from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and be sure to stop and see Santa.

HO HO Hearty Breakfast with Santa

Saturday, December 7 | 8:00 to 10:00 am | 8$ per person, registration required | Joplin History & Mineral Museum

Breakfast is a great way to start the day, and it’s even better when Santa joins you! Come out for the 24th annual Breakfast with Santa event on Saturday, December 7, at the Joplin History & Mineral Museum. This come-and-go event runs from 8:00 to 10:00 am and offers excellent photo opportunities for your children and Santa, so don’t forget to bring a camera!

Registration is required by calling Joplin Parks 417.625.4750 or going online. Breakfast is $8 per person. Children ages two and under are free but still must be registered. Seating is limited.

Reference:

Lynn Iliff Onstot, Public Information Officer
City of Joplin
417.624.0820, ext. 204
LOnstot@joplinmo.org

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