Nine years and five days after a few hundred curious families first piled onto a single trolley in Cahaba Heights, Deck the Heights is back this Saturday with Santa, the Grinch and a lot more room to spread out. The free holiday festival takes over Heights Village and businesses throughout the Cahaba Heights district on Nov. 14, 2026, with pop-up shops opening at 10 a.m. and the main event running from 2 to 7 p.m.
According to Vestavia Voice, this year marks the festival's 10th anniversary, with holiday activities spread across Heights Village and businesses throughout Cahaba Heights. The free Heights Express trolley will run in a continuous loop between participating stops from 2 to 8 p.m., giving families a way to hop between the district's shops and storefronts without needing to find new parking at every stop, per the Vestavia Voice's November events guide.
Most of the day's activities are free, including the inflatables, train rides, a Santa photo booth, children's crafts and the Heights Express itself, the Vestavia Voice report notes. The broader event guide describes a mix of holiday shopping, arts and crafts, strolling musicians, face painting, food and drinks, and live music layered across the district, alongside visits with Santa and the Grinch.
What's Happening at Each Stop
Heights Village is set to host Santa visits, a photo booth, NS Dance Stage performances, a retro obstacle course and pop-up artists, according to the Vestavia Voice report. Nearby, Flip Flops and What Nots is featuring a wave mega obstacle, a snow machine and Christmas music, while Murphree's offers a wave slide, Bendy's and its own holiday soundtrack.
Blue Willow and Retreat Day Spa are hosting a snow globe display, holiday cutouts, a sports interactive, Domino's pizza samples and jazz music from Jerry Robbins, per the same report. Over at Oliver Square and Oliver Place, visitors can expect Mason Music presented by Doodle's, an interactive Whoville stage, a castle bounce house, a trackless train and a giant red chair — plus scheduled appearances from the Grinch and Buddy the Elf. Leaf & Petal rounds things out with s'mores, strolling violinists and a visit from El Zunzun.
Parking, Pets and Entertainment-District Rules
Parking is available at Cahaba Heights Elementary, Philadelphia Baptist Church, Pipeline and behind Heights Village, the Vestavia Voice report states. Organizers are asking visitors to leave the spaces directly in front of retailers and restaurants open for customers who are just making quick stops.
Deck the Heights is dog friendly, though pets are not allowed on the trolley, per the same report. Cahaba Heights is also an entertainment district, meaning guests may carry beverages in designated entertainment cups, but outside alcohol is not permitted at the event. The City of Vestavia Hills explains that patrons of a participating merchant may leave with an open alcoholic beverage — no bottles or glass — and consume it within the district's boundaries; the city's rules generally bar outside alcohol from being brought into an entertainment district unless a special event is separately permitted by the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
A Decade of Growth Since the First Trolley Ride
The festival's roots trace back to Nov. 9, 2017, when the first Deck the Heights invited families to ride a trolley between six stops offering food, shopping deals and activities, according to a Vestavia Voice retrospective. Organizers initially expected about 100 people to show up — instead, closer to 400 turned out, creating long waits for the single trolley running that night. Organizer Katherine McRee joked afterward, “We'll have four trolleys next year,” a line that Vestavia Voice says helped cement Deck the Heights as an annual celebration.
Last year's celebration, held Nov. 15, 2025, included kids' crafts, strolling violinists, live music, face painting, inflatables, train rides, a giant snow globe, a balloon twister, a snow machine and Santa photos, per Vestavia Voice's 2025 coverage. That year's pop-up shops also opened at 10 a.m., with other festivities beginning at 2 p.m., and the listing noted that leashed dogs were welcome even though pets weren't allowed aboard the trolley — the same arrangement organizers are carrying into this year's event.
Deck the Heights is a free family event featuring Santa, the Grinch, shopping, face painting, train rides, inflatables, food, beverages and music.
