Mountain Brook is lighting up for the holidays with beloved traditions, sparkling displays and festive events for all ages. From the towering, 30-foot Bromberg’s Christmas tree and its annual photo contest to the city’s holiday parade, there’s no shortage of seasonal magic to enjoy throughout the city this year.
Bromberg's Tree and Photo Contest
Bromberg’s follows a longtime annual tradition of placing a live tree outside its Mountain Brook location.
“It is usually about 30 feet tall, and we have people working on it when it arrives to add the combination of lights,” Benney said.
The tree will have roughly 30,000 white and colored lights and will stay lit through New Year’s Eve.
Bromberg’s invites anyone coming to see the tree to take a photo of themselves with it and post the photos on Facebook, Instagram or X and to use #brombergstree. From everyone who posts a photo using the hashtag, one winner will be selected to win a $500 Bromberg’s gift certificate.
“We will select a winner on Christmas Eve, and they [will] win $500, so it is always really fun to see each year,” Benney said. “We encourage anyone uploading to make sure they use the hashtag so we can view the photos.”
Bromberg’s is located at 2800 Cahaba Road in Mountain Brook.
Christmas Parade
The annual Mountain Brook Holiday Parade will be held Sunday, Dec. 7 beginning at 3 p.m. The parade will begin at the Mountain Brook Office Park and travel down Cahaba Road. This year’s parade is presented by Birmingham Mosquito and Pest Control. The parade features school groups and local businesses and will conclude with the arrival of Santa Claus atop a Mountain Brook Fire Department truck. There will be opportunities for photos with Santa and activities in the Children’s Village near the parade stage.
Village Open Houses
There are several open houses offered this year throughout Mountain Brook. The first is Dec. 4 with Mountain Brook Village and Lane Parke. This event will feature an open house with merchants welcoming guests into their holiday-adorned stores for shopping, refreshments and special guests.
On Dec. 11, English Village will host their annual holiday open house amid the twinkling lights. There will be live music with retailers opening their doors for sales, specials and holiday treats. For more information, visit mtnbrookchamber.org.
Glow Wild
Birmingham Zoo’s annual Glow Wild will be held this year from Nov. 22, 2025, through Jan. 4, 2026. Its animal lanterns will be set up throughout the zoo, allowing visitors to stroll through trails that twinkle from the glow of more than one million lights. Of the roughly 100 lanterns that will be featured, Director of Marketing and Events Bill Lang said more than 60 percent will be new this year.
Also new to this year’s Glow Wild will be a Holiday Village, which will have gingerbread house lanterns, Christmas trees and a menorah. “The menorah is 6-and-a-half feet tall and was supported by Temple Emanu-El Sisterhood,” Lang said. “We will have the menorah lit each night of Hannukah.”
Yet another new addition will be the predator area’s “nautical” theme, which will allow visitors to walk through a massive angler fish and under a sparkling underwater scene.
“We are also adding an Adult’s Only Night on Dec. 4,” Lang said. “We love our younger friends that come to the zoo, but we also wanted to offer something if you wanted to bring a date or if you are a college student and maybe wanting a quieter experience. So, for those 18 and over, it is a great time to come and enjoy the event. We will also have fun music and some extra bars throughout the zoo.”
The zoo will offer Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 13, with seatings at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. For more information about this year’s holiday events at the zoo, visit birminghamzoo.com.
Live Nativity
Mountain Brook Baptist Church will host its annual family-oriented Living Nativity, showcasing the story of Jesus’ birth, from Dec. 20-22. There will be two showings each night: one at 6:30 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m. The church has been hosting this community event for 53 years and has used the same narration each year — recorded by Dr. Dotson Nelson, the pastor of MBBC when the event began.
“People just really love coming out for this,” said Amy Hirsch from MBBC. “We have several hundred people come out for each show.”
Hirsch said many of the church children and teens play the parts in the Nativity and visitors can pet live animals in between each showing.
“We will have hot chocolate and cookies and fellowship before and after each showing,” Hirsch said. “It is always a great time.”
The program will take place in the lower parking lot on the Overbrook Road side of the church. Visitors are encouraged to arrive a bit early for the best viewing experience. For more information, visit mbbc.org.
