Franklin Transit runs holiday shuttles for four downtown events

Franklin Transit Authority will run shuttle services on four holiday weekends this season, offering riders an alternative to downtown parking during busy event days.

The agency announced it will operate shuttles for Hop & Shop Saturdays on Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and Dec. 19, and for the two-day Dickens of a Christmas festival on Dec. 12-13, according to a Franklin Transit post. The shuttles aim to reduce the stress of parking and traffic on crowded event days, the agency said.

The Dec. 5 Hop & Shop Saturday overlaps with the Franklin Christmas Parade, which the Downtown Franklin Rotary Club hosts starting at 1 p.m. on Main Street. Julian Bibb III will serve as the 2026 parade grand marshal, the Williamson Herald reported.

Dickens of a Christmas details

The 41st annual Dickens of a Christmas takes over Main Street on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County produces the festival, which recreates the era of Charles Dickens against downtown Franklin's historic architecture.

Shuttle rides to Dickens cost $1 per person each way, according to Williamson Source. Pickup locations are the Park at Harlinsdale Farm on both days and Franklin High School on Sunday only. The last shuttle departs 15 minutes before the festival ends.

All Franklin Transit vehicles are ADA accessible.

Street parking within the festival footprint will be closed. The 2nd and 4th Avenue garages will be available for handicap-accessible parking.

Downtown events draw hundreds of thousands

Heritage Foundation of Williamson County president and CEO Bari Beasley highlighted the scale of the organization's downtown events in coverage published in August by the Williamson Scene. The Heritage Foundation produces Main Street Festival, PumpkinFest and Dickens of a Christmas. Those festivals have "a $10 million economic impact on our community and brings over 360,000 people to downtown Franklin every year," Beasley said.

Franklin Transit said the shuttles help make busy event days more accessible by providing convenient transportation and reducing some of the barriers that can prevent people from attending.