The Year Baytown Runs On: Elections, Budgets, Parades and Civic Deadlines

Baytown's year runs on a few dates you can set in your phone: a November election, a September budget vote, a December parade. Today is October 8, and two of them are close. The Nurture Nature Festival is Saturday, October 10, and early voting starts October 19.

Voters here go to the polls on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The council passes the city budget before the fiscal year turns over on October 1. The Christmas Parade starts every first Thursday in December. Where we know the exact 2026 date, we give it and name the year, so you can tell a pattern from a one-time event.

The short version

• The 2026 city election is Tuesday, November 3, for Council Districts 4, 5 and 6. The deadline to register to vote in it was October 5 and has passed.
• Early voting runs October 19 through October 30. The last day to get a mail ballot application to the county is October 23.
• The council adopted the FY2027 budget and tax rate on September 10, 2026. The new fiscal year began October 1.
• The Christmas Parade runs every first Thursday in December on the south side of town. In 2026 that is December 3.
• The Fourth of July celebration is held every year at Bicentennial Park.
• Grito Fest was held October 3, 2026. The Nurture Nature Festival is this Saturday, October 10, 2026.

Fall: elections and festivals

The city's election cycle puts voting on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. In 2025 voters filled Council Districts 1, 2 and 3. In 2026 it is Districts 4, 5 and 6 on November 3. Terms are three years, running November 2026 to November 2029. The mayor is next on the 2027 cycle, under the charter's staggered terms.

Key 2026 steps: the filing period ran July 20 to August 17, 2026. The deadline to register to vote in the November 3 election was October 5, so if you missed it, you wait for the next election. Early voting by personal appearance runs October 19 through October 30. In Harris County, vote centers are open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. If you want to vote by mail, the county must receive your application by October 23, and the ballot must reach the county by 7 p.m. on Election Day (a ballot postmarked by 7 p.m. that day still counts if it arrives by 5 p.m. on November 4). Election Day hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Baytown sits in two counties, so your polling place depends on where you live. The city's election page does not list polling places or early voting sites. Look yours up with your county's elections office, Harris County or Chambers County, before you go. Dates marked subject to change on the city calendar really can change.

Two festivals sit in early October on the 2026 city calendar. Grito Fest was held on October 3, 2026, at 1001 Market Street. The Nurture Nature Festival is Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 6213 Bayway Drive, the Baytown Nature Center. It is free. The city lists children's games, exhibits, stage shows, inflatables, live animals, archery and food. Parking on site costs a small fee, and free shuttle parking is at West Town Shopping Center, 4220 Decker.

Late summer: budget season

The city's fiscal year ends on September 30. That is why the budget lands in September. On September 10, 2026, the City Council passed the FY2026-27 budget ordinance and set the property tax rate at $0.69803 per $100, the same dollar rate as the year before. The all-funds budget is $424,324,581.

The pattern to remember: the budget and tax rate are decided in late summer, and the new fiscal year begins right after on October 1. That is the time to speak up about money, so watch the council agenda in August and early September for the budget and tax-rate hearings.

Winter: Thanksgiving to New Year's

The Baytown Turkey Trot is on the city calendar for Saturday, November 21, 2026, five days before Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 2026. In 2024 the race ran from Jenkins Park, with a kids 1K at 8 a.m. and the 5K at 9 a.m., so expect something similar and confirm the 2026 start time before you go. The city's trash contractor lists City of Baytown customers as receiving regular collection on Thanksgiving.

The Christmas Parade follows every first Thursday in December on the south side of town. In 2026 that date is December 3. Last year it stepped off at 6:30 p.m., and good viewing spots included the West Defee Street curb near Memorial Baptist Church and the corner of Market Street and Lee Drive. Check the city's parade page for this year's time and route.

Holiday Hangout at Baytown Town Square, 213 W. Texas Avenue, features Christmas lights, decor and a 38-foot Christmas tree. The city now lists the 2026–27 season as December 3 through January 5, with an outdoor skating rink, a hay maze, glow activities, yard games, a toddler play area and photo spots. Last season it ran December 5 through January 6, with a skating rink, mini golf, free play areas and photo spots. The city posts hours of 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 2 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday, and says it is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Saturday nights add movies or trivia. Ticket prices are not posted yet, so check the Hangout page in November.

The city's trash contractor lists trash service as continuing as scheduled on Christmas Day, which in 2026 is Friday, December 25. New Year's Day, January 1, 2027, is on the city calendar. Fireworks inside city limits are strictly prohibited, the Baytown Sun reported on December 30, 2024, with fines up to $2,000. That includes New Year's Eve.

Spring and summer: birds, splash and fireworks

Spring songbird migration at the Baytown Nature Center peaks in the last week of April. The city's six splash parks open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm during Daylight Saving Time, so their season follows the clocks.

The Fourth of July celebration began in the 1950s at Roseland Park and now takes place at Bicentennial Park. In 2026 it featured the Eli Young Band and fireworks.

Dates in Baytown's past

Some dates are anniversaries, and they come around every year. - January 1, 1830: Nathaniel Lynch's river crossing received an operating license, which became Lynch's Ferry. - January 24, 1948: the City of Baytown was established. - July 19, 1931: the Tri-Cities Sun printed its first issue. - August 9, 1965: voters approved separating Lee College from the public school system. - August 18, 1983: Hurricane Alicia came ashore as a Category 3 storm.

What this means for you

Put three recurring items on your own calendar: the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, the September budget vote, and the first Thursday in December. For the rest, bookmark the city's calendar page and check it each season.

Sources

• City of Baytown: Election Information (current page) (https://baytown.org/election)
• City of Baytown: Election Information, November 3, 2026 (https://www.baytown.org/1458/Election-Information---November-3-2026)
• City of Baytown: Calendar of Events, Election 2026 (https://www.baytown.org/DocumentCenter/View/20512/Calendar-of-Events---Election-2026)
• City of Baytown: FY2027 Adopted Budget (https://baytown.org/Archive.aspx?ADID=1317)
• City of Baytown: Calendar (https://baytown.org/calendar.aspx)
• City of Baytown: Calendar of Events (https://www.baytown.org/1002/Calendar-of-Events)
• City of Baytown: Nurture Nature Festival (https://baytown.org/904)
• City of Baytown: Baytown's Christmas Parade (https://www.baytown.org/1014/Baytowns-Christmas-Parade)
• City of Baytown: Christmas Parade calendar entry (https://www.baytown.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=5945)
• City of Baytown: Holiday Hangout (https://baytown.org/hangout)
• City of Baytown: Baytown's Holiday Hangout (page) (https://baytown.org/1343)
• City of Baytown: Turkey Trot calendar entry (https://www.baytown.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=5944)
• City of Baytown: Turkey Trot 2024 notice (https://baytown.org/CivicAlerts.asp?AID=883)
• City of Baytown: 4th of July Celebration (https://www.baytown.org/778/4th-of-July-Celebration)
• City of Baytown: Garbage and Recycle (https://www.baytown.org/295/Garbage-Recycle)
• Best Trash: holiday schedule (https://best-trash.com/holiday-schedule/)
• City of Baytown: New Year's Day 2027 calendar listing (https://baytown.org/calendar.aspx?day=1&month=1&view=list&year=2027)
• City of Baytown: Splash Parks (https://baytown.org/942/Splash-Parks)
• Click2Houston: Texas voter guide 2026 (key dates) (https://www.click2houston.com/decision-2026/2026/10/02/texas-voter-guide-2026-what-to-know-before-the-nov-3-election/)
• The Baytown Sun: Baytown PD, FD remind community no fireworks (https://baytownsun.com/local/baytown-pd-fd-remind-community-no-fireworks/article_3d849dba-c6fb-11ef-bc9e-cfc34dc32fa2.html)
• Visit Baytown: spring birding (https://www.visitbaytown.com/post/the-spring-birding-hotspot-on-the-texas-gulf-coast)
• Texas State Historical Association: Lynch's Ferry (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lynchs-ferry)
• Texas State Historical Association: Baytown, TX (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/baytown-tx)
• Texas State Historical Association: Lee College (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lee-college)
• Historical Marker Database: Tri-Cities Sun (https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=247388)
• Houston History Magazine: Brownwood (https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Brownwood.pdf)