KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 2023 Christmas season is kicking off! One of the biggest Christmas parades of the season stepped off Friday evening in downtown Knoxville.
Enjoy watching lights, marching bands, dancers and over 100 floats that will take over Gay Street at WIVK's Christmas Parade. If you missed the festivities, you can watch our full replay below on WBIR's YouTube page:
The parade route started at Gay Street at Main Street and marched through the road before ending at Magnolia Avenue. It started at 7 p.m. and was free to attend.
The city said people should be aware of downtown road closures and are encouraged to arrive early with plenty of time to park. Free parking is available after 6 p.m. at all city-owned garages.
The following roads will close to traffic at 4:30 p.m.:
- Council Place
- South Gay Street between Council Place and Main Street
- Hill Avenue between Hall of Fame Drive and Walnut Street
- Magnolia Avenue between North Gay Street and South Central Street
The following roads will close to traffic at 5:30 p.m.:
- South Gay Street between Main Street and Cumberland Avenue
- Main Street between Walnut and Gay streets
The following roads will close to traffic at 6:15 p.m.:
- Gay Street between Cumberland and W. Fifth avenues
- Cumberland Avenue between Market and Gay streets
- W. Church Avenue between Market and Gay streets
- Union Avenue between Walnut and Gay streets
- Market Street between Clinch and Union avenues
The WIVK Christmas Parade is part of Knoxville's Christmas in the City. There are a variety of holiday activities in downtown like the Regal Celebration of Lights.
The city will be lighting the 42-foot-tall Mickey Mallonee Christmas tree in Market Square's Krutch Park Extension the Friday night after Thanksgiving. The celebration will run from 5:15 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the tree-lighting ceremony will happen around 6 p.m.
The city said there will be plenty of things to do in the square that night.
After the tree is lit, the city will have a full month of holiday events, including the Holidays on Ice skating rink in Market Square, the Tour de Lights bike ride on Dec. 9 and the New Year's Eve celebration at the Sunsphere.
The Market Square Holidays on Ice skating rink will open Friday in Market Square and stay open until Jan. 2 unless there is inclement weather. It will be open most weekdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and open earlier in the day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Between Dec. 21 and Jan. 2, it will operate on extended hours and open at 1 p.m. most Mondays through Thursdays. You can find the full schedule here.
You can also find more parades that will take place in East Tennessee here.