KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As the holiday season spreads over East Tennessee, parades are scheduled to bring joy and cheer across the region.
One of the biggest Christmas parades of the season will step off Friday evening in downtown Knoxville. Starting at Gay Street at Main Street and marching through the road before ending at Magnolia Avenue, the annual WIVK Christmas Parade usually attracts several floats and crowds. It is set to start at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, and is free to attend.
On Saturday at 3:30 p.m., the Rocky Hill Christmas Parade will return. It includes a Christmas-themed market in the Rocky Hill Center parking lot with food trucks and live music. Following the parade, there will also be a tree lighting and opportunities to visit with Santa.
The Powell Lions Club Christmas Parade will also start Saturday at 5 p.m. It kicks off from the Powell Middle School and ends at the Powell High School.
Gatlinburg will also host its own Christmas parade, kicking off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The 48th annual Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade includes decorative floats, marching bands, holiday balloons and Santa. More than one million lights were also set up on the downtown Parkway during the Winter Magic Celebration, illuminating the parade in glimmering holiday cheer.
The parade ends at 9 p.m. on Friday, and tickets for grandstand seats start at $26.50.