Christmas spirit is taking over downtown Knoxville with the annual tree lighting and the opening of the Market Square ice rink on Friday, Nov. 24.
The city spends months planning and decorating downtown with hundreds of decorations and thousands of lights each year. The official tree lighting ceremony in Krutch Park begins at 6 p.m.
The Christmas tree stands 42 feet tall, and is decorated with more than 5,000 LED lights.
The event typically draws more than 10,000 people to downtown.
The Market Square ice rink is now open for ice skaters to enjoy through Jan. 7.
The skating rink hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Extended hours begin Dec. 18.
The WIVK Christmas Parade will travel down Gay Street with live bands, floats, lights and Santa Claus starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1.
Click here for a full list of Christmas in the City events.