Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade

One Night Only

Gatlinburg has run this parade for more than fifty years and it has outgrown the phrase small town Christmas parade entirely. Roughly a hundred entries roll through downtown: lighted floats, high school and college marching bands from across the east, balloon handlers wrestling oversized characters between the storefronts, dancers, horses, and Santa bringing up the rear.

All of it moves under the million or so Winter Magic lights already strung along the Parkway. Crowd estimates run north of 80,000 people. It happens on the first Friday in December and does not repeat.

Where to Stand

The route starts at Baskins Creek Bypass on East Parkway, runs to Traffic Light #3, turns south onto the Parkway, and finishes at Traffic Light #10. Any point along that stretch works, but the crowd thins toward the light #10 end and thickens badly near the television zone at light #3. Locals put folding chairs out along the Parkway days ahead of time, which tells you something about how early to claim a spot. Two to three hours ahead is not excessive. Arrive early!

Grandstand Seating

If standing in a packed crowd is not appealing, the CVB sells reserved bleacher seats in advance for $50 per person:

• Two locations, the television zone at Traffic Light #3 and the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau near the middle of the route
• Seating opens at 5:30 PM, two hours before step-off
• A commemorative Gatlinburg Santa hat comes with each ticket
• One child under age 5 may sit on a lap without a ticket
• Strollers are not allowed in the grandstand and no stroller parking is provided

Road Closures and Parking

Outbound East Parkway drops to one lane around 4:30 PM for float staging, the inbound lane closes near 6:50 PM, and the whole route shuts to traffic by about 7:00 PM. Be parked before 6:00 PM. Gatlinburg has several thousand public spaces, and most downtown hotels include parking for guests, which is the easiest way to do this if you are staying overnight. City officials light the Gatlinburg Christmas tree at Parkway Plaza at Traffic Light #3 at 7:25 PM, five minutes before the parade moves.

If You Cannot Get There

The parade is taped and broadcast on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day across dozens of markets nationally, which is a decent consolation and also a reason the television zone section stays so full. Some of the cities where you may watch the parade on Christmas Day include Birmingham, AL, Chicago, IL, Charleston, SC, Hartford/New Haven CT, Hattiesburg, MS, Indianapolis IN, Knoxville, TN, New York, NY, New Orleans, LA, Washington, DC, Youngstown, OH.