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Downtown Parking Tip Sheet: Nov. 30 
The holiday season is in full swing in downtown Knoxville, with the Holidays on Ice skating rink open daily in Market Square, and the streets and stores decked out in lights and decorations. Families are seeking fun activities to make the season bright, and local business proprietors are eager for shoppers to spend their holiday dollars downtown. 

Here’s the latest edition of a weekly blog series from the City’s communication team designed to help visitors know about downtown events and parking opportunities. 

By summer 2019, downtown will have 570 additional parking spaces due to the expansion of the State Street Garage. In the meantime, construction on the garage has limited the number of available spaces there (hint: it fills up fast) and closed South Central Street to through traffic from Summit Hill.  We encourage visitors to use available resources to find an alternative parking location, including, but not limited to: Dwight Kessel, Locust Street, Market Square and Langley garages. 

If you plan to travel to the State Street Garage and its vicinity, know that S. Central Street between Union and Clinch avenues will be closed until sometime in January; the traffic pattern at the intersection of Union and State has been adjusted to allow westbound drivers on Union to turn left on State.

If you’re trying to reach the Dwight Kessel Garage, First Presbyterian Church, or another downtown destination nearer the river, bypass Central by taking Gay Street or Hall of Fame Drive to Hill Avenue. Another bypass idea to reach the south side of downtown is to take James White Parkway, exit onto Neyland Drive to Walnut to W. Hill. 

This weekend: 


Friday: Blues legend Delbert McClinton performs at the Bijou Theatre at 8 p.m. Free parking is available at the nearby Dwight Kessel Garage. 

Knoxville Firefighter Association presents country duo Thompson Square at 8 p.m. at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Event parking at the KCAC is $5 per space for Ice Bears hockey games and Knoxville Symphony Orchestra concerts. All other concerts and special events are $10 per space. Be ready to pay in cash to the parking attendants.

Performances of Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!) continue at Theatre Knoxville Friday, Nov. 30 & Saturday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 2, 3 p.m. The premise: Instead of performing A Christmas Carol for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told — plus international Christmas traditions, seasonal icons from ancient times to topical pop-culture, and every carol ever sung. 


Saturday:  The first Market Square Holiday Market of the season is Saturday, Dec. 1. The schedule and the layout is a bit different from the May-December Market Square Farmers’ Market: for the next four Saturdays, a small farmers’ market will gather on Market Square from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. offering locally grown produce, meat, eggs, honey, plants, and more. Vendors of arts, crafts, jewelry, pottery, holiday greenery, flowers, soaps, food trucks, warm beverages and other goodies will be set up on Market Square, Union Ave, and Market Street from 11 a.m. -  5 p.m.

The Appalachian Ballet Company presents The Nutcracker at 7:30 p.m. at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium, with an additional 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday.


Sunday: The Historic Southern Railway Station hosts A Vintage Christmas Celebration, 1 - 5 p.m. Shop local craft vendors in the upstairs ballroom, try specialty holiday cocktails and wines at Blue Slip Winery downstairs, and watch Christmas movies playing in the downstairs ballroom. Mrs. Claus will read Christmas stories on the vintage train cars, and Santa will pose for pet friendly pictures taken by Stephanie Richer Photography for $20 each. Admission is free, as is parking, which is available in the depot’s parking lot, accessible via Jackson Avenue at W. Depot Ave. 

At 3 p.m., the Bijou Theatre hosts the Knoxville Community Band for a free holiday concert. Comedian Michelle Wolf performs at 7 p.m.  

Chris Tomlin performs Christmas Songs of Worship at the Tennessee Theatre at 7:30 p.m. 


Next week:


The Christmas edition of Mighty Musical Monday, the monthly free noontime concert at the Tennessee Theatre, is Monday, Dec. 3. The grand entertainment palace also hosts Harry Connick Jr. at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4 and Celtic Thunder X at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5. 

Due to construction on the State Street Garage, we encourage Tennessee Theatre patrons--especially those with mobility issues--to make plans in advance to locate the best parking option for the venue and the time of day.

The Bijou hosts Tim Shelton’s A Very Vintage Christmas on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m., and Rayland Baxter with Bendigo Fletcher, 8 p.m., on Thursday, Dec. 6. 
Posted by ptravis On 30 November, 2018 at 9:12 AM