Group Blog Home

Downtown Parking Tip Sheet: Dec. 7

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.

The Holidays on Ice skating rink is now open daily in Market Square, and storefronts all over downtown are competing to see which can be the most festive. This weekend will be fun and busy, so plan in advance and choose your parking location strategically.

The State Street Garage—a popular destination garage for downtown visitors—is in full construction mode; you may have seen the giant crane stationed on Central Street cantilevering giant slabs of formed concrete hundreds of feet in the air. This is the base of the new floors and 570 additional parking spaces in the works. And it’s also the reason that parking capacity at the garage will be limited until spring of 2019.

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’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: With the support of the City and Santa Claus, the 46th annual WIVK Christmas Parade will commandeer parts of downtown for a few hours, with assistance from marching bands, sparkly floats, vehicles, high-stepping dance teams, choirs and more—109 parade unites in all. Consider the closures below when planning your visit downtown and the route you will take to reach your destination. Find the most convenient one to your destination at DowntownKnoxville.org or using the Parkepedia app.

Temporary no-parking zones will be in effect starting at 4:30 p.m. on Gay and Market streets, Clinch, Union, Jackson and Central Avenues.

The eastbound lane of Howard Baker Jr. Avenue between Hill & Hall of Fame will be closed from 4:30 - 8 p.m. for the parade staging area.

The following blocks will be closed from 6:30 - 8:15 p.m. Friday night:

- Gay Street between Cumberland and Depot
- Church Street between Hall of Fame & Market
- Market Street between Clinch & Union
- Union Avenue between Walnut & State
- Clinch Avenue between Market & State
- Jackson Avenue between Gay & Patton
- Central Street between Depot & Willow

Friday is also First Friday, so a variety of galleries will be open before and after the parade.

Blount Mansion’s Merry and Bright Open House is 5 – 8 p.m.

The first of five performances of Rogers & Hammerstein’s The King and I at the Tennessee Theatre is at 8 p.m. Shows are also at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

Performances of Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!) continue at Theatre Knoxville Friday, Dec. 7 & Saturday, Nov. 24, 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 9, 3 p.m. Three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told — plus Christmas traditions from around the world, seasonal icons from ancient times to topical pop-culture, and every carol ever sung. Free parking is available within a block of the theater in the City lot under I-40 accessible from N. Gay Street, Magnolia Avenue and Williams Street.

Locally based new music and percussion ensemble Neif Norf presents Phil Kline's Unsilent Night. Sign up to participate online and meet up at the Casual Pint starting at 6:30 p.m. for fellowship and/or at the base of the Sunsphere. The event (part walking tour, part musical experience) starts at 9 p.m.

Saturday: Bright and early, the Jingle Bell Run 5K begins at the World’s Fair Park at 9 a.m. and continues toward downtown via Clinch to Locust, to Hill, to State, to Union, to Central, to Willow, Willow to Patton, left onto Jackson, right onto Gay Street Left onto Depot, left onto Broadway, right onto World's Fair Park Drive.

Sean McCullough hosts WDVX KidStuff Live at the Visit Knoxville Visitors Center, 10 - 11 a.m. Community School of the Arts music instructors Ben Maney (keyboard) and Greg Horne (guitar) perform some duets and holiday-themed numbers with students from the non-profit arts school for underserved youth. Admission is free. Limited free parking is available in the lot next door to the Visitors Center.

The second of four Market Square Holiday Markets is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Market Square and on Union and Market Streets. Farmers are on site from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and crafters and food trucks and the like stay until 5 p.m. Market Square garage will fill up quickly with market vendors and shoppers, so this is a good time to try the nearby Langley Garage.

The Old City Market returns to Jackson Avenue in the Old City from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. for shopping at multiple local pop-up vendors set up in the block of Jackson between Central and State (closed to cars 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.). Free parking is available in the city lot under James White Parkway, accessible from both Jackson and Willow avenues.

James White’s Fort and the East Tennessee History Center are both hosting Holiday Open Houses from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus performs their holiday show, "Make the Yuletide Gay," at 3 and 7 p.m. at the Bijou Theatre. Free parking is available at the nearby Dwight Kessel Garage all day.

The Knoxville Civic Auditorium hosts three, one-hour performances of The Nativity Pageant starting Saturday at 3:30 p.m., Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Admission is free, and guests are encouraged to come early to get seats.

Oak Ridge Academy of Dance performs its Holiday Spectacular at 7 p.m. at Knoxville Civic Auditorium.

Next week:

Wednesday: Downtown will be busy midweek as the Bijou Theatre hosts Putting Down Roots, a benefit for Bridge Refugees featuring performers Greg Brown, Mary Gauthier, Malcolm Holcombe and RB Morris; and the Tennessee Theatre hosts a sold-out show by Mannheim Steamroller. Both shows start at 7:30 p.m.

Posted by ptravis On 07 December, 2018 at 12:46 PM