Between Saturday, Nov. 28, and Saturday, Dec. 5, four different hosts light four different trees at four addresses split between Maryville and Alcoa. On Dec. 12 the Blount County Jaycees parade connects the two downtowns, and this year it ends earlier on the Maryville side.
Taken together, the season is a relay. Each event goes to a different host and a different address, and each gives you a different reason to show up. All four lightings are listed together on the Maryville-Alcoa-Blount Parks & Recreation Hometown Christmas page.
| Date | Host and event | Lighting time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | City of Maryville Tree Lighting | About 5:30 p.m. | Maryville Parking Garage on Broadway |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | City of Alcoa Tree Lighting | 6:00 p.m. | Pedestrian bridge, Springbrook Corporate Center, 223 Associates Blvd., Alcoa |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Blount County Festival of Trees | 6:30 p.m. | Blount County Courthouse lawn, 345 Court St., Maryville |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | H.O.M.E. for the Holidays | 6:00 p.m. | MLK Jr. Community Center, 209 E. Franklin St., Alcoa |
Maryville Lights Its Tree at the End of a Shopping Day
The first leg of the relay comes at the end of a long day downtown. Parks & Rec says the City of Maryville tree lighting is set for about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28, "to help close out the downtown Holiday Market event." The ceremony takes place at the Maryville Parking Garage on Broadway, and it is free.
Participating vendors list the 2026 Holiday Market on Broadway from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. that Saturday. One boutique describes the market as an annual Small Business Saturday event. Parks & Rec says more details on the day's activities are still to come, so check back with the city as the date gets closer.
Because the lighting comes last, the day can run in order: shop Broadway in the afternoon, catch the lights at dusk, then walk to dinner without moving the car.
Alcoa Picks a Monday and Starts Early
Two nights later, the relay moves to Alcoa. The City of Alcoa's tree lighting is on Monday, Nov. 30, on the pedestrian bridge at Springbrook Corporate Center, 223 Associates Boulevard. Craft vendors and food trucks open at 4 p.m., two hours before the tree is lit at 6 p.m. Afterward there is special music, refreshments and visits with Santa Claus. Admission is free.
Alcoa's event is the only one of the four on a weeknight that also builds in a dinner window. With food trucks there from 4 p.m., a family can come straight from work or school, eat on site, and be home at a normal weeknight hour.
The Courthouse Lawn Stays Lit All Month
The third lighting works differently from the first two. The Blount County Festival of Trees opens Thursday, Dec. 3, with a tree lighting at 6:30 p.m. on the Blount County Courthouse lawn, 345 Court Street. After that night, Parks & Rec describes a "month-long event" of live Christmas trees in all sizes and themes. You can drive by or walk through for a closer look. The opening night includes entertainment, refreshments and visits with Santa.
Residents and groups also build the display themselves. The deadline to submit a tree is Nov. 6, and entry questions go to the Parks & Rec office at 865-983-9244. The registration form and participation guidelines are linked from the Hometown Christmas page. If a church group, scout troop, business or family wants a tree on the courthouse lawn this December, the paperwork is due by Nov. 6.
The Last Lighting Is a Neighborhood Tradition
On Saturday, Dec. 5, the relay ends back in Alcoa at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, 209 E. Franklin Street. H.O.M.E. (Hall-Oldfield-Maryville Empowerment) and the community center host H.O.M.E. for the Holidays together. Parks & Rec calls it an annual celebration "to kick-off the Christmas holidays," with family activities, light refreshments and a tree lighting at 6 p.m.
This event has a participation deadline too. If you want to put a tree in the lower field, set it up before the event. The last day to do so is Nov. 28, the same Saturday Maryville lights its tree.
The Parade Now Ends Behind CBBC Bank
A week after the last lighting, the one event that runs through both cities takes over the streets. The 2026 Blount County Jaycees Christmas Parade is Saturday, Dec. 12. Lineup starts at 9 a.m. and the parade steps off at 11 a.m. The rain date is Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m. This year's theme is "The Reason for the Season."
According to the Jaycees' parade site, the 2026 route runs in this order:
- Staging along Rankin Street and Joule Street in Alcoa
- Through New Midland Plaza Shopping Center
- Out onto Calderwood Street
- Onto North Cusick Street toward downtown Maryville
- A turn onto Cates Street near the McCammon-Ammons Funeral Home area
- The finish on East Church Avenue, behind CBBC Bank
The parade organizers call this "an important change." The parade "will no longer continue in front of the Maryville Municipal Building," and they say the adjustment is meant to improve traffic flow and safety for participants, spectators and motorists. For comparison, The Daily Times' announcement of the previous parade, held on Saturday, Dec. 13, described a route through Joule Street, New Midland Plaza and Broadway, ending at New Providence Presbyterian Church.
The new finish affects anyone who has watched from the same patch of sidewalk for years. If your usual spot was near the Municipal Building, the parade will no longer reach it, so pick a new spot along the earlier stretch of the route. The organizers say all side streets connecting to the route will be closed during the parade. Parking lots and businesses with entrances directly on the route may have temporary access limits while it passes. They encourage spectators to watch from sidewalks along the route.
Groups still deciding whether to enter have some time. The rules set an early registration date of Nov. 1, after which entries carry a $20 late fee. Online entries are accepted through Monday, Nov. 30.
Downtown Has More Places to Go After Dark This Year
Three of these five events finish downtown or a short drive from it, and downtown Maryville has more evening options than it did last December. Wells Tavern, a Scottish-inspired tavern, opened Sept. 19, WATE reported. Knox News described the three-story pub at 114 E. Broadway Ave. as having live music, a rooftop bar and a snug, with owners Eric Chadwell and Alice Basler.
Basler told WATE that the tavern was meant as a place to go after dinner. "We've got so many good high-end restaurants that this is just a great addition to, hey, we go out to dinner, and then let's go have a drink," she said.
The same WATE report lists other businesses that have opened downtown in recent months: The Raven, a steakhouse; The Armory, an entertainment venue; REO Cheesewagon; and Pinchy's, a seafood restaurant. The Downtown Maryville Alliance's director, identified by WATE as Gillooly, told the station what she wants to see:
"What I like to see is foot traffic downtown."
A Saturday that starts at the Holiday Market and ends with the 5:30 p.m. lighting on Broadway brings exactly that. Gillooly also told WATE that a downtown hotel is under construction with no completion timeline, and that it could include a full-service hotel and rooftop bar.
The Indoor Dates Between the Lightings
The relay leaves some nights open, and indoor holiday concerts fill several of them:
- Tue., Dec. 1, 7 p.m. Maryville College's A Highland Christmas features the college's choral groups with guests the Rich Mountain Celtic Band, directed by Heather Duncan.
- Tue., Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m. Holiday Fuss at the Clayton Center for the Arts.
- Sun., Dec. 20, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. A Celtic Christmas plays two shows at the Clayton Center.
Before the relay starts, the Clayton Center's 2026-27 season also has the USAF Band of Mid-America on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. and the Southern Nights Comedy Tour on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m.
Hosts sometimes change details close to the date, so check with each organizer before you head out. That is especially true for the parade, where weather could push everything to the Sunday rain date.
Every year, Nancy Keith watches Maryville and Alcoa change one block at a time, from a pub opening on East Broadway to a parade route that ends a little earlier. If the holidays have you thinking about which part of Blount County you want to be close to next December, schedule a free consultation and we'll talk through it street by street.
