Christmas Activities in Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia

For over 150 years, the city of Bristol has spanned the two states of Tennessee and Virginia and remains an integral part of the Tri-Cities area. From November to January, Bristol offers several Christmas activities throughout the season to help you celebrate the holiday. The following are some of the activities that Bristol has to get you in the spirit of the season.

Bristol kicks off the holiday season on November 21st with its Downtown Christmas Open House. Join area residents, visitors, and downtown retailers for this special customer appreciation night that features late hours, special discounts, refreshments, caroling, carriage rides, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus. This event is free, with parking available throughout the downtown area. Call (423) 573-2200 for more information.

Bristol has additional seasonal shopping November 25-27th with the annual Country Christmas Craft Show at Viking Hall Civic Center on 1100 Edgemont Avenue. Tickets are $5 each and this is the perfect event if you delight in unique and hard to find homemade arts and crafts. Call (423) 764-0188 for more information.

While in Bristol, be certain to not miss the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. This year’s ceremony will occur on November 26th at 6:30 p.m. at Cumberland Square, when the city light’s up the winter darkness with a 45ft tree decked out with over 18,000 lights. Parking is available throughout the downtown area. Christmas Music, Cider and hot chocolate will be provided. Call (423) 573-2200 for more information.

Downtown Bristol’s Historic State Street Christmas Parade will be held at 6:30 p.m. on December 1st this year. The parade consists of decorative floats, marching bands and a special appearance by Santa Claus. Parking is available throughout the downtown area. Call (423)989-4850 for more information.

While in Bristol, be certain that you do not miss the Speedway in Lights at the Bristol Motor Speedway. From 6 to 11 p.m. nightly 11-18-11 through 1-07-12, the four mile guided tour through the Speedway and Dragway properties features millions of lights and hundreds of displays and you even get to drive on Nascar’s fastest half-mile track. Tickets for cars are $10 to $12, vans and tour buses are more. Included in the displays is the Symphony of Lights, where hundreds of thousands of LED lights move in time to many of your favorite holiday tunes. Santa’s sleigh rides are available by reservation on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Separate tickets for this ride are required and are $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Don’t forget to visit Christmas Village at the end of the tour as well as Johnson Controls Skating Rink, and the HVAC Chill Hill Tube Slide. Its $5 to skate, plus a $2 skate rental per person; and its $7 per person to ride the Tube Slide. Call (423)989-6900 for more information and to make reservations.


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