Jingle all the way to these local holiday gatherings. | Photo provided by Ruby Falls
What a bright time, it’s the right time to start planning out those holiday calendars. To help you get started, we put together this guide to some festive events happening in and around Chattanooga.
Christmas parades
East Ridge | Tomorrow, Nov. 18 | 6:30 p.m. | Ringgold Road, East Ridge | Free | Join the community to see local businesses and organizations showcase their floats.
Chattanooga| Friday, Nov. 24 | 4-8 p.m. | Ross’s Landing | Free+ | Enjoy the city’s annual Reindeer on the Riverfront & Lighted Boat Parade, featuring holiday fun, real reindeer, photo-ops with Santa Claus, and a parade on the water.
Tree lightings
A Soddy-Daisy Christmas | Today, Nov. 17 | 5-7 p.m. | Poe’s Tavern Park | Free+ | See the lighting of a 62-ft Christmas tree, shop from local vendors, get photos with Santa + Mrs. Claus, and see live performances.
Festive Forest | Wednesday, Nov. 22 | 5 p.m. | Miller Park | Free | Come out for this inaugural tree lighting downtown where you can see 50 trees decorated by local organizations.
Hamilton County | Thursday, Nov. 30 | 4 p.m. | Hamilton County Courthouse | This second annual tree lighting event features Santa Claus, the Chattanooga Elf, face-painting, hot chocolate + food trucks.
Santa sightings + more
Holidays at Ruby Falls | Friday, Nov. 24-Saturday, Dec. 23 | Times vary | Ruby Falls | $15.95-$34.95 | Immerse yourself in the winter wonderland at Ruby Falls where you can explore the lit + decorated caves and see Santa Clause.
Holidays Under the Peaks | Monday, Nov. 27-Sunday, Dec. 31 | Times vary | Tennessee Aquarium | Price of admission | Join the aquarium for various holiday programs including seeing Scuba Santa every Saturday + Sunday at 2 p.m. Pro tip: Snag a ticket for the special IMAX screening of “The Polar Express” before they sell out.
“Until the Sun Rises” | Friday, Nov. 17 | 7:30-10:30 p.m. | Coosa Mill, 1800 S. Watkins St., Chattanooga | $15-$145 | Come out for an encore performance of this immersive art experience.
Saturday, Nov. 18
Chattanooga Christmas Village Holiday Market | Saturday, Nov. 18-Sunday, Nov. 19 | Times vary | Camp Jordan Arena, 323 Camp Jordan Pkwy., East Ridge | $0-$5 | Shop holiday gifts from 130+ vendors + enjoy food and free photos with Santa.
Holiday Open House | Saturday, Nov. 18 | 12-4 p.m. | Locals Only Gifts & Goods, 10 Frazier Ave., Chattanooga | Free+ | Participate in a NorthShore treasure hunt, grab popcorn + coffee, and shop around for holiday gifts.
Dave Attell | Saturday, Nov. 18 | 8 p.m. | The Walker Theatre, 399 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga | $48.70-$59.20 | Spend an evening with this comedic host from Comedy Central.
Sunday, Nov. 19
Thanksgiving Market | Sunday, Nov. 19 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | First Horizon Pavilion, 1826 Reggie White Blvd., Chattanooga | Free+ | Come out for the Chattanooga Market’s last outdoor market of the season + shop local meats, cheeses, breads, and other goods to prepare for your Thanksgiving meal.
Monday, Nov. 20
Honey Revenge | Monday, Nov. 20 | 7:30-11:55 p.m. | Barrel House Ballroom, 1501 Long St., Chattanooga | $18-$22 | Listen to live alternative, indie, and rock songs from this LA-based pop-rock group.
Talk to an EPB Tech Pro to have all of your questions answered. | Photo by NOOGAtoday
Hey, Nooga. City Editor Kristen here. As much as I love exploring the Scenic City, I also love spending a night in watching my favorite shows. That’s why I recently spent time with the folks at EPB to learn about their new and improved EPB Fi TV Entertainment Box.
Read on to see how you can upgrade your out-of-date TV equipment while getting a traditional TV-watching experience + the added flexibility and content that only streaming provides.
What we tried
I sat down with EPB Tech Pro Matt, who showed me some standout features of the box and service (developed with customer feedback):
The box is smaller and comes with a full-feature remote (think: guide channel buttons, numbers for channels, and a home button).
It’s linked to the Fi TV app, meaning you can access your channels on up to 10 devices (even when traveling).
It provides access to local networks, live sports, and live TV, plus streaming apps, which allows you to have the traditional TV experience, but with more benefits.
The Chattanooga Airport has announced a new nonstop roundtrip flight service to Las Vegas. Allegiant Air will offer twice-a-week flights to Harry Reid International Airport beginning on May 16. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Civic
Hamilton County commissioners have unanimously approved the purchase of a new license plate reader system. The $1.2 million Motorola system will install 100+ cameras across the county with hopes of identifying “criminal activity more quickly.” (NewsChannel 9)
Development
A plan for a multi-speciality outpatient surgery center to be built inside the former U.S. Xpress office building has been approved. In this first-of-its-kind plan, HCA (Parkridge’s parent company) will form a general partnership with Erlanger to run the $23.2 million facility. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Feel Good
A $400,000 donation from the Hamilton County Commission has been approved for the construction of two exhibits at the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. One of the exhibits will be built to honor recent medal recipient Capt. Larry Taylor of Signal Mountain. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Concert
Local artist Grant Bias — who you may know as “BIAS,” a current contestant on season 24 of “The Voice” — will host a hometown show tomorrow, Nov. 18 at the New York Pizza Department in Hixson. Doors will open at 6 p.m. + all ages are welcome to attend. Get your tickets.
Arts
ClearStory Arts will host its annual Cold Turkey Fall Market on Saturday, Nov. 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Over 50 local artists + makers will showcase their creations at this post-Thanksgiving outdoor celebration. See the featured artists.
Cause
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Chattanooga will launch its new Big Future Program on Thursday, Nov. 30. The program will allow mentors to support 9th-12th graders “for success in adulthood and continue serving them past their adolescent years.” (Chattanoogan.com)
Eat
Clumpies Ice Cream on NorthShore is sweetening up this weekend’s Holiday Open House (today, Nov. 17-Sunday, Nov. 19) with a Gourmet Hot Chocolate Bar and Ice Cream Taco Bar. Sip + lick your way around the neighborhood and jumpstart your holiday shopping with huge discounts at nearly every NorthShore shop.*
Shop
Need the perfect holiday gift for your dad, brother, husband, or boyfriend? This brand has you covered with all the gifts and stocking stuffers that men will actually use. (Plus, they’re all 25% off during the Black Friday Sale, happening now.)*
Correction
In Thursday’s newsletter we shared about Reflection Riding’s “Get Schooled: Native Animals” educational event happening today, Nov. 17. We mistakenly wrote it would be the last session of the season, this program is actually conducted year round.
This local bookstore will be hosting various events beginning at 7 a.m. with an audiobook run/walk. You can also enjoy a “Nutcracker” storytime, pizza, raffles, cider + caroling.
Walnut Street Publishing is encouraging all artists to apply for its open call to be featured in its upcoming Art Gala & Pop-Up Gallery. Artists can submit up to five pieces for consideration no later than Friday, Dec. 1.
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