Farragut's Holiday Season Fits on One Stretch of Campbell Station Road

Start at the I-40 commuter lot and head south on Campbell Station Road toward Kingston Pike. Starting the week of Thanksgiving, that drive runs past most of Farragut's holiday season. The lights line the road all the way down to Campbell Station Inn Plaza at the Kingston Pike intersection. Founders Park at Campbell Station sits on that stretch at 405 N. Campbell Station Road. Turn onto Jamestowne Boulevard and you pass the Farragut Community Center at 239 Jamestowne Blvd. From there it's a short way to Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza and the synthetic ice rink beside Village Green Shopping Center.

Because those stops are so close together, the useful question for December is which nights let you do several at once. Thursday, Dec. 3, combines three stops. On Sunday, Dec. 6, the parade, Santa's Village, the rink and the lights all run on the same afternoon and evening.

The Loop, Stop by Stop

These are the five places that carry the season, in the order you'd drive past them heading south and then east:

• Light the Park, along Campbell Station Road. More than 100,000 lights, according to Visit Farragut. They're on from dusk to 10 p.m. every night, running from the I-40 commuter lot to Campbell Station Inn Plaza.
• Founders Park at Campbell Station. Home to the Countdown to Light the Park kickoff and the giant Santa mailbox. Restrooms stay open until 9 p.m. every night except Dec. 25.
• Farragut Community Center, 239 Jamestowne Blvd. Hosts Celebrate the Season, New Year's at Noon and the start of the Christmas parade.
• Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza. The Campbell Station Skate synthetic rink.
• Village Green Shopping Center. Santa's Village on parade day, behind the plaza and next to the rink.

None of these stops is more than a few minutes' drive from the next. That's why the schedule below matters more than any single event on it.

Opening Week Arrives in Two Pieces

The loop's season starts on a Monday. Countdown to Light the Park runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, at Founders Park. There's live entertainment, crafts and refreshments, and Santa flips the switch. The event is free, per the Town of Farragut's fall events announcement.

The rink waits a day. Campbell Station Skate opens Tuesday, Nov. 24, and stays open through Dec. 31. It's closed every Monday, so kickoff night has lights but no skating. Two days later it closes for Thanksgiving.

The rink's weekly schedule sets the rhythm for the rest of the season:

The rink also closes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Town's listing adds a food truck at the rink on weekends this season. Tickets will be sold through the Campbell Station Skate page, so check there for pricing and sessions before you head out.

In late November it's dark by the time the rink's weekday hours end, so any skate night is also a lights night. The lights stay on two hours after the rink closes, and the 10 p.m. cutoff is the latest anything on the loop runs.

Thursday, Dec. 3: A Weeknight That Stacks Three Ways

Celebrate the Season runs from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3, at the Farragut Community Center. Families can get portraits made with Santa, decorate cookies, do crafts and watch a holiday movie. The Town lists it as a free evening.

Thursday is a weekday, so the rink is open from 4 to 8 p.m. that night. The lights are on from dusk. So on a school night a family can do Santa portraits on Jamestowne, skate at McGill Plaza until 8, and drive the lit stretch of Campbell Station Road on the way home, without ever leaving the loop.

Celebrate the Season is also Santa's second scheduled appearance on the loop. The first was flipping the switch on Nov. 23. The next comes three days later.

Sunday, Dec. 6: Everything Overlaps at Village Green

The 5th Annual Farragut Christmas Parade & Santa's Village falls on Sunday, Dec. 6. It packs more of the season into one afternoon than any other date on the calendar.

The official parade site gives the route. The parade starts at 4 p.m. at the Farragut Community Center and heads up Jamestowne Boulevard past Faith Lutheran Church. It continues behind Village Green Shopping Center, turns in at the shopping center's west entrance, and ends just short of Santa's Village. Santa's Village runs from 1 to 5 p.m. behind Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza, right next to the skating rink.

Sunday falls inside the rink's weekend hours. Put the day's pieces together and the afternoon runs like this:

The layout is what makes this day work. The parade ends next to Santa's Village, and Santa's Village sits next to the rink. A family that watches the floats come in at Village Green is already standing at the rink, with the weekend food truck nearby. From there it's a short drive up Campbell Station Road to the lights once it gets dark.

The parade has used Village Green since last year. The 2025 parade also ended near Santa's Village beside the rink, as the Knoxville News Sentinel's 2025 parade roundup reported. In 2024, Santa's Village was on Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza and the parade ended at Regions Bank, according to the Farragut Press. Keeping the parade's end, Santa's Village and the rink next to each other at Village Green is what puts the whole afternoon within walking distance.

The Deadline Hidden in the Lights

The giant mailbox at Founders Park takes children's letters to Santa during Light the Park. Letters need to be mailed by Tuesday, Dec. 15, and the Town asks families to include a return address so a reply can come back.

That makes the mailbox the one stop on the loop with a hard cutoff. Dec. 15 is a Tuesday, so the rink is open from 4 to 8 p.m. that evening. A family running late on letters can drop one at Founders Park and still skate the same night. The Town also schedules giveaways, food trucks and caroling during Light the Park and posts updates on Farragut Parks & Recreation's Facebook and Instagram. The Light the Park listing mentions daily giveaways from local businesses and groups.

The Stops Off the Loop

A few holiday events sit outside the Campbell Station corridor. Each one fits around the loop's schedule.

Saturday, Nov. 14: the warm-up. United Women in Faith's 9th Annual Artisan Craft Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Concord United Methodist Church. It has more than 70 vendors and a bake sale, according to Visit Farragut's listing. It falls two Saturdays before the lights come on, the earliest holiday date on the Farragut calendar.

Friday, Nov. 20: Turkey Creek goes first. All is Bright runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Pinnacle at Turkey Creek, and the 2026 listing highlights Santa's arrival. That's three days before he flips the switch at Founders Park.

Nov. 23 through Dec. 31: the trail that sends you to local businesses. The Festive in Farragut Trail is a passport-style activity that runs the same weeks as the lights. Pick up a paper passport at the Community Center or use the digital version. Then look for window clings at participating locations, write down their codes, and bring the completed passport back to the Community Center for a prize, per Visit Farragut. The passport starts and ends at the Community Center, so the trail leaves from the loop and comes back to it.

New Year's Eve Runs Morning to Night

Thursday, Dec. 31, fills a whole day. New Year's at Noon runs from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Farragut Community Center, with snacks, crafts, games and a countdown at noon. Parents need to attend with their children. The Town takes registration for special events at townoffarragut.org/register, in person at the Community Center or by phone at 865-218-3376.

Dec. 31 is also the rink's last day. It's a Thursday, so skating runs 4 to 8 p.m. The lights are on that night as usual. A noon countdown on Jamestowne, a final skate at McGill Plaza and a drive under the Campbell Station Road lights all fit into that one day.

If you'd like a neighbor's take on Farragut beyond the holiday calendar, from which streets sit closest to Founders Park to what homes near the Village Green area are worth this season, Jennifer Whicker is glad to talk it through over coffee. When you're ready to know where your own home stands, request your free home valuation and Jennifer will give you an honest, appraisal-backed number.