Best Festive Events

Posted by Jenni Barnett on Monday, November 21st, 2022 at 11:00am.

Middle Tennessee is famous for our year-round festivals and celebrations, and the holiday season is certainly our crowning achievement in this regard. We have created a list of our top ten activity-packed experiences, including light displays, shows, family-friendly festivals, and concerts. Happy Holidays are here once again!


Christmas at Gaylord Opryland
2800 Opryland Drive | Nashville

Gaylord Opryland creates a fully immersive winter wonderland experience each holiday season, including a massive 3 million light display that is free to the public. The resort’s activities and entertainment could keep your family enthralled for at least a week, and include the following: 

  • ICE carved wonderland, created from two million pounds of vibrantly colored ice
  • The Oak Ridge Boys "Christmas in Tennessee" Dinner Show
  • Rudolph's Holly Jolly™ Breakfast
  • Ice Tubing
  • Ice skating
  • Bumper cars
  • Snowball Build & Blast
  • Celebration On Ice Live Skating Show
  • Frosty’s Pub
  • Delta Riverboat Christmas Cruise
  • Carriage rides
  • Parade of Trees, decorated by country music’s biggest stars
  • Build-A-Bear Workshop
  • Photos with Santa
  • So much more!

The resort welcomes the public with free admission, but please note that the resort’s parking fee can only be validated by dining at an on-site restaurant. Admission to events, concerts, and activities are limited, so we do recommend purchasing tickets in advance.


Dickens of a Christmas
Main Street, Downtown | Franklin

The 37th annual Dickens festival will be hosted in Franklin’s Town Square on December 10th and 11th. More than 50,000 visitors are expected to attend, and festivities will include the following: 

  • A Victorian village
  • Characters from the stories of Charles Dickens
  • Food and beverage vendors
  • Arts and crafts vendors
  • Holiday shopping
  • Entertainment on the main stage
  • KidZone
  • Whiskey lounge 

Zoolumination
3777 Nolensville Pike | Nashville

The Nashville Zoo has been transformed into a Chinese Festival of Lights featuring double the number of lights and displays compared to last year’s event! Chinese artists have created mythical creatures and beautiful scenes, so come tour the zoo after dark daily from now until January 8, and thereafter every Thursday through Sunday until February 4.

If you would like to bring your little ones to visit Santa in the North Pole Village, be sure to attend between November 25 and December 24.


Cheekwood Holiday LIGHTS
1200 Forrest Park Drive | Nashville

Nashville’s Cheekwood Estate is one of our nation’s treasured historical mansions. This season’s Cheekwood Holiday LIGHTS event runs each evening from November 19 through January 8 from 5 - 10 PM. Wander along a mile-long path through the botanical gardens to take in the more than one million lights! Take selfies and photos at dozens of perfectly lit photo stations, visit Santa, make s’mores at the fire pit, visit bar stations, and see the 20-foot-tall poinsettia.

Tickets go quickly and spaces are limited, so we recommend purchasing your tickets as soon as possible.


Opry Country Christmas
600 Opry Mills Drive | Nashville
116 Rep. John Lewis Way North | Nashville 

A Tennessee Christmas simply wouldn’t be complete without the much-anticipated Music City holiday tradition: An Opry Country Christmas! This year’s Country Christmas crooners will sing their hearts out in eight performances (late November through early December). Artists for 2022 include: Kathy Mattea, Steve Wariner, Riders in the Sky, Charlie McCoy, Chris Janson, Mandy Barnett, Lauren Alaina, Rhonda Vincent, Scotty McCreery, Louise Mandrell, Steven Curtis Chapmin, Jeannie Seely, Chris Young, Josh Turner, Trace Adkins, Jason Crabb, John Berry, Ricky Skaggs, and The Gatlin Brothers - with additional performers and surprise guests in store! Tickets are on sale now.


Immersive Nutcracker
4416 Ridgefield Way | Nashville

From the creators of the Immersive Van Gogh, The Immersive Nutcracker: A Winter Miracle will draw you and yours into the world of Tchaikovsky’s ballet in a way you’ve never imagined. Large-scale projections will surround you, special visual effects and iconic musical pieces will enhance your immersion into a winter holiday miracle, and a life-sized Nutcracker will make a magical appearance. Tickets are available now.


Music City Bowl
1 Titans Way | Nashville

The SEC and the Big Ten will be pitted against each other for their final game this December 31 at Nissan Stadium. College football fans, you don’t want to miss this year’s showdown live in Nashville!


Enchant
19 Jr Gilliam Wy | Nashville

Hallmark’s Enchant is a holiday celebration on an epic scale. This light maze is the largest in the world, and will take you through massive displays (via lighted paths and tunnels) into the Enchant Christmas Village, and up to the 100-foot Christmas Tree. Bring your little ones for story time with Mrs. Claus and to play with our elves, get a jump on your holiday shopping, enjoy hot meals and beverages from vendors, and go ice skating! Live entertainment will complete your magical holiday experience. Tickets are on sale now.


FrankTown Festival of Lights
4215 Long Ln | Franklin 

FrankTown Festival of Lights is a drive-through holiday light display that’s perfect for entertaining the whole family! Listen in your car to Christmas tunes that are perfectly synchronized to 200+ light displays that stretch for a mile and a half. At the route’s end, gather around the fire pit to make s’mores and take your photo at the giant lighted tree. 

Open nightly from now through December 31; tickets are on sale now. Be sure to bring your smartphone; your tickets will be scanned via QR code.


Nashville's New Year's Eve Big Bash
600 James Robertson Pkwy | Nashville 

Middle Tennessee, come on in and spend the last night of 2022 at the biggest party of the year. Live music from Little Big Town, Kelsea Ballerini, Brooks & Dunn, and Zac Brown Band will be headlining this free event at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. More acts will be announced closer to the event, which will be broadcast nationally on CBS and Paramount+.


From all of us at Parks Realty to you and yours: have a happy and safe holiday season! We appreciate each of you and look forward to working with you to achieve your real estate dreams in 2023.

 

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