This Holiday Season, Lenoir City Gets the Weeknights and Loudon Gets the Weekends

The holiday season starts on Broadway in Lenoir City on Friday, November 6, and from then until New Year's, a Tennessee National household will rarely have to choose between one town and the other.

Loudon and Lenoir City each posted their own 2026 holiday calendar, and the two hardly overlap. Every Lenoir City date in the official lineup falls Monday through Thursday. Every Loudon date falls on a Friday or a Saturday. Tennessee National sits between the two towns, so that split works out well for residents, and the club's own calendar covers most of what the towns leave open.

Broadway Opens the Season on November 6 and 7

The Loudon County Chamber of Commerce lists a Holiday Open House in Historic Downtown Lenoir City on Broadway for November 6 and 7, 2026. The listing gives no hours, so check with the individual shops before you head over.

That Saturday is a busy day at home, too. The Tennessee National 2026 events calendar has the UT football home game against Kentucky on November 7. If the game keeps you home Saturday, Friday still gets you to the Broadway open house.

After that, Loudon has one more November date. The Loudon Parks calendar lists Kindergarten Tree Decorating downtown on Friday, November 20. That's a Friday, which fits the pattern for the rest of Loudon's season.

Every Lenoir City Date Falls Monday Through Thursday

The City of Lenoir City's 2026 special events page gives three holiday dates:

• Christmas Tree Lighting: Monday, November 30, 6 to 7 p.m., at Lenoir City Central Park. It's free and includes the tree lighting, live Christmas music and light refreshments.
• Christmas Parade: Thursday, December 3, starting at 6:30 p.m. Floats line up at 5 p.m. on South C Street, every participant has to pre-register, and the parade takes only the first 75 entries.
• Evening with Santa: Thursday, December 10, 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Lenoir City War Memorial Building. It's free and includes letters to Santa, one-on-one time with Santa, light refreshments and a keepsake photo.

The city says "thousands of families" come downtown for the parade each year and calls the event a way to "bring Christmas to Broadway." A Thursday parade on Broadway is easy to reach on a weeknight, and it leaves the weekend free for Loudon.

Private events in Lenoir City mostly keep to weeknights too. The Venue at 7690 Creekwood Park Blvd. and Santa Gary are co-hosting a free Fireside Festival for Children on Tuesday, December 1, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. It has crafts, games, inflatables, treats and music, and Santa and Mrs. Claus may be there for photos. The one weekend event on the Lenoir City side is ticketed. Christmas With a Purpose, a benefit for Cold Hands & Warm Hearts, is at The Venue on Saturday, November 28. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the concert runs 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Tennessee National calendar has the Vanderbilt game the same day, so a household that wants both will need to plan around kickoff.

Loudon Puts Its Season on Fridays and Saturdays

Loudon Parks, Recreation and Tourism scheduled every December event for the end of the week:

• Dickens Christmas on the Square: Friday, December 4, at the Loudon County Courthouse, with Loudon Alive as partner.
• Lunch with Santa: Saturday, December 5, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Lions Club Pavilion. You have to register ahead by calling (865) 458-7525.
• Christmas in the Park: Friday, December 11, 5 to 9 p.m., at Loudon Municipal Park.
• Loudon Christmas Parade: Saturday, December 12, at 6 p.m. Floats line up at 5 p.m. on Carter Street, and the city says floats registered at the Rec Department can compete for a prize.

Loudon Lights is the one Loudon event without a day of the week. You can drive or walk through the display at Loudon Municipal Park all through December. The city calendar doesn't list hours or admission, so call the Parks office at the same number before you plan an evening around it. The lights do give you a reason to come back to the park after Christmas in the Park on December 11, on any night that suits you.

The Two Calendars Side by Side

Here are both town lineups plus the club's December dates, in order.

The two parades are nine days apart on different days of the week, and so are the two Santa visits run by the towns. A family can go to both of each without giving up a weekend.

Friday, December 4 Is the One Day That Stacks Up

The split falls apart on December 4. Three separate organizers picked that Friday, and two of the events are a short walk apart in downtown Loudon. If you want to do the whole day, here's the order:

1. 7:30 to 9 a.m.: The Loudon County Chamber's free Christmas Breakfast at United Community Bank, 257 Medical Park Dr., Lenoir City. The Chamber asks for an RSVP.
2. Evening: Dickens Christmas in Olde Loudon on Courthouse Square, presented by Loudon Parks, Recreation and Tourism with Loudon Alive. The two official listings give different start times. The city's parks calendar says it begins at 5 p.m., and Loudon County Tourism's event page lists 6 to 8 p.m. Loudon Parks at (865) 458-7525 can tell you the correct time before you go.
3. 7 to 9 p.m.: "A Second Wind Christmas" at The Lyric, 320 Grove St. in downtown Loudon. The Eventbrite listing gives Friday, December 4, says check-in opens at 5 p.m. and notes the show is bring-your-own food and drinks. The listing doesn't print a year, so confirm the date when you buy tickets.

The courthouse is at 601 Grove Street, on the same street as The Lyric. So the evening half of the day works best on foot: park once downtown, go to the square early, then walk over to The Lyric for the concert.

Loudon County Tourism also has a page for "Christmas in Olde Town Loudon," a tree lighting and concert at the courthouse. That page gives two different dates. Its date field says Friday, December 5, 2025, and its description says Friday, December 5, 2026, though December 5 is a Saturday in 2026. The 2026 Loudon Parks calendar puts its courthouse event, Dickens Christmas, on Friday, December 4.

The Club Calendar Takes Sunday and the Last Night of the Year

Tennessee National's own 2026 events calendar lists three holiday events under its Club category: Christmas Cookies & Cocoa on Saturday, December 5; Brunch with Santa on Sunday, December 13; and the NYE Dinner & Ball Drop Party on Thursday, December 31. The calendar doesn't give times or say where in the community each one is held, so watch for club announcements as the dates get closer.

December 5 already has Loudon's Lunch with Santa at midday, and Cookies & Cocoa adds a second option in the community that day. Brunch with Santa on December 13, the day after Loudon's parade, is the only fixed-date Sunday event of the season. Neither town has a New Year's Eve event on its calendar, so the club's ball drop party is the last date of the year.

For a household that wants a weeknight outing, a weekend outing and something close to home in the same week, the week of December 7 has all three. Evening with Santa in Lenoir City is Thursday, Christmas in the Park and the Loudon parade are Friday and Saturday, and Brunch with Santa at the club is Sunday.

If you're having family in for the holidays or hosting guests who are thinking about moving to the area, I'm glad to help you plan a December weekend that shows them both towns, from the Broadway parade to Courthouse Square. Liza Acheson works across Loudon County year-round. Request your free concierge consultation.