Happy holidays! A list of East Tennessee festivities, decorations and events

It's time to put a few holiday festivities on your calendar and spread some cheer. 

While many traditional holiday events in Knoxville have been canceled due to the spread of COVID-19, some have been modified to follow guidance from Knox County and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

More:Knoxville cancels holiday parade and moves ice rink to prevent COVID-19 spread

There are also some new events on the horizon this year. 

Keeping with county mandates, all the events require cloth face masks and social distancing. 

Here's a list of holiday events to look out for this year. 

Enjoy a larger Holidays on Ice skating rink

The Holidays on Ice skating rink will open Dec. 11, but this year it will move from Market Square to inside the Civic Coliseum, where the Knoxville Ice Bears play hockey. 

The large rink, measuring 180 feet, will allow skaters to remain socially distanced on the ice.

Tickets are $11 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under. Season passes are available.

Holidays on Ice will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday with extended hours during Knox County Schools’ winter break. Hours vary by date. The full schedule is posted at KnoxvillesHolidaysOnIce.com.

Stroll through the downtown Knoxville holiday lights

Crowd-drawing festivities like the Celebration of Lights and the WIVK Christmas Parade have been cancelled this year, but you can still get in the holiday spirit downtown.

Knoxville will deck the downtown with holiday lights and greenery beginning Nov. 23, including a forest of Christmas Trees in Krutch Park and the 42-foot Christmas tree in the Krutch Park Extension on Gay Street. 

Market Square will be lit up with new, peppermint themed lighting displays, and Market Square businesses will create festive window decorations and offer special holiday merchandise and menu items, the city said. 

See the first annual neighborhood Holiday Trails decorations

This year, the city of Knoxville and the Office of Neighborhoods have challenged neighborhoods to show off their decorations for the first-ever Knoxville Neighborhood Holiday Trails event. 

The city will create a map of participating neighborhoods and make them available for residents who would like to take a driving tour of festive décor. 

Watch the Halls Christmas Parade

The Halls Business and Professional Association will host its annual Halls Crossroads Christmas Parade Dec. 12, starting from Halls High School at 6 p.m. 

This year, the business association has asked parade participants to make a $10 donation for Second Harvest Food Bank and Halls Community Schools.

Groups can register at Hallsbusiness.com. 

Check out holiday decorations at Christmas in the Cave

Cherokee Caverns is still hosting its annual Christmas in the Cave event, Fridays through Sundays beginning after Thanksgiving. 

Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. and weekends from 3 to 9 p.m., families can walk through the cavern and see holiday decorations, lights and themed scenes. 

The event will feature photo opportunities, holiday vendors and a bonfire. 

For more information, visit Cherokeecaverns.org.

Fantasy of Trees goes virtual this year 

East Tennessee Children's Hospital's annual Fantasy of Trees event will not be held as usual this year.

Instead, its most popular events are going virtual to benefit East Tennessee Children's Hospital.

The Walmart and The Home Depot Raffle Tree will be held online this year and will feature more prizes than ever. Tickets cost $10 and are available at fantasyoftrees.org.

The raffle drawing will be streamed live Nov. 30 on Facebook.

Commemorative T-shirts and thumbprint ornaments are available on the organization's website. 

See the lights in Farragut's Founders Park

Light the Park will continue as usual this year beginning Nov. 24 every evening until Jan. 1, now with more room to socially distance. 

Founders Park at Campbell Station Road, Farragut Community Center and the Campbell Station Inn Plaza will feature thousands of lights and a slate 

of socially distant activities like grab-and-go items and storybook trails.

A detailed calendar of Light the Park events, vendors and activities is available at Visitfarragut.org. 

Have a holiday themed cocktail at Miracle pop-up bar

Miracle on Gay Street, the Christmas pop-up bar, is returning to Knoxville's Sapphire Fine Food and Fancy Drinks for the third year in a row.

From Nov. 27 to Dec. 27, Miracle on Gay Street will serve holiday themed cocktails in an over-the -top, nostalgic, festive holiday environment.

This year, Miracle will donate 10 percent of its proceeds from the sale of Santa Pants, Christmas Carol Barrel and Santa Heads signature glassware to the James Beard Foundation Open for Good campaign to aid the relief efforts of independent restaurants.

Go back in time with an old-fashioned Appalachian Christmas 

The Museum of Appalachia in Clinton will host "A Candlelight Christmas" Friday Dec. 11 and Saturday Dec. 12 from 4 to 9 p.m.

The museum's pioneer village cabins will be festively lit and adorned with old-fashioned Christmas decorations. Visitors can enjoy storytelling, a live nativity scene, live music and wagon rides. There will also be blacksmithing, sorghum making and apple butter churning demonstrations.

Limited tickets will be available at $40 per family, $15 per person over 13 or $5 for kids 6 to 12. 

For more information, visit museumofappalachia.org.

Make your own holiday wreath

Make your own natural holiday wreath at Historic Homes of Knoxville's wreath-making workshop Friday, Dec. 4 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. or Saturday, Dec. 5 from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

The workshop will take place at the historic Ramsey House, located at 2614 Thorngrove Pike. Tickets are $40 or $35 for Historic Homes of Knoxville members, and include instruction, holiday refreshments, fresh greenery, and supplies.

Visit hhknoxville.org/events for more information or call 865-546-0745.

Experience colonial Christmas at Marble Springs

Historic Homes of Knoxville will host a holiday tour of historic Marble Springs on Dec. 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. at 1220 West Gov. John Sevier Highway. 

The Marble Springs director and docents will be present to talk about colonial life, early immigrant Christmas Traditions and how Christmas may have been celebrated at Gov. John Sevier's house.

Admission is free but donations are encouraged.

Visit hhknoxville.org/events or call 865-573-5508 for more information.

See a century of Christmas cards at Mabry-Hazen House

Historic Homes of Knoxville will host a candelight tour of the historic Mabry-Hazen House on Dec. 11 from  5 to 8 p.m. at 1711 Dandridge Ave

Mabry-Hazen House’s holiday exhibit titled “Holiday Greetings: A Century of Christmas Cards” will return for its third year this year. The exhibit features nearly 100 years of holiday cards addressed to the Hazen family will be on display for visitors to learn about this sentimental holiday tradition.

Tickets are free but donations are encouraged. To reserve space ahead of time call 865-522-8661

Visit hhknoxville.org/events for more information.

Take a candlelight tour of historic Ramsey House

Historic Homes of Knoxville will host a candelight tour of the historic Ramsey House  Dec. 3 and 4 from 5 to 7 p.m. at 2614 Thorngrove Pike. Tours begin every 10 minutes at the visitor center. Enjoy holiday refreshments by a bonfire before and after you tour. 

Tickets are free but donations are encouraged. To reserve space ahead of time call 865-546-0745. 

Visit hhknoxville.org/events for more information.

See Zoo Knoxville lit for the holidays

Zoo Knoxville will host an all new outdoor lantern light-up experience from 5 to 9 p.m. every day from Nov. 27 to Jan. 3, except for Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. 

The zoo will feature a variety of colorful animal lanterns, an enchanted forest of tree lights, holiday refreshments and more.

Tickets are $15, or $13 for Zoo Knoxville members. 

For more information, visit www.zoolightsknoxville.com/

Shop the Christmas Market in Oak Ridge's Jackson Square

Vendors will set up holiday shopping booths in Oak Ridge's Jackson Square for the annual Christmas Market Nov. 27 and 28. from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The market also includes live entertainment, including a Santa Claus character. 

For more information check out the event's Facebook page. 

Shop the Maryville Holiday Market 

Maryville Downtown Association will host its 5th annual holiday market to celebrate Christmas and Small Business Saturday.

The Holiday Marketplace will be filled with local businesses and local or regional makers. Downtown Maryville businesses will fill their spaces with holiday decorations and goodies too. Vendors will also set up outside on the sidewalks along Broadway.

The market will run Nov. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in historic downtown Maryville. 

Enjoy live music at the Great Smoky Mountains heritage center

The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center will host Grammy award-winning artist Billy Dean is at 7 p.m. on Dec. 11 for an outdoor concert. 

Guests can meet Dean at 6 p.m. inside the Heritage Center’s Transportation Gallery, before the performance which will take place in the open-air amphitheater.

The center said guests should dress warmly and bring a blanket to the concert. 

For ticketing and more information, visit gsmheritagecenter.org/events/concerts.