Farragut's 2026 holiday season starts Monday, Nov. 23, when Santa flips the switch at Founders Park at Campbell Station. From then on, most of what the Town puts on for the season sits along one stretch of road. The lights follow Campbell Station Road, the synthetic ice rink is back at Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza, and at the south end of the route, Biddle Farms at Town Center is close to fully leased.
Biddle Farms finished its commercial phase last year, and businesses have been moving in since. This year the lights end at a block with restaurants, a juice bar, a doughnut shop, gift stores, and a bakery-café scheduled to open right around the time the lights go up. Taken together, the lights, the rink and the shops make the season an evening you can spend in one place.
The Route, North to South
The Town of Farragut's fall events roundup says Light the Park runs nightly from dusk to 10 p.m. along Campbell Station Road, from Nov. 23 through Jan. 1. Last year's Visit Farragut holiday guide described the route as running from Founders Park down North Campbell Station Road to the Campbell Station Inn and Biddle Farms, with more than 100,000 lights in the 2025 display.
From the north end:
- Founders Park at Campbell Station. The Countdown to Light the Park runs here on Nov. 23 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with live entertainment, crafts and refreshments. Santa's giant mailbox also stands here. Children's letters need to go in by Tuesday, Dec. 15, with a return address if they want a reply.
- Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza, 101 N. Campbell Station Road. This is the rink, and the week before the lights come on, it's the site of the Great Turkey Hunt. More on both below.
- The Campbell Station Inn. Last year's guide named it as a landmark along the lit stretch.
- Biddle Farms at Town Center. The south end of the lights, where most of the dining and shopping is.
The Town also lists giveaways, food trucks and caroling at points through the season and posts those details on Farragut Parks & Recreation's Facebook and Instagram pages.
The Rink in the Middle
Campbell Station Skate is back for another season. Visit Farragut's event page describes the rink as surrounded by holiday lights, with shopping and dining, "many within walking distance of the rink." This year a food truck will be parked at the rink on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The posted hours:
- Monday: closed
- Tuesday through Thursday: 4 to 8 p.m.
- Friday through Sunday: 1 to 8 p.m.
- Closed: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day
The page lists a season of Nov. 23 through Jan. 3. Nov. 23 is a Monday, which is the rink's regular closed day, and the page's calendar label shows Nov. 24. Opening night with the lights may not include skating, so check before you promise the kids.
The Town says tickets go on sale later this fall and hasn't posted 2026 prices yet. For comparison, Knox News reported that tickets for the 2025 season started at $5 per person for a 45-minute session. The rink itself is small. The Town's rental bid called for a 40-by-54-foot synthetic surface at McGill Plaza, so a weekend afternoon session will feel more like a neighborhood rink than an arena.
The rink also runs two days past the Town's posted end date for the lights. The Town's October roundup lists Light the Park through Jan. 1, while the rink stays open through Sunday, Jan. 3. Last year's guide ran the lights through Jan. 3. If you're saving a skate for that final weekend and want the lights too, check the Town's social pages that week.
The South End Filled In
In September, the Farragut Press reported that Biddle Farms at Town Center finished its commercial phase last year. Town administrator David Smoak told the paper the developer had only a couple of open spaces left, both with tenants working on leases. "This time next year, this place will be all filled up here," he said.
The tenant list in that same article gives you a lot to do at the end of the lights:
- For dinner: Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar and Super Chix
- For something sweet: Parlor Doughnuts
- For a lighter stop: Nekter Juice Bar, which opened in August
- For gift shopping: Bradley's Gift and Home, Elle Boutique and Diamond Gallery
- For the last grocery run before company arrives: Aldi
The biggest addition may arrive about when the lights do. Paris Baguette, a bakery-café franchise, is expected to open at Biddle Farms between late November and early December. The Farragut Press reports the owners are a couple of University of Tennessee alumni and that this will be the first East Tennessee location, with artisan cakes, croissants, sandwiches and specialty coffees. Back in May, the Farragut Press reported that the same team was still negotiating its lease and aiming for November or early December. That timeline has held since spring, but it's still a target, and opening dates for new restaurants often slip.
If you spent much of the summer at Biddle Farms, this follows the shift our summer roundup described, when the west side of town started to work as a gathering place. This December, that end of the route is nearly full.
Dec. 12 Brings the Market to the Green
The one holiday event set at Biddle Farms itself is the Winter Market at Biddle Farms on Saturday, Dec. 12, on the Biddle Farms Community Green. Visit Farragut lists local art vendors selling stained glass, pottery and crochet, plus a gingerbread house contest, a local business passport, kids' arts and crafts, and photo spots.
The listing gives two start times, 11 a.m. in the description and noon in the hours field, and both say it ends at 4 p.m. Dec. 12 is a Saturday, so the rink opens at 1 p.m. that day. You could shop the market in the early afternoon, skate, eat at Biddle Farms, and walk the lights after dark without moving the car. Bring cash or a card for the vendors and plan on a full day.
The Weeks Around the Lights
The corridor events sit inside a longer Town calendar, and most of the rest takes place at the Farragut Community Center, 239 Jamestowne Blvd. The Town notes that community center classes require a free membership and that you don't have to live in Farragut to get one.
Friday, Oct. 30. Freaky Friday Fright Nite runs from 5 to 7 p.m. on the walking trail at Mayor Bob Leonard Park. Local businesses and volunteers hand out candy, and the event collects donations for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Knoxville. The Town posts the wish list online.
Nov. 16 to 21. The Great Turkey Hunt takes over McGill Plaza for the week, with turkeys to find and prizes to win. It sends people to the plaza a week before the rink opens.
Monday, Nov. 23. Countdown to Light the Park, 5:30 to 7 p.m., at Founders Park.
Wednesday, Dec. 2. The Youth Art Show, 6 to 8 p.m., shows work from the Art Adventures and Afterschool Art classes for ages 6 to 12.
Thursday, Dec. 3. Celebrate the Season, 4:30 to 7 p.m., is a free evening with Santa photos, cookie decorating, crafts and a holiday movie.
Friday, Dec. 4. Line dancing, 6 to 9 p.m., is $5 per person for ages 8 and up.
Saturday, Dec. 5. At 8 a.m., Farragut Parks & Rec and the Tennessee Chess Association host two chess tournaments. The unrated one is open to all skill levels ages 5 and up, and the rated one is for competitive players.
Thursday, Dec. 10. At the Gingerbread House Competition, 6 to 8 p.m., teams of up to four pay $10 and compete for People's Choice votes on social media. Space is limited.
Friday, Dec. 11. Holiday Ornament Craft Night, 6 to 8 p.m., is $8 for ages 16 and up, with preregistration required.
Friday, Dec. 18. 'Twas the Night with No Parents runs from 5 to 8 p.m., with food, games and crafts for ages 6 to 12 at $10 per child. That leaves three free hours on the last Friday before Christmas, which could cover a gift run to Bradley's or Elle Boutique.
Thursday, Dec. 31. New Year's at Noon runs from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with crafts, snacks and a countdown, and parents must attend. One part of the Town's page lists it as a Wednesday, but Dec. 31, 2026, falls on a Thursday.
Before December starts, the community center also has a Design a Doormat class on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 6 to 7 p.m. It's $15 and includes a 17-by-18-inch coir mat to paint for your own porch or as a gift. You can register at townoffarragut.org/register, in person at the community center, or by phone at 865-218-3376.
What Comes After This Season
More growth is coming on the west end. The same September Farragut Press report said Kingston Pike Villages expects to hand spaces over to tenants by December, with tenants starting to move in around summer 2027 and a few possibly open by the end of spring. This holiday season has Biddle Farms close to full, and next year's could have more open along Kingston Pike.
For this year, the plan is straightforward. Park once, start at whichever end suits your evening, and follow the lights along Campbell Station Road.
Plenty of Farragut neighbors know this stretch of Campbell Station Road from years of holiday seasons. Pam Owen grew up in Knoxville and has spent her career getting to know the streets that make up daily life here. If a move is coming in the new year, or you'd just like to know what your home is worth before the holidays, Pam Owen is glad to put together a free, no-pressure home valuation whenever it suits your schedule.
