Most of Oak Ridge's December plans now fall into roughly 24 hours. On Friday evening, Dec. 4, the city lights its tree at A.K. Bissell Park and the holiday ice rink opens at Oak Ridge Mall. On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Children's Museum opens a new holiday event at its Flattop House, Grow Oak Ridge's Winter Farmers Market comes back, and the Oak Ridge Playhouse opens its first holiday show.
One week later, on Dec. 12, the Christmas Parade and a choral concert fall on the same afternoon and evening. Outside those two Saturdays, the calendar is fairly sparse. If you have family coming into town, or you just want the season to feel like it has started, the first weekend of December is the one to plan around.
Friday, Dec. 4: the tree, then the ice
The City of Oak Ridge calendar lists the Tree Lighting Ceremony for Friday, Dec. 4, from 7 to 8 p.m. at A.K. Bissell Park, 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The Recreation and Parks event page still shows a Dec. 5 start at 6 p.m. next to a 2025 brochure, so go by the 2026 city calendar listing.
The Recreation and Parks page also explains how the ceremony works. The Woman's Club presented the city with a Norway spruce, and that tree is the centerpiece. It stands near the Secret City Commemorative Walk. After the countdown, people move to the A.K. Bissell Park Pavilion for the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board awards. Past ceremonies have had seasonal music, refreshments from Y-12 Federal Credit Union and the advisory board, and a letters-to-Santa table run by the Youth Advisory Board.
The Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge Holiday Ice Rink opens the same day inside Oak Ridge Mall, near Tinseltown, at 115 E Main St. On weekdays it opens at 5 p.m., so you can skate before or after the tree lighting. The rink uses synthetic ice, and all proceeds go to the clinic's work providing medical and mental health care to uninsured working families.
Here is what the city listing gives for the full run of Dec. 4 to 30:
- Wednesday through Friday: 5 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sunday: 1 to 9 p.m.
- Holiday hours, Dec. 14 to 30: Tuesday 1 to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 1 to 9 p.m.
- Closed: Friday, Dec. 25
- Skate rental: $5 for kids 12 and under, $10 for ages 13 and up
The rink is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays until Dec. 14. After that, the holiday schedule adds Tuesday afternoons and earlier weekday openings.
Saturday, Dec. 5: three openings in one day
On Saturday, three of the season's more distinctive events open within hours of each other.
The Children's Museum of Oak Ridge is adding a new event this year called "A Flattop Home for the Holidays." It runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features the museum's Flattop House decorated the way it would have been for the holidays around 1945. Admission includes the museum and the Flattop House, along with special activities and holiday refreshments. The museum set Nov. 1 as the day tickets go on sale.
The museum's recent programming has also looked back at history, including an America at 250 poetry contest judged by Oak Ridge poet Rose Weaver.
That same Saturday, Grow Oak Ridge brings back its Winter Farmers Market at Roane State Community College's Oak Ridge campus, 701 Briarcliff Avenue. Check Grow Oak Ridge's market page for the market's hours.
In the evening, the Oak Ridge Playhouse opens The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at 227 Broadway Ave. It runs Dec. 5 and 6, and tickets are $15. The Playhouse schedule page doesn't list showtimes, so check the ticketing page before you plan dinner around it.
Together, Friday and Saturday give a household five separate options: a tree lighting, a rink, a museum event, a market and a play. You can do them in sequence or split them between Friday night, Saturday morning and Saturday evening.
Dec. 12: parade evening, with a concert first
The second anchor comes a week later. The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce hosts the Annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 12, and the city lists it from 6 to 8 p.m. The route follows Oak Ridge Turnpike. If you'd rather stay home, BBB-TV broadcasts the parade live.
This year's theme is "All American Christmas." The Chamber's events page described the Dec. 13, 2025 parade as country-themed. The theme also shapes how entries are judged. According to Adventure Anderson's event listing, the awards include:
- Spectacular Sparkles Award for the best display of lights or other illumination
- Elfin Magic Award for the best entry built around children
- Spirit Award for the most enthusiasm along the route
- Director's Award for the best walking or marching group
- Chamber Award for the entry that best presents the All-American Christmas theme
- Judge's Award for overall originality, creativity, appearance and decorations
Registration for parade entries is free, but every participant has to fill out the online form before parade day. Scout troops, school groups, church choirs or businesses thinking about entering should register early in the month.
The afternoon before the parade is already booked as well. The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association lists "Home For The Holidays," with the Oak Ridge Chorus and the Oak Ridge Youth Choir, at 3 p.m. that day at First Baptist Oak Ridge. With a 3 p.m. concert and a 6 p.m. parade, you can attend both with time for an early dinner in between.
The full calendar, Nov. 21 through Dec. 20
Outside the two Saturdays, the season is more spread out. Here are all the confirmed 2026 dates in order:
Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
Sat., Nov. 21, 6 p.m. | ORCMA Holiday Jazz Concert, Chamber Music Series | FUMC Oak Ridge |
Sat., Nov. 28, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | FARM Holiday Market | Jackson Square |
Fri., Dec. 4, 7 to 8 p.m. | Tree Lighting Ceremony | A.K. Bissell Park |
Dec. 4 to 30 | FMC Holiday Ice Rink | Oak Ridge Mall, near Tinseltown |
Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | A Flattop Home for the Holidays | Children's Museum of Oak Ridge |
Sat., Dec. 5 | Winter Farmers Market returns | Roane State, Oak Ridge campus |
Dec. 5 and 6 | The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | Oak Ridge Playhouse |
Sat., Dec. 12, 3 p.m. | Home For The Holidays | First Baptist Oak Ridge |
Sat., Dec. 12, 6 to 8 p.m. | Christmas Parade | Oak Ridge Turnpike |
Dec. 16 to 20 | Holiday Variety Hour - and a half! | Oak Ridge Playhouse |
The city calendar lists the FARM Holiday Market at Jackson Square on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so it works for a morning out with houseguests who are still in town. The city calendar puts the Nov. 21 jazz concert at the Oak Ridge Conference Center, while ORCMA's own concert page lists FUMC Oak Ridge. Go by the organizer's page.
The Playhouse's second holiday show, Holiday Variety Hour - and a half!, runs Dec. 16 to 20. Tickets are $35 for adults and seniors and $28 for students. It falls in the same week the ice rink moves to its holiday hours, so the last stretch before Christmas has some evening options of its own.
One newer stop for a cold Saturday is Scooter's Coffee, which opened on Oct. 3 in the former Petro's Chili & Chips location, according to The Oak Ridger. It's an easy place to grab something warm before the ice rink or a long parade wait.
If your family is planning a move around the holidays, or you're hosting relatives this December who are thinking about Oak Ridge, The Blankinship Group can help you schedule showings around tree-lighting weekend and parade Saturday so the visit still leaves room for both. Request a Confidential Consultation & Free Home Valuation, and we'll help you plan the logistics.
