Knoxville's Tour de Lights is pedaling into a new home this December. The free, family-friendly holiday celebration is scheduled for Dec. 12, 2026, running from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Covenant Health Park, with a roughly five-mile round-trip bike ride winding through downtown and several historic neighborhoods along the way.
Visit Knoxville announced the return of the annual bike ride, confirming that Visit Knoxville and Bike Walk Knoxville will hold the event at Covenant Health Park with a new route for 2026, according to WBIR. The shift marks a change from last year's edition, which was scheduled for Mary Costa Plaza at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum, according to Knoxville Focus. The approximately five-mile, round-trip ride begins and ends in front of Covenant Health Park on Stadium Way, per visitknoxville.com.
This year's group ride is set to begin at 6 p.m., a later start than the 5:30 p.m. kickoff scheduled for the 2025 edition, per WBIR. The 2026 route passes through the Old City, Historic Fourth and Gill and Downtown Knoxville, according to bwknox.org, including a ride down Gay Street before riders loop back to the stadium, per the same visitknoxville.com page. Event staff are scheduled to begin staging riders at 5:30 p.m., with the line forming on Stadium Way facing Jackson Avenue and extending onto Willow Avenue, the site notes.
Costume Contest Deadlines and Festival Activities
Riders hoping to enter the Costume Contest need to register online by 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 12, since onsite registration will not be available, per the same account. Entrants must already be registered to ride in order to compete, and they're expected to show up in costume and check in behind the stage by 4:45 p.m., with judging beginning at 5 p.m. and winners announced at 7:15 p.m.
Beyond the ride itself, festivities and the bike valet open at 3:30 p.m., offering attendees holiday music, fire pits, marshmallow roasting, children's activities, and a mailbox for letters to Santa, along with hot chocolate, beer, and spirits for purchase. The Knoxville Community Band is scheduled to perform live classic holiday music from 6 to 7 p.m., and the Smokies Winter Wonderland light show is set to open at 7:30 p.m. as the broader celebration wraps up, per WBIR.
Bike Valet, Prize Drawing, and a Changed Market
The free, staffed Bike Valet is scheduled to operate outside Covenant Health Park's First Base Entrance from 3:30 to 9:30 p.m., and riders are expected to collect their bikes before it closes, according to the same visitknoxville.com page. Visit Knoxville has encouraged rider registration, since every registered entrant earns one entry into a drawing for a year of free bike service from Two Bikes, covering up to $1,000 in labor, with the winner needing to be present for the 7:15 p.m. drawing.
Not everything is carrying over from prior years. The maker market will not be returning in 2026; organizers are instead directing visitors to the Old City Market scheduled for Dec. 13, per visitknoxville.com. The event has shifted shape before, too, with the 2023 ride starting at Mary Costa Plaza alongside a costume contest and holiday market before looping down Gay Street, according to insideofknoxville.com, which offered an informal guess of 400 to 500 participants that year.
A Tradition With Deep Roots Downtown
Visit Knoxville President Kim Bumpas described Tour de Lights as a treasured holiday tradition that brings people together, and said the move to Covenant Health Park is meant to create a new experience while celebrating community spirit, according to WBIR. The event has changed venues before: the 2021 ride began in the Old City, at the corner of Willow Street and Patton Avenue, and ended in Market Square, according to Knoxville Focus.
Heading into 2026, organizers are framing the Covenant Health Park move as a fresh chapter for a ride that's circled through several corners of downtown over the years. Whether it's lining up on Stadium Way or descending Gay Street under string lights, the celebration remains centered on the same formula: a free group ride, holiday cheer, and a chance to see Knoxville's streets lit up for the season.
