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…