Ready to celebration the holiday season? Then bundle up and generate a healthy dose of holiday cheer as the 35th annual Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade festival takes to the streets of downtown Gatlinburg on Friday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m.

With more than 100 parade entries including dozens of floats, decorated vehicles, marching bands, lots of lights and helium balloons as well as special guest Santa Claus, you will surely see why the parade has been recognized as one of the “Top Twenty Events in the South” by the Southeast Tourism Society.

Santa’s Autograph Party cranks up at 6 p.m. at Riverbend Mall, in the midst of a main viewing area for the Parade at Traffic Light #3 in front of the Gatlinburg Welcome Center. The parade begins at Traffic Light #1A on Hwy 321 and ends about an hour-and-a-half later at Traffic Light #10.

Pre-parade performances by the Walters State Performing Arts Program, Elizabeth Williams School of Dance, and the Winter Tunes & Tales Whimsical Elves are also planned.

Jamming sidewalks and balconies along the parade route, a crowd in excess of 80,000 people is expected to soak up the illuminating festivities for Gatlinburg Winter Magic, the City of Gatlinburg’s popular holiday lights program which has received a $1.5 million injection of new displays plus a 100-percent conversion to energy-efficient LED bulbs.

To learn more about these and other events in Gatlinburg, call 800-56-VISIT (568-4748) or visit the Gatlinburg website at www.gatlinburg.com