The City of Red Bank’s annual Christmas parade

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Today, the City of Red Bank held its annual Christmas festival this afternoon, followed by its beautiful parade.

Holiday festivities are in full swing, as community members celebrate by participating in festivals and parades all throughout Tennessee.

This afternoon, Red Bank held its festival at Red Bank City Park, located at 3817.

There were over 30 vendors selling various items such as gifts, crafts, food, and more.

In addition to the eight food trucks, six food vendors sold specialty items such as cotton candy, tamales, coffee, and kettle corn.

While adults had many shopping opportunities with Christmas just around the corner, children were able to play in the “KidZone,” which included White Oak Bicycle Co-op giving away 50 free bikes!

Of course, there was free face painting, balloon animals, arts and crafts, and games.

We ran into our friend, Buddy the Elf, who reminded us to have a Merry Christmas!

He said, “Don’t forget the syrup, and don’t forget to sing loud for all to hear—that’s the best way to spread Christmas cheer. Yes!”

Santa Claus himself made an appearance and took pictures with all the children.

Santa says, “We have a lot of kids who are on the nice list. There’s enough time for everyone to get on there, okay? Everybody, do your best.”

Jeffrey Grabe, Parks, Trails, and Recreation Manager for Red Bank, invites everyone out to have a great time.

“Our Citizen Festival Board has worked really hard to set up an amazing festive event. … We are also thrilled with the amount of parade participants that will make this an amazingly magical evening.”