NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
Music City's 59th annual Christmas parade will be held Friday night in downtown Nashville.
Boasting the most musical performances in parade history, this year's Christmas parade is expected to be the largest ever in Nashville.
The night's festivities will begin with the lightning of the state Christmas tree at 6:30 p.m. in the Public Square Plaza.
The parade will commence immediately following at 7 p.m. on Union Street at the Woodland Street Bridge, traveling in front of the plaza, down Second Avenue and up Broadway, ending at Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School located between Seventh and Eighth avenues. View a map of the route.
Themed "Christmas Around the World," this year's grand marshal is country music star Vince Gill.
He will lead more than 80 parade participants and performing groups, 15 high school marching bands, professionally designed floats and jumbo-sized helium balloons down the parade route.
Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Jenny Gill, The Lunabelles and country singer Sarah Darling, among others, will also be in attendance.
Since its beginning in 1952, the Nashville Christmas Parade has been sponsored by the Nashville operations of Piedmont Natural Gas.
Proceeds from this year's parade will once again benefit the Piedmont Natural Gas Share the Warmth program, which assists low-income families in Nashville who need help paying energy bills.
Piedmont customers can also register for Share the Warmth online.
Read more about the annual parade at NashvilleChristmasParade.com.
Christmas parades will be held Saturday in Franklin, Spring Hill, Fairview, Mt. Juliet, Clarksville, La Vergne and McMinnville.
Portland, Lebanon, Hendersonville and Smyrna have their Christmas parades on Sunday.
