* The Food City Speedway In Lights powered by TVA is a brilliantly illuminated five-mile wonderland situated in Bristol Motor Speedway’s sprawling property, showcasing more than three-million holiday lights and more than 300 festive displays. Celebrating an impressive 28th anniversary in 2024, the popular holiday light show runs from Friday, Nov. 15 until Saturday, Jan. 4. The hours of operation each night is 6-10 p.m.
* Food City Speedway In Lights opening ceremonies on Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. will once again feature an explosive fireworks show, an appearance by Santa Claus driving the holiday-themed BMS Pace Car, members of the nearby Emory & Henry University marching band performing classic Christmas music, and SCC-Bristol executive director Claudia Byrd dropping the Green Flag to get the festivities started.
* The Food City Speedway In Lights will utilize a similar 5.35-mile route as last year and continue to begin and end at BMS Entrance No. 3 (Dragway entrance at Hwy. 394). After guests visit the Home Shopping Network (HSN) Christmas Village and the Barter Theatre Santa Hut in the BMS infield, guests will still have a significant portion of the light show remaining before they exit back on to Hwy. 394. A collection of 40 displays are new to the light show this year with the Santa Safari showcase.
* All of the light displays feature energy-efficient, LED lighting. More than 150 miles of wiring is used for The Food City Speedway In Lights, which could stretch from Bristol Motor Speedway well past Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
* About midway through the route, guests will want to visit the popular Appalachian country-themed HSN Christmas Village, located in the BMS infield, to take advantage of photo opportunities with several special holiday displays, roast marshmallows over an open fire, shop with a variety of local vendors and check out some great arts and crafts. Several family-friendly midway rides will be available and the kids will also get to visit with Santa Claus in the Barter Theatre Santa Hut.
* Two additional attractions have been added to the HSN Christmas Village to energize the experience. The Bristol Turbo Slide presented by State Water Heaters will keep kids entertained during the visit. As will SnowMazing presented by Healing Hydration, a 2,000-square-foot inflatable maze that will challenge all who enter it to find their way back out.
* In addition to visiting with Santa, kids will also have the chance to enjoy some adventures on some thrilling amusement rides. This year there are four rides available, including the Giant Carousel, Scooters Bumper Cars, Pepper Patch and Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Individual ride tickets are sold separately inside the HSN Christmas Village.
* The popular Symphony in Lights, located in the Darrell Waltrip Grandstand inside the BMS oval, returns to showcase more than 300,000 lights all coordinated to flicker and flash to the tunes of popular holiday music.
* The Food City Speedway In Lights has added 40 new displays with the Santa’s Safari collection, but the route continues to offers many of the longtime traditional favorites, including The Twelve Days of Christmas, Ripley’s Sea of Illumination, Mycroft Signs Race to Space, NASCAR Pit Stop, Dinosaur Land, the Candelabra, Drag Cars, Victorian Village, Beech Mountain Resort Snowman Maker, the Nativity Scene presented by Visit My Smokies and Toy Land.
* Several Food City Speedway In Lights partners have custom light displays, including ETSU, Ballad Health, Hardee’s Restaurants, Barter Theatre, Food City, BTES and the Bristol Herald-Courier. Five new sponsors are joining the light show this year including HSN, Beech Mountain Resort, Brightspeed, State Water Heaters and Wendy’s.
* Guests should monitor Food City Speedway In Lights social media channels to be on the lookout for a variety of discount opportunities available through special partners on the following nights: WCYB and Food City (Sunday); Wendy’s (Monday); Southeast Industrial Construction (Tuesday); Hardee’s Restaurants (Wednesday); and Goodwill Industries of Tenneva (Thursday).
* The Food City Speedway In Lights is supported by these outstanding media partners: Holston Valley Broadcasting (WTFM Radio 98.5 FM); WCYB TV 5 (NBC); Bristol Herald-Courier newspaper; and Bristol Broadcasting (WAEZ Radio Electric 94.9 FM).
* The Food City Speedway in Lights has added new dynamic pricing for 2024, where depending on the night of the week and time of the visit, prices for cars will range between $20-35. Guests are encouraged to check the Food City Speedway In Lights webpage for specific pricing for each night. Visitors should also be aware of several coupons and discounts available Sunday-Thursdays. For larger groups, vans are $85 and buses are $150.
* Visitors can take advantage of The Fast Lane presented by Citi, a speedy $75 option which provides a shorter wait time on select nights when traffic lines get long. Reservations are recommended via the online system. Dates for The Fast Lane presented by Citi are November 29 and 30 and December 7, 14, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28.
* The Food City Speedway In Lights also accepts large group vehicles nightly: Vans are $85 and large buses are $125.
* One of the coolest perks of touring The Food City Speedway In Lights is the opportunity to drive your personal vehicle alongside the famed NHRA-sanctioned Bristol Dragway and on the iconic high-banked concrete oval of Bristol Motor Speedway, where so much NASCAR history has been made over the years.
* Located at BMS Entrance No. 1, the Tri-Cities Airport Ice Rink at Bristol Motor Speedway presented by Stateline Services returns to bring joy to local ice-skating enthusiasts. The Ice Rink is open from Thursday, Nov. 15 until Sunday, Jan. 12. The Ice Rink will be closed on Mondays from Nov. 18-Dec. 16 and also Jan. 8. Hours of operation vary from day to day, so please review the schedule on the BMS website in advance.
* The Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities is a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to distribute the funds raised each year to many local children’s-based organizations in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Since its inception in 1997, the Bristol Chapter of SCC has distributed more than $21 million to regional children’s agencies.
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