Santa Claus is still coming to town, in spite of the coronavirus pandemic. The Nashville Christmas Parade will once again take place, this year on Saturday, December 5, with several country and gospel artists taking part. The annual event will be virtual this year, allowing Music City residents to watch from the comfort of their own homes.
Runaway June, Jimmie Allen, Lauren Alaina, Sandi Patty, CeCe Winans, Danielle Bradbery, for KING & COUNTRY, The Oak Ridge Boys, Melinda Doolittle, Mitchell Tenpenny and more will perform. Lindsay Ell will serve as the Radio Disney Country special correspondent for the event, and Dolly Parton will offer a special holiday greeting during the program.
WKRN‘s own Nikki Burdine and Neil Orne, as well as Meteorologist Meaghan Thomas from Good Morning Nashville will serve as the official TV hosts for the parade, and the Hometown Heroes spotlight will be dedicated to the hospital’s frontline workers.
In addition, highlights from previous parades will be shown, along with patient stories from the children of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. One of those stories will be from 12-year cancer survivor, Grace Hamilton, who is this year’s Child Ambassador. Grace had high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was only five years old.
“We are so glad that we were able to discover a safe way to continue the tradition of the Nashville Christmas Parade this year,” Julie Carell Stadler, parade co-producer and daughter of the late Monroe J. Carell Jr. and Ann Scott Carell, said in a statement.
“The parade has brought joy to children and their families for decades and touches even more lives by benefiting Children’s Hospital,” she continued. “It really is the kickoff to the holiday season for locals and visitors to Nashville, and I think people will be really pleased with how we are making it happen this year.”
The Nashville Christmas Parade, which benefits the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, will air at 9:00 AM CT on WKRN on Saturday, December 5. It will re-air again on Sunday, December 6, at 12:00 PM CT. More information can be found at NashvilleChristmasParade.com.