Downtown Elizabethton will be a hub for holiday activities this weekend and with the extra traffic expected the Elizabethton Police Department is advising motorists that some roads in the area will be closed.

On Saturday afternoon, the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Department is hosting the inaugural Christmas in Covered Bridge Park from 2 to 5 p.m. before the annual Downtown Christmas Parade hosted by the Chamber of Commerce kicks off at 6 p.m.

“We don’t have any road closures for the activities at the park but there will probably be some traffic congestion in that area,” said Elizabethton Police Chief Jason Shaw. In addition to expecting heavier traffic around the park, motorists are asked to keep an eye out for pedestrians, especially children, walking to and from the activities there.

While no roads will be closed for the event in the park, East Elk Avenue, including the portion adjacent to the park, will begin shutting down while the event is underway.

No parking in downtown along East Elk Avenue will be permitted after 3 p.m. on Saturday, Shaw said.

“That will give us time for all those that are parked there to move so we can clear Elk Avenue,” Shaw said. “We will start blocking those spaces, putting up cones and tape at 3 p.m.”

Road closures around the downtown area will begin around 4 p.m. to begin making room for the parade to line up.

• Elk Avenue will be closed from Big John’s Closeouts through the downtown to Highway 19E for the parade route.

• Lynn Avenue will be closed from C Street to Elk Avenue around the Farm Bureau office to allow for parade entries to line up.

As the time for the parade nears, side streets through the downtown around Elk Avenue will close to traffic. Those closures will include: Sycamore Street, Armed Forces Drive, Elm Street, Riverside Drive, and the area around the Soldier’s Monument in front of the Carter County Courthouse.

The disassembly area for the parade will be Cat Island Park off of Main Street near the Carter County Justice Center.

“We want folks in the parade to disassemble there and not ride the parade floats out onto Broad Street or 19E,” Shaw said.

Having a disassembly area allows those riding with floats to safely get off the float. Shaw said driving the floats onto busy roads like Broad Street can be dangerous for those riding.

Once the parade is concluded, roads will begin opening back up to allow traffic out of the downtown area.