More than 150 events are set for Saturday, Dec. 1, between the 6:30 a.m. pancake breakfast that opens MainX24 and the 2 a.m. Neon Masquerade that will wrap up the Southside celebration in the wee hours of Sunday morning, Dec. 2.
MainX24 is a 24-hour-long festival celebrating Main Street and the surrounding Southside, held every December since 2007. The street party was founded to showcase the burgeoning Southside; now it's an anticipated holiday celebration that draws people to the neighborhood to enjoy music, food, art, dancing, a parade and fireworks.
Big Wheel races down Station Street begin at 12:30 p.m. Saturday with the adults Big Wheel Relay Race followed by the Aduilt Big Wheel Sprint Race at 1 p.m. (Facebook.com photo)The opening pancake breakfast is held at Chattanooga Fire Station 1, 218 E. Main St., from 6:30 to 11:45 a.m. The $5 breakfast is a fundraiser for the Forgotten Child Fund, which provides Christmas to needy families. Toy boxes will be on-site for donations of new, unwrapped toys or children's coats.
If pancakes aren't for you, there's always ice cream or breakfast burritos. Clumpies, 1401 Market St., will host Ice Cream for Breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Conga Latin Food, 26 E. Main St., will serve breakfast burritos and hot cocoa from 9 to 11 a.m.
A MainX24 favorite is the Southside Parade, sponsored by EPB. The parade will step off at 10:30 a.m. from Jefferson Street, take a left onto Main and continue on to Williams Street. Look for this year's grand marshal, Sandy the Flower Man.
The 10th World Heavyweight Chili Championship will add flavor to the Southside party. The cook-off will be held at Office Coordinators Inc., 326 E. Main St., beginning at 11 a.m. with about two dozen cooks vying for top honors.
Kelly Allen, MainX24 spokeswoman, says the chili championship will benefit GreenSpaces. Visitors may buy a bowl for unlimited tastes from competitors' booths. Allen says there will be a People's Choice award and a judges' award. Cornbread, Bloody Marys and a beer tent will be on the premises for an additional cost.
Improv Chattanooga will provide laughs around the clock as the comedy troupe hosts "24 Hours of Improv" at its theater, 1800 Rossville Ave., starting at 7 a.m.
Every hour, the improvisers will perform a 30-minute improv comedy set. During the hours between 8 and 11 p.m., they also will do mini versions of their hilarious "Improv vs Standup" show.
Throughout the day there will be dozens of kid-friendly activities, such as making a holiday ornament, face-painting and an '80s dance party from 1 to 6 p.m. at Regan's Place, 24 Station St., as well as adults-only draws such as a Mimosa & Bloody Mary Bar at Stir, 1444 Market St., from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and a Human Foosball Tournament at 1 p.m. at Kyle House Fitness, 525 W. Main St.
The Adult Big Wheel Sprint Race, supporting Family Promise of Chattanooga, is set to careen down Station Street between the Chattanooga Choo Choo and Terminal Brewhouse beginning at 1 p.m.
Join a shop hop to visit boutiques, studios, restaurants and other merchants in the Southside. Allen adds there will be an International Food Market at Fire Hall 1 from 4 to 6 p.m.
"It will feature foods from India, Spain, Jamaica, Trinidad, Sudan, Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Latin America and Madagascar. People can drop in and sample foods from around the world. This is its fourth year, and it always sells out early," she says.
Clumpies is hosting Ice Cream for Breakfast at its shop, 1401 Market St., from 7 to 11 a.m. (Facebook.com photo)Live music will keep the party spirit from flagging. The SoundCorps Stage on Station Street will showcase local artists between 1 and 9 p.m.
The Milk Drop will present local hip-hop artists at the Chattanooga Cigar Club, 1518 Market St., between 8 and 10 p.m.
Courtney Holder & Friends will play at 8:30 p.m. at the new Moxy, 1220 King St.
About 7 p.m., fireworks will fill the night sky above Station Street, followed by a variety of events for adults to wrap up their day in the Southside.
The fifth Silent Disco will begin at 8 p.m. at Mean Mug Coffeehouse, 114 W. Main.
UNFlavorless underground dance party hosted by Flavorless is set for the Hampton Crane Warehouse, 1612 Cowart St., from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m
Alleia restaurant, 25 E. Main St., will host Masquerade on Main from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.
If you're still not too pooped to party, head to Neon Masquerade in Dance Tonight, 46 E. Main St., to spend the rest of the night enjoying electro music from Era Step, Southtek and Synaptic Flow. Party hours are 2 to 6 a.m. Sunday morning.
Find a complete schedule of MainX24 events at mainx24.com/schedule.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.
Kaitlyn Hampton of Chattanooga Fire Cabaret swallows a flaming baton during a prior MainX24 parade.