If you’ve dropped by Market Square anytime during the last few weeks, you've surely noticed the giant white tent. Inside, a City crew is busy building what will soon be the Holidays on Ice open-air skating rink, which opens this Friday, Nov. 24.

And if you walk toward the tent from the Market Square stage, you’ll also notice a very large mural, featuring everyone’s favorite - a skating Peppermint Panda.

The artist behind the panda is Cody Swaggerty, a local freelance artist who painted the Market Square ice rink mural last year. Swaggerty was hired by the Central Business Improvement District. 

“They came to me after they had seen my art at Barley’s on East Jackson and at Artist Alley,” he said. “I guess they liked my art.”

We like your art, too! Want to see more of Swaggerty’s fun and brightly colored murals around Knoxville? You can find him on Instagram at @cswaggerty.



Meanwhile, Holidays on Ice, presented by Home Federal Bank, will offer Market Square ice skating from Nov. 24 through Jan. 7, 2018. The rink will be open daily, weather permitting, except for Christmas Day. Admission is $11 adults, $8 for children 12 years and younger, and that includes skate rental and sales tax.

Skaters can check the schedule and do laps with mascot Peppermint Panda. Additional theme nights will present special guests and opportunities to save on admission.

For more information, including rink hours, visit KnoxvillesHolidaysOnIce.com or call 865-215-4423.

-Communications Department intern Celeste Lord