Holiday festival and market also slated

Two outdoor markets will offer holiday wares and family-friendly fun in conjunction with Texarkana’s annual Christmas parade tonight.

A Christmas Festival at Front Street Festival Plaza and a Christmas Market at the Texas-side Farmers’ Market will feature artisan crafts and food products from local vendors, as well as live music, games and more.

On the Arkansas side, the Christmas Festival will be open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. featuring a live nativity scene with the camels, other animals and performers that will also be in the parade. BrightStar Theaters will provide live music, and attractions such as a bungee jump will be available for entertainment. The festival is sponsored by the Texarkana Arkansas Citizens Police Academy Alumni

Association. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the Texas side, the fourth annual Christmas Market will offer gifts, food from vendors such as Be the Blessing Bakery, trees from the Texarkana Evergreen Christmas Tree Farm and more.

For more information about the Christmas Festival, visit tacpaaa. weebly.com. For more information about the Christmas Market, contact Holden Fleming at Holden. Fleming@txkusa.org or 903-7983901. Front Street Festival Plaza is at 400 E. Front St. The Texarkana, Texas, Farmers’ Market is at 305 Texas Blvd.

The parade begins at 7 p.m. at Hazel and East Broad streets downtown.