KnoxWhat Scruffy little calendar for a scruffy little city

Field guide · the year in Knoxville

Annual traditions

Knoxville's calendar runs on a few standing fixtures every year. Here are the ones a local actually plans around, in roughly the order they show up in the year, with the source the date comes from. Specific dates change year to year; check the organizer's site for the current edition.

The spots, by neighborhood

First Friday ArtWalk
The first Friday of every month, year-round. Galleries, studios, and shops across the walkable downtown district open in the evening; most are open by 5:30pm. Free.
Monthly · downtown
Rossini Festival (April)
Knoxville Opera's annual International Street Fair on Gay Street and Market Square: four outdoor stages of opera, classical, jazz, gospel, and dance, plus 75+ artisans and food vendors. Free.
April · downtown
Market Square Farmers Market (May to October)
Nourish Knoxville's market: Wednesdays 10am to 1pm and Saturdays 9am to 1pm in season, with around 140 local growers and makers. November to March it moves to a smaller Saturday-only winter market.
May to Oct · downtown
Shakespeare on the Square (July to August)
Tennessee Stage Company's annual Shakespeare festival staged outdoors on Market Square. Free, family-friendly, donations welcome.
Jul to Aug · downtown
UT Vols football season (September to November)
Six or seven home games at Neyland fill downtown with orange most autumn Saturdays. The full game-day guide is on the /ut-game-day/ page.
Sep to Nov · UT Campus
WDVX Blue Plate Special (year-round)
A free live-radio concert at noon, Monday through Thursday and Saturday at the Visitor Center on Gay Street; Fridays at Barley's as 'The Big Plate.'
Year-round · downtown

"The Rossini Festival weekend in April is Market Square at its biggest; Vols Saturdays in the fall are downtown at its loudest."

Good to know

Is Boomsday still a thing?

No. Visit Knoxville ended Boomsday after its 2014 run, citing the loss of corporate sponsors. The Labor Day fireworks tradition is over, and the city has not announced a permanent successor.

What is the biggest single-weekend event of the year?

The Rossini Festival weekend in April is the biggest single street-festival weekend on Market Square. Football Saturdays bring more total visitors across the season, but spread across six or seven weekends.

Where do I find current dates?

Knoxville Opera publishes the Rossini Festival date set every spring; Nourish Knoxville posts the farmers-market season opener each spring; UT Athletics publishes the football schedule each summer.

Rossini Festival details from Knoxville Opera; Market Square Farmers Market from Nourish Knoxville; First Friday ArtWalk from Downtown Knoxville; WDVX Blue Plate Special from WDVX. Boomsday status from Wikipedia and local reporting. Verified June 2026.