Spring Break Events

March 1, 2019 (First Friday of Every Month)- Enjoy a fun art-filled evening complete with music and food on the first Friday of each month in Downtown Knoxville. 

March 2, 2019 Mardi Growl-Young-Williams Animal Center is celebrating its 12th annual Mardi Growl Parade and Festival presented by Merchants of Beer, and we don’t want you to miss it! Save the date and sign up now for Saturday, March 2, when thousands of spectators will line the streets of downtown Knoxville to watch hundreds of furry friends, many in costume, march with their humans to raise both awareness for the life-saving efforts of Young-Williams Animal Center and support for Knoxville’s pet-friendliest community.

March 15-16, 2019 Knox Shamrock Fest- Knox Shamrock Fest™, presented by Fresenius Kidney Care, is the region’s premier St. Patrick’s Day Celebration.   Knox Shamrock Fest™ is a weekend-long, family friendly way to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day. The weekend features two days of live Irish and Celtic-roots music, dance performances, cultural activities, authentic Irish food & drink, games, bounce houses, face painting, a Lucky Kidney 6K run/walk and an Old City Pub Crawl. All proceeds benefit the East Tennessee Kidney Foundation.

March 15-17, 2019 Women in Jazz Festival- Concerts, history lectures and workshops in and around downtown. This event supports women in jazz by providing opportunities professional educational experiences and performance opportunities.

March 15-24, 2019 Super Spring Break Scavenger Hunt- Come be a detective at the Museum of East Tennessee History! Our Super Spring Break Scavenger Hunt will lead you through our region’s history as you discover what life was like on the frontier, during the Civil War, and through the 19th and 20th centuries!

March 21-24, 2019 Big Ears Festival- The Big Ears Festival is Knoxville’s biggest, boldest, and most dynamic festival experience. Over four days in March, the festival features the world’s most celebrated performers and composers of our time. Big Ears is a weekend of surprise collaborations and unexpected artistic collisions, celebrating the never-ending adventure of creation and exploration. Effortlessly crossing the boundaries of musical genres as well as artistic disciplines, the Big Ears Festival features an array of world-class artists, including GRAMMY Award winners, Pulitzer Prize recipients, and MacArthur “Genius Grant” winners.

April 6, 2019 Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk- Chalk Walk is a one-day street painting festival that turns Knoxville’s downtown sidewalks into a seemingly infinite canvas for the region’s most talented professional and student artists. Chalk Walk is Dogwood Arts' largest-community driven event, and is open to the public where novice and professional artists alike can apply for a space on historic Market Square to ‘chalk.’ Over 25,000 people attend this one-day event, and the winning artists are presented ribbons and cash awards.

April 20,2019 Knoxville EarthFest- EarthFest is an annual Earth Day celebration with several green objectives: provide family-friendly (pets included) environmental education, support our sustainable local marketplace, showcase responsible environmental leadership, and demonstrate low- to zero-waste principles.

May 17-18, 2019- Bloomin BBQ & Bluegrass Fest- Live music. Delicious food. Awesome fun. Whether you’re enjoying toe-tapping tunes, devouring the nation’s best barbeque, or simply enjoying the sights and sounds of one of the southeast’s top festivals, Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass is a weekend of fun for the whole family.

May 18, 2019 Childrens Festival of Reading- Enjoy arts and crafts, storytelling, games, music, food and dozens of interactive enrichment activities from community groups. Watch performances by world-class children's book authors and illustrators, meet and ask them questions, and even get autographs!

May 21, 2019 Open Streets- Open Streets Knoxville brings together community groups and local businesses, giving people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to walk, ride bikes, hula hoop, and much more - all in a setting that is fun and safe! More than a street festival, Open Streets Knoxville gives residents an opportunity to explore their neighborhood and local businesses in a safe, fun, and family-friendly way.