Lucky you. You just found 865today’s Plan Ahead, a list of some of the biggest events to plan for that are taking place throughout Knoxville each month.
Take out your calendar, grab your day planner, or text all your friends — these are the top events we recommend heading to this month. Psst: Don’t forget to bookmark this page and come back; we update our guide monthly.
(Don’t see anything you like? Check out our full events calendar.)
Festivals
Hispanic Film Festival | Wednesdays, Oct. 1-Oct. 29 | 3-6 p.m. | John C Hodges Library, Auditorium 101 | Free | Watch award-winning + independent Spanish language films with English subtitles and lectures from UT professors.
Pride Fest Night Parade | Friday, Oct. 3 | 7 p.m. | Gay Street | Free | Celebrate the LGBT+ community as this procession marches down the street featuring participants from local organizations.
Knox Pride Fest 2025 | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 12-6 p.m. | Worlds Fair Park Dr | Free | Come together and celebrate love at this festival with performers, vendors, food, and community resources.
Foodie
Brew at the Zoo | Friday, Oct. 3 | 6-9:30 p.m. | Knoxville Zoo | $30+ | Sample drinks from 40+ craft breweries, grab food from trucks, and listen to live music at this celebration that’s a little wild and a little tame.
Tennessee Cider Festival | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 2-5 p.m. | Barrelhouse Knoxville | $55 | Dig into the flavors of fall by sipping cider + beer as you listen to live music and grab food from local vendors.
Spooktacular Tea Party | Sunday, Oct. 5 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | The Kraken’s Cup Tearoom | $46 | Wear your witch, wizard, or warlock attire and dress for tea time as you sip brews and eat seasonal treats.
Taste of Turkey Creek 2025 | Friday, Oct. 10 | 6-9 p.m. | Pinnacle at Turkey Creek | $35+ | Sip and sample your way through Pinnacle Turkey Creek with bites and drinks from local restaurants.
Sports
UT Volunteers vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Football | Saturday, Oct. 11 | 4:15 p.m. | Neyland Stadium | $229+ | This is your one chance to catch the Vols at home in October.
UT Volleyball Kids Day Out | Sunday, Oct. 19 | 2 p.m. | Food City Center | $14+ | This one’s for the kids — grab a T-shirt and concession stand voucher as you watch the Lady Vols take on the Auburn Tigers.
Knoxville Ice Bears Home Opener | Friday, Oct. 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Knoxville Civic Coliseum | $19+ | The local hockey team swings into a new season against the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs.
Live shows
ZZ Top | Tuesday, Oct. 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Tennessee Theatre | $112+ | Watch this legendary, sharp-dress band perform music from their decades-long career.
Kansas | Wednesday, Oct. 8 | 7 p.m. | Covenant Health Park | $43+ | The longstanding band comes wayward to perform at the new stadium
Zach Top: “Cold Beer & Country Music Tour 2025" | Thursday, Oct. 9 | 8 p.m. | Food City Center | $58+ | The bluegrass + country singer performs with guest Andy Buckner.
Brandon Lake “King Of Hearts Tour” | Thursday, Oct. 16 | 7 p.m. | Food City Center | $110+ | The Christian singer + guitarist performs with Franni Cash + Pat Barrett.
“Grace & Glory Tour” featuring Crowder | Friday, Oct. 17 | 7 p.m. | Knoxville Civic Coliseum | $25+ | Rock out with a night of worship music featuring Crowder, Passion Music, Louie Giglio, Kari Jobe Carnes, and Cody Carnes.
“Trick or Trap” featuring GloRilla | Saturday, Oct. 18 | 7 p.m. | Food City Center | $78+ | This show features a lineup of rising rap stars including GloRilla, BossMan Dlow, KenTheMan, Cuhdeejah, and Kash & King.
Lainey Wilson: “Whirlwind World Tour” | Friday, October 24 | 7 p.m. | Food City Center | $44+ | The “Heart Like a Truck” country star performs with ERNEST + Drake Milligan.
Macy Gray: “On How Life Is 25th Anniversary Tour” | Thursday, Oct. 30 | 7:30 p.m. | Tennessee Theatre | $43+ | The soulful “I Try” singer celebrates her breakthrough album.
Theater + shows
“Sense and Sensibility” | Through Sunday, Oct. 5 | 7:30 p.m. | UT Clarence Brown Theatre | $52 | This interpertation of Jane Austen’s novel follows the Dashwood sisters as their father’s death leaves them without money or social status.
Dan Soder: “The Golden Retriever of Comedy Tour” | Thursday, Oct. 9 | 7 p.m. | Bijou Theatre | $48+ | The stand-up comedian, radio personality, and actor will have you howling in laughter.
Steve Martin + Martin Short: “The Dukes of Funnytown” | Friday, Oct. 17 | 7:30 p.m. | Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum | $49+ | Two comedy legends, one stage, endless laughs.
“Carmen” | Friday, Oct. 24 + Sunday, Oct. 26 | Times vary | Tennessee Theatre | $30+ | Georges Bizet’s opera tells a fiery love story — sung in French with English translations projected.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” | Friday, Oct. 31 | 11 p.m. | Tennessee Theatre | $19 | Watch the cult classic with other overzealous fans — costumes, props, and singing are encouraged.
For the fam
Disney On Ice presents “Mickey’s Search Party” | Friday, Oct. 3-Sunday, Oct. 5 | Times vary | Knoxville Civic Coliseum | $32+ | Search for clues with Mickey Mouse as he glides through fantasy worlds from movies like “Frozen,” “Coco,” and “Toy Story.”
Kerbela Shrine Circus | Thursday, Oct. 2-Sunday, Oct. 5 | Times vary | Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center | Free+ | The circus is in town — check out the longstanding show featuring acrobatics, animals, stunts, and comedy.
Touch-A-Truck | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 10 a.m. | John Tarleton Park | Free | Kids can hop in the driver’s seat and learn about the trucks that make Knoxville go ‘round.
Harvest Jam | Thursday, Oct. 30 | 5-8 p.m. | Pinnacle at Turkey Creek | Free | Enjoy some Halloween fun with trick-or-treating, vendors, a pumpkin hunt, and music.
Markets
Dark Market: Knoxville | Friday, Oct. 17 | 5:30-9 p.m. | Hi-Wire Brewing Knoxville | Free | Explore the darkness with a collection of 35+ artists, makers and curators from the South East.
Have an event of your own you want to share with us? Follow these easy steps to add your events to our calendar:
- Go to our Events page.
- Click “Add Event” in the top right-hand corner.
- Make sure to include a link and fill out important information like the date, time, location, and price of your event.
- Click “Submit,” and you’ve just added an event to our website calendar.