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
Knoxville Oktoberfest Opening Ceremony | Saturday, Sept. 20 | 5 a.m.-11 p.m. | Schulz Bräu Brewing Company | $67 | Tap the keg and raise a glass to the annual beer celebration that lasts through Sunday, Oct. 12.
International Food Festival | 12-8 p.m. | World’s Fair Park | Free | Dig into international flavors with a selection of vendors representing 25+ countries as you enjoy live entertainment and activities.
HoLa Festival | Saturday, Sept. 27- Sunday, Sept. 28 | Times vary | World’s Fair Park Performance Lawn | $3 | Observe Hispanic Heritage Month at this celebration with music, crafts, shopping, food + drinks, the parade of nations, children’s activities, and fireworks at 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Sports
Knoxville Smokies vs. Rocket City Trash Pandas | Tuesday, Sept. 2-Sunday, Sept. 7 | Times vary | Covenant Health Park | $19+ | The Smokies wrap up the regular season with their last home series.
UT Football Home Opener | Saturday, Sept. 6 | 3:30 p.m. | Neyland Stadium | $88+ | Kick off the football season with this home opener against the East Tennessee State University Bucs.
Live music
The Stews | Friday, Sept. 5 | 8 p.m. | The Mill & Mine | $20+ | See this indie rock band with local act Connor Kelly & The Time Warp as the opener.
St. Paul & The Broken Bones | 7:30 p.m. | Wednesday, Sept. 24 | Tennessee Theatre | $42+ | You’ll recognize hits like “Call Me” as this eight-piece soul band performs on “The Oasis Pizza Tour.”
Parker McCollum | Thursday, Sept. 25 | 7:30 p.m. | Food City Center | $36+ | The Texas singer known for his album “The Limestone Kid” performs with Ashley Cooke + Kassi Ashton.
Molly Tuttle | Sunday, Sept. 28 | 7:30 p.m. | Tennessee Theatre | $47 - $ | See the artist known for her guitar prowess on “The Highway Knows Tour.”
Theater + shows
“Laughter on the 23rd Floor” | Friday, Sept. 5-Sunday, Sept. 21 | Times vary | Theatre Knoxville Downtown | $24 | Laugh at this ensemble comedy where a room full of writers try to top each other with gags.
Matt Mathews | Friday, Sept. 12 | 7 + 9:30 p.m. | Tennessee Theatre | $47 - $77 | The farmer-turned comedian and musician performs for the “Boujee On A Budget Tour.”
For the fam
Tennessee Valley Fair | Friday, Sept. 5-Sunday, Sept. 14 | Times vary | Chilhowee Park & Exposition Center | $9+ | Rides, music, food, fun, and competitions all take place at this event with a “Goat Big or Go Home” theme.
UT Arboretum Butterfly Festival | Saturday, Sept. 6 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | UT Arboretum | $5 | Learn from the UT Insect Zoo with two butterfly tents, lectures, and children’s art activities.
Markets
Vintage Tailgate | Friday, Sept. 19-Sunday, Sept. 21 | Times vary | Knoxville Expo Center | $6+ | Vintage Market Days of Knoxville brings back this market with local food, live music, and a large selection of curated vendors.
Book Lovers Night | Tuesday, Sept. 30 | 5-7 p.m. | Lakeshore Park | Free | Grab a blanket and book it to Marble Hall for a night of reading, shopping, and crafting with opportunities to donate books.
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.