14 Popular Festivals In Nashville, Tennessee

1. Annual Antiques & Garden Show

The Annual Antiques & Garden Show is one of the main events in Tennessee and one of the largest shows in North America that combines antiques and gardening in one event. The festival is normally graced by over 150 antique and horticultural booths. It is an event you cannot miss if you are into landscaping, interior design, decorative art, gardening, and anything outdoorsy. You will learn about the hot trends in the respective fields and also interact with some of the leading industry experts for insights that you wouldn’t normally get anywhere.

Annual Antiques & Garden Show

Address: Music City Center, 201 5th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Website: Annual Antiques & Garden Show

Takes place: February

2. Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival

Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival has been around for nearly two decades and keeps on growing from strength to strength every year. The festival is a five-day event that brings together songwriters of different calibers in Tennessee. This is where both the veterans and upcoming writers all come together to interact and share more insights about the state of the industry. At its inception, the festival was attended mainly by 4,000 members from the Nashville Songwriters Association International but the number has since grown larger, and it is one of the most highly attended music festivals in the country.

Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival

Address: Analog at Hutton Hotel, 1808 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37203

Website: Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival

Takes place: Usually held in March

Price: 120 USD

3. Gospel Music Week

Gospel Music Week is a week-long event held every April in Nashville. The event is primarily a gospel affair that brings together gospel artists, songwriters, bands, and fans together through a series of seminars, concerts, and meet-and-greet events. Industry workers and members of the media also usually make part of this event. The highlight of the event is the GMA Dove Awards which honors outstanding achievements in the gospel music industry.

Gospel Music Week

Address: Nashville, Tennessee

Website: Gospel Music Week

Takes place: April

4. CMA Music Festival

The Country Music Award Music Festival, commonly known as CMA Fest is one of the extremely popular music festivals not just in Nashville, but in the entire country. This is the festival where you are guaranteed to encounter the biggest names in country music, including all the talented and upcoming country musicians. The main action for this four-day event usually takes place at Nissan Stadium though there are always smaller pockets of performances taking place in nearby stages. With this event, you can expect over 70 hours of live country music performances and more than 30 hours of autograph signing from more than 500 country music artists.

CMA Music Festival

Address: 35 Music Square East, Suite 201, Nashville, Tennessee

Website: CMA Music Festival

Takes place: June

Price: 103 USD

5. Nashville Film Festival

Nashville may be very popular for its outstanding music but the city also has a thriving filmmaking community and the best way to fully understand the city’s passion for film is to attend the Nashville Film Festival held every April. The film festival is known to attract more than 50,000 people, making it one of the best and highly attended film festivals in North America. The festival features everything about the current state of the film industry, including shining a spotlight on amazing documentaries, studio releases, indie films, and much more. It is also the time for writers, directors, and producers to show what they’ve got. The festival is always the perfect venue to discover hidden film talents among the creative Nashville residents.

Nashville Film Festival

Address: 719 Thompson Ln, Nashville, TN 37204, United States

Website: Nashville Film Festival

Takes place: September to October

Price: 15 USD

6. July 4th Celebration

The city of Nashville knows how to celebrate the Fourth of July in style. On this day, traffic will be stopped in a large section of the downtown area so that there can be enough space for the erection of a big stage which will be graced by a variety of great country performances throughout the year. It is always a family-friendly event, with lots of good food and good music. Once the sun sets, the celebrations go a notch higher with epic displays of fireworks.

July 4th Celebration

Address: Nashville, TN

Takes place: July 4

Price: Free

7. Tennessee State Pow-Wow

Tennessee State Pow-Wow is a three-day educational pow-wow event designed to highlight the culture and the spirit of the American Indian people. It is an educational event known to attract thousands of participants not just from Tennessee, but the entire United States. During the event, Indians from different nations come together to share their cultures with the participants. If you have always wished to indulge more in their traditions, foods, dances and other aspects of life, then this is an event you should never miss.

Tennessee State Pow-Wow

Address: Long Hunter State Park, Nashville, TN

Website: Tennessee State Pow-Wow

Takes place: October

Price: 8 USD

8. OUTLoud Music Festival

This is another incredibly popular music event in Tennessee. It is an event that features loads of live entertainment, including big industry names as well as talented and upcoming artists. The event also features lots of foods and drinks that can give a small glimpse into the rich and incredible culinary diversity in Nashville. If you are planning on attending this event, you should know that it usually gets sold out so it will be a good idea if you get your ticket well in advance.

OUTLoud Music Festival

Address: Church Street between 15th and 16th Avenue North in Midtown

Website: OUTLoud Music Festival

Takes place: September

Price: From 25 USD

9. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and it is celebrated on the third Monday every January. The festival is always characterized by a variety of events beginning from Thursday leading up to the actual day of the event on Monday the following week. Some of the highlights of the celebrations include a worship service, youth summit, Social Justice Art Exhibition, a youth rally, and a convocation.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Address: Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church, 2708 Jefferson St, Nashville, TN, United States

Website: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Takes place: Every third monday of January

Price: Free

10. Cheekwood in bloom [Previously known as Cheekwood’s Wildflower Fair]

Cheekwood’s Wildflower Fair comes at a time when the gardens in Cheekwood bloom with more than 150,000 wild bulbs, creating a magical color experience that will be hard to forget. It is always a great time to see and feel the thousands of wildflowers at their very best, with beautiful displays from flowers such as daffodils, redbuds, dogwoods, magnolias, hyacinths, crocus and snowdrops among others. The fair is also accompanied by loads of family entertainment, natural inspirations, and foods and drinks to welcome the change of seasons as people look forward to warmer days ahead.

Cheekwood's Wildflower Fair

Address: Cheekwood, Nashville, TN

Takes place: March to April

Price: Free

11. American Artisan Festival

American Artisan Festival is a three-day family event held on Father’s Day to exhibit some of the finest fine art and handicraft in Nashville. The event displays range from woodwork to handmade jewelry created by more than 100 artists from different parts of the country. Since it is Nashville, the event also features exciting musical performances from Nashville’s finest.

American Artisan Festival

Address: Centennial Park, 2600 West End Ave., 37203 Nashville, Tennessee

Website: American Artisan Festival

Takes place: June

Price: Free

12. Italian Lights Festival [last event in 2019]

Italian Lights Festival is a three-day event that usually attracts more than 20,000 visitors every year. The event showcases live performances of globally acclaimed sopranos and tenors, including various wine events, and big band orchestras. Being an Italian affair, you can expect to find showcases of Italian wine classes and Italian food demos by celebrated local Italian chefs. Again, if you would love to learn a word or two in the Italian language, or participate in Italian sing-a-along, or you want to join any of the meatball eating contests, the event features a wide selection of booths with thrilling Italian fun activities. Also, if you admire Italian arts and crafts, this is the event where you will find some of the best displays.

Italian Lights Festival

Address: Bicentennial Mall State Park, 600 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37208, United States

Website: Italian Lights Festival

Takes place: September

Price: Free

13. Nashville Boat Show

If you have always been fascinated by boats, and you long to attend a show that will feed and satisfy your fascination, then you should make plans to attend the Nashville Boat Show in January. The event offers a showcase of a wide range of yachts and boats in a variety of classes and sizes. Whether you want to see near-vintage boats, or you want an up-close with the big luxury yacht, this boat show has it all. The four-day event also features a wide range of events and displays for boat lovers, including boating career day, boat deals, fishing demonstrations, fishing lessons for kids, free boating safety courses, boating simulators, and casting classes among others.

Nashville Boat Show

Address: 201 5th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203, United States

Website: Nashville Boat Show

Takes place: January

14. Sound & Speed Festival [Event has passed]

Sound & Speed Festival is an annual event held every January, and it is an event aimed at bringing together the biggest names in motorsports and country music. It is an event where fans of country music and racing get a chance to get up close and personal with some of the leading country musicians, drivers, and team owners for concerts, question-and-answer sessions, storytelling, and autograph signing. The event also features sponsored displays, car shows, and the auctioning of memorabilia from the country music and racing industries.

Sound & Speed Festival

Address: Nashville, TN

Takes place: January

Enjoy the exciting festivals of Nashville

With all the festivals above, it is clear that Nashville has more to offer than just great country music. It is a culturally rich city and attending these festivals is a great way to appreciate the full scope of its culture. Go through the above list of the popular festivals in Nashville, Tennessee so that you adjust your itinerary to include them during your visit.