7 Can’t Miss Nashville Festivals That Show You The Heart Of Music City
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Meghan Kraft
Author
Nashville and the southern part of the United States is known for having a good time, for welcoming strangers onto big front porches and offering everything from moonshine to sweet tea. Music City has grown in leaps in bounds over the last few years, but it still manages to keep that small town charm. Which is why you need to experience a true Nashville festival! These seven are a handful of our favorite, because they really seem to exude the heart of the city.
For the past four years, Tennessee Brew Works has hosted a block party in late May that runs from noon until 10pm in the evening. Tickets are $10 in advance, with a portion of the proceeds donated to charity, and the block party itself offers up all sorts of amazing food, live music and craft beer.
Ah, yes - CMA Fest. The four day long music festival is hosted by the Country Music Association, taking over downtown Nashville with live performances taking place at Nissan Stadium. It's a ticketed event that's highly attended, so make sure you plan ahead for the June 7th to June 10th, 2018 fest.
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The mid-August festival is one of the quirkiest in the state, and has been featured in numerous publications as one of the best summer events in the country. The 15th Annual Tomato Art Fest will be held in East Nashville's Five Points neighborhood from Friday, August 10th to Saturday, August 11th, featuring local vendors, live music and great eats.
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Come one, come all! The Tennessee Renaissance Festival takes place just outside of Nashville in Arrington, Tennessee, and the ticketed event is highly attended by locals and tourists alike. It takes place every weekend in May, though we'd recommend you buy tickets ahead of time. You can buy multi-day passes or a season pass, but we'd recommend you show up for the fun and historic events and handful of eateries.
The Southern Festival of Books is one of the best literary festivals in the country, boasting local and nationally well-known authors, booths of contemporary literature and a docket of lectures. The three-day festival is celebrated during the second weekend of October, and is completely free.
Full Moon Pickin' Parties take place on a monthly, Friday night basis from May to October. You can visit and enjoy bluegrass music, beer and food for purchase at the Percy Warner Park Equestrian Center for $20 a ticket in advance, and $25 at the door.
Possibly the most quintessential Nashville festival, the Music City Hot Chicken Festival takes place every Fourth of July and magnetizes locals in droves. You'll be able to experience fried fare from multiple vendors set up to beat the heat and crowds, and we'd recommend saving room in your belly for more than one culinary experience. This is one for the books!
These food festivals in Nashville are also pretty neat, if you’re in the market for a fun weekend out and about in Tennessee.
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