11 Can’t-Miss Tennessee Festivals That Show You The Heart Of The Volunteer State
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Meghan Kraft
Author
Here in Tennessee, we like to live a laid back and quiet lifestyle, but we also definitely know how to party. Tennesseans will find any excuse they can to hold a festival, and the festivals in Tennessee are some of the best you’ll find anywhere in the country. We’ll celebrate anything from Hot Chicken to RC Cola to any and every type of music that you could possibly listen to. These 11 Tennessee festivals show off our character particularly well – how many have you been to?
The Tomato Art Fest is East Nashville's premier festival and takes place every summer around the beginning of August. There's food vendors, artists, and droves of people dressed in tomato-themed clothing.
The National Storytelling Festival takes place in the small town of Jonesborough every October. It's a celebration of stories and brings in orators, authors, and everyday people with great stories from all over the world.
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Just east of Nashville, the Wilson County Fair is the most popular fair in the Nashville area. The rides, events, and of course the food simply can't be beat. It takes place in Lebanon in the middle of every August.
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Certainly one of the most unique festivals in Tennessee, the RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle is held every June as a tribute to some of the most beloved confections of the South.
Easily one of the largest festivals on this list, CMA Fest is a tribute to country music and draws some of the biggest names in the industry (as well as 100,000 people) to downtown Nashville every June.
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Held every year the same weekend as CMA Fest, Bonaroo is the music festival lover's dream. It's held on a farm just outside of Manchester and allows folks to camp out on the grounds to enjoy the multiple day and multiple stage event.
Did you know the National Cornbread Festival was also held right here in Tennessee? It's true! It's held just outside of Chattanooga in South Pittsburgh every April and features the best cornbread you'll ever find.
Riverbend takes place in Chattanooga every June and is spread over the course of an entire week. The festival features every genre over 5 different stages and has been going on for the last 35 years!
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This one may be a hot second away, but it's well worth a visit during the Tennessee holiday season. Gatlinburg puts on a good show with the Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade,
Everybody knows that Beale Street is THE spot to catch great blues music in Tennessee, but did you know there's a festival dedicated to it every May? If you love blues, jazz, and/or Memphis, you don't want to miss this festival.
Running for over 10 years now, the Nashville Hot Chicken festival celebrates the original angry bird every 4th of July. It features a parade (with as many firetrucks as they can find) and scads and scads of hot chicken.
Experience the backwoods of Tennessee by visiting this natural tunnel that most Tennesseans don’t know about.
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