Tennessee Fall Traditions: Festivals

Dollywood Harvest Festival (Credit Dollywood)

Fall in Tennessee just feels right.

The cool mornings tingle perfectly. The changing leaves dazzle the eye. Hearty soups and frothy mugs of coffee hit home.

If nothing else, fall is that annual reprieve from hot Tennessee summers that delivers right on time. It draws us out of our homes once again, to gather outdoors for a walk in the neighborhood, a hike in the park, a meal on a patio, a concert with our friends, a pumpkin patch with our kids, or a huge street festival with the masses.

Fall is one of Tennessee’s best seasons. And Tennesseans know how to enjoy it. Here are five Tennessee fall traditions that we look forward to every single year — camping, college football, fall festivals, family farm adventures, and peeping those glorious fall leaves.

Dollywood Harvest Festival

Pigeon Forge

In Tennessee, ain’t nobody does it like Dolly.

And Dollywood’s Harvest Festival is no exception. The autumn extravaganza brings the beauty of the Smoky Mountains to life from September 9 to October 28. Visitors can enjoy dozens of live performances from award-winning gospel, country, and bluegrass artists. Great Pumpkin LumiNights, a fan favorite, features thousands of hand-carved glowing pumpkins stacked and designed to look like huge, glowing spiders (see below) or owls.

Fall Ball, Y’all

Nashville

Y’all is right. Nashville goes country at the Nashville Farmers Market on September 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m..

Visitors can enjoy live bluegrass from Off the Wagon and Mattie Taylor, a petting zoo from Pony Pals Party Ponies (say that three times fast), and live cooking demonstrations with Nossi College of Art (with free tastings).

Kids can touch tractor with Parman Tractor & Equipment. Hip Hues brings free DIY screenprinting. You can also paint your own pumpkin with Gardens of Babylon Landscapes. The Ball also features a pumpkin patch (great for photos), fall-themed artisan goods, a kids' zone, fall produce, vendor specials, and more.

RiverArtsFest

Memphis

Fine art and fine local music converge on the bank of the Mississippi River, and right in the shadow of Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid.

RiverArtsFest, Memphis’ premier fine arts festival, will be held on October 19 and 20. It’s the largest juried festival in the Mid-South. This annual event usually showcases over 150 artists from across the country (the 2024 directory was not published as of press time). These artists offer live demonstrations and hands-on art activities for all ages.

It’s Memphis so there’s always an eclectic mix of music from funk and jazz, to bluegrass to soul.