Mar. 24, 2025
Downtown Knoxville will celebrate and showcase creativity in the city center from March 27-30.
“Make. Art. Music.” is collection of free experiences hosted by downtown merchants and venues and coinciding with the Big Ears Festival, one of East Tennessee’s largest arts experiences that attracts thousands of visitors from around the world.
“Downtown Knoxville’s arts district has earned national recognition for good reason. Makers, artists and musicians make the city vibrant year-round,” said Michele Hummel, executive director of the Downtown Knoxville Alliance. “As Downtown Knoxville welcomes the world, we appreciate the local artists, merchants and venues adding extra energy and excitement to Big Ears weekend.”
Make. Art. Music. participants can enjoy live artmaking, music performances, art exhibitions and more, including the moving “The Violins of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust” exhibition at Digital Motif Gallery, an interactive music and glassblowing experience at Pretentious Glass Co., and live painting of the seasonal Downtown Knoxville mural in Strong Alley. For information on these and more experiences, visit the To Do tab at downtownknoxville.org. Colorful graphics will be on sidewalks outside participating merchants and venues.
The Big Ears Festival also will include several free events at the Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive; Knoxville Visitors Center, 301 S. Gay St.; RED Gallery, 132 W. Jackson Ave.; and the UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St. For details on these free events, visit bigearsfestival.org. No festival pass is required for free events.
About the Downtown Knoxville Alliance
Ensuring a vibrant, flourishing downtown is the primary mission of the Downtown Knoxville Alliance (DKA). Formed in 1993 as a Central Business Improvement District (CBID), the district encompasses a 0.67-square-mile area and is supported by a special assessment to property owners that is used to make improvements, enhance services and promote downtown. The DKA continually focuses on attracting and retaining a thriving community of residents, businesses and visitors in Downtown Knoxville. For more information, visit downtownknoxville.org.
