Get our Insider's Guide to Downtown Knoxville delivered straight to your inbox. We promise to send you only the good stuff.
If you’re serious about your Halloween frights, get your fix downtown throughout the month of October. Go full-on zombie if you dare—we have not one, but two outdoor events for the wannabe undead—or scare yourself silly watching classic tales of horror on stage or screen. Plus tours, crawls, concerts, and more.
From who haunts the Farragut, to blood-stained streets, and ghosts who haven't faded away. Join Knoxville Walking Tours to hear the tales of ghostly history in Downtown Knoxville. All month. Three different kid-friendly (6+) tours are available. Check the website for details, dates, reservations, and starting locations..
Step inside Lakeshore Medical Clinic where a routine clinical trial takes a dark and twisted turn and your only way out is to uncover the truth in Room 13: The Clinical Trials. Use the special Downtown Knoxville promo code ROOM13DTK25 for 10% off.
Take on these challenge and more at Escape Game Knoxville. All month. Find more info and reserve your spot here.
Looking for your new favorite horror movie? Us too! And Regal Riviera on Gay Street has a full slate for the month of October from slasher to family-friendly. Take your pick from The Strangers: Chapter 2 and Good Boy. Looking for something a little less chilling? There's Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away! Find dates, times, and purchase tickets here. And then spend some time exploring the Wicked Cool things that Downtown has to offer.
Discover the scary secrets lurking through Market Square on a Paranormal Adventure Tour! This tour visits ground zero locations including: where a famous 3 way homicide took place, where the dead were prepared, and where the Children’s spirits are at play. Book your tour online. Every Friday and Saturday in October, plus private tours available.
Something wicked is brewing in the Old City as Brother Wolf once again transforms into Brother Werewolf, Knoxville's first Halloween pop-up bar. Prepare yourself for a spine-tingling, intoxicating experience featuring pop punk music, ghoulish glassware, decor inspired by classic horror movies, and transformative elixirs that will send your inner beast howling into the night! See what the hocus pocus is about October 1 — November 2.
Rala will be hosting their third-annual "Haunted Art Show", curated by Esther Sitver. Drop by if you dare for a collaborative exhibition of creepy, eerie, spine-tingling, and all-around haunted art pieces from multiple local artists. The art show is on First Friday, October 3 and the exhibit will be on display through October 31. And it's family friendly!
In need of some fall festivities for the littles? Nourish Knoxville will be hosting a special Nourish Kids event during KCS Fall Breakat the Market Square Farmers Market! Join them on Wednesday, October 8 from 10 AM – 1 PM for a free and fun activity for kids (Upcycling craft provided by Keep Knoxville Beautiful) Then again on Saturday, October 11 from 9 AM – 1 PM for a bike clinic provided by Kickstand.
Nourish Kids is a FREE program for children ages 2-12! All participants have the chance to sample fresh, local produce and will receive $5 in Produce Bucks to spend at any Nourish Market! Bucks can be spent on fruits, veggies, herbs, mushrooms, and food-producing plants.
Celebrate the season with Old City Fall Markets! October's First Friday evening market runs from 5 – 9 PM on Friday, October 3, and the Sunday market is on October 19, from 11AM – 4 PM. Shop from an assortment of fall items, purchase pumpkins, enjoy live music, and much more!
The Tennessee Theatre is hosting Costumes, Characters, and Cartoons on Sunday, October 12 from 11 AM to 1 PM! This free event kicks off the spooky season with episodes of some of your favorite PBS Kids specials, celebrating STEAM. Plus, there will be some of your favorite PBS characters here for fun photo opportunities and a chance to show off your own costumes!
Plus, any patrons with sensory processing needs can attend a sensory reduced experience from 10:30 AM to 11 AM.
Prepare for some frights during Blount Mansion's Halloween Candlelight Tours! Tours will be held on Fridays and Saturdays during October on the 17, 18, 24, and 25 of the month. Tours start at 8 pm. Tickets are $20 per tour and can be purchased HERE. Halloween costumes are encouraged!
Calling all monsters! Museum of East Tennessee presents Monsters at the Museum on October 25 from 10 AM – 3 PM. This free, family-friendly event features a variety of Halloween-themed children’s crafts, story times, and walking tours. Wear your costumes and fill your treat bags while trick-or-treating and learn about Halloween histories and eerie Victorian morning customs. For more information, click here.
Once again, the dead have their day in Knoxville, all while benefitting the charity, Helping Mamas Knoxville! But this year, not only are zombies welcome but spooky creatures of all kinds! Dress as a zombie, monster, ghoul, or the like and invade Downtown on Saturday, October 25 at the Knoxville Creature Gathering. At 7 PM, gather in Market Square (arrive early to be zombified by a make-up artist) for a costume contest, then at 8 PM, the walk begins! Find details on the Facebook Event page.
Be a part a globally synchronized dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller!" The 16th Annual Thrill the World takes place on Saturday, October 25 at 6 PM in Market Square, and will run in conjunction with the Knoxville Creature Gathering. Dress up as a zombie, learn the dance, and thrill the world. Watch videos that teach the choreography and follow along with the Facebook event.
Bring your little ghouls and goblins to Market Square on Friday, October 31 for a fun night of trick-or-treating! Businesses on Market Square and along Union Avenue between Gay and Walnut streets will hand out candy from 4 – 8 PM. Participants can pick up a free trick-or-treat bag in the Downtown Knoxville Alliance enclave next to Scruffy City Hall on Market Square while supplies last. Bring the whole family for a magical night!
Come one, come all to the annual Freaker’s Ball Pub Crawl on Friday, October 31! Hosted by Southbound, Hanna’s Old City, Old City Sports Bar,Wagon Wheel, and Cowboy Cantina. Silent discos happen at Cowboy Cantina from 7 PM — 10 PM and Old City Sports Bar from 10 PM — 1 AM. Hanna's will have live DJ Ray on the first floor (9 PM — 2:30 AM) and DJ iRell on the second floor (10 PM — 2:30 AM); Southbound will have DJ Eric B at the nightclub from 9 PM — 2:30 AM; and Wagon Wheel will have live music 9:30 PM — 12:30 AM. Each location will also be holding a silent costume contest, with a total of $1500 in cash prizes plus awesome swag giveaways rom brands like Suncruiser, Modelo, and Coors Light!
An annual tradition! The Tennessee Theatre presents The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Thursday, October 31 at 11 PM. Come dressed to impress as your favorite Rocky Horror character and you could win door prizes, plus the bar will offer thematic drink specials! Find more info and purchase tickets here.
Join the scariest bar crawl ever on October 31 and November 1! Bar crawl adventures await at 9 Market Square and Gay Street venues, 2-3 drinks or shots with ticket, exclusive drink specials, food specials, waived cover charges, awesome after party, professional photographers, and more! Get tickets here. For venue locations, click here.
