Nashville Calendar

Nashville Calendar of Events: Adding a Little Extra Excitement

Of course, we’re known for its vibrant live music scene with performances every day of the year. But run through this Nashville events calendar and you’ll see we embrace all sorts of festivities. With so much happening in Nashville beyond its legendary music scene, you’ll find something that captures your interest.

Monthly Art Crawls

They’re a great way to explore a little part of the city. Typical 8-15 galleries (or artists) participate. All crawls are conveniently near a number of neighborhood restaurants and bars. I haven’t listed these individually in the events calendar–I’ll let you do the math to discover if this an arts crawl weekend.

First Friday
Downtown Franklin

First Saturday
WeHo (Wedgewood/Houston)

Second Saturday
Downtown

Third Saturday
100 Taylor Street Arts Market (Germantown)

Art crawl

In addition to the special events listed below, use these links for other ideas: 

May 10-11, 17-18, 24-26

Arrington, TN

Tennessee Renaissance Festival

Located about 30 miles south of Nashville, step back in time with a visit to merry old England. Visit the castle, watch a jousting match, munch a turkey leg, browse the vendors, enjoy live entertainment, and much more.

May 18

The Pinnacle

JJ Grey & Mofro and the Marshall Tucker Band

Southern rock takes the stage. Part nostalgia, part now.

May 22 and 23

Ryman Auditorium

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

When Americana stalwarts Welch and Rawlings take the stage at the Ryman something magical happens.

May 29-31

Bridgestone Arena

Music City Rodeo

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) hits the ground with its inaugural Nashville weekend featuring seven major events along with concerts by Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, and Jelly Roll.

May 30-June 1

Nashville Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Race Weekend

Attend just the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday or make it a full weekend with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. NOTE: the track is actually about 30 miles east of Nashville in Lebanon.

June 2

Ryman Auditorium

Darius Rucker & Friends

They haven’t yet announced who his friends will be but count on a stellar line-up for this concert benefiting St. Jude.

June 4

Cheekwood

Rodney Crowell Under the Stars

Such a lovely setting to listen to this Texas troubadour to present his decades of musical magic.

June 5-8

Downtown

CMA Fest

Allow me to pass along some tips and hacks to make the most of the festival with the link above. For registration and other details, visit the official CMA Fest site.

June 10

GEODIS Stadium

Soccer: USMNT vs. Switzerland

A lead-up to FIFA, see world-class soccer at our gorgeous stadium.

June 14-15

Cheekwood

Classic Cars at Cheekwood

A fun outing for Father’s Day weekend. Admire 100 early-midcentury automobiles and motorcycles impeccably maintained. Food trucks and beverage stations onsite.

June 20

GEODIS Park

FIFA World Cup:  León vs. ES Tunis

The first of three FIFA World Cup match to be held in Nashville this year.

June 24

GEODIS Park

FIFA World Cup:  Auckland City FC vs. CA Boca Juniors

A chance to see world-class soccer in our beautiful stadium.

June 25

FirstBank Amphitheater

Outlaw Concert Series

Great line-up: Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Trampled by Turtles, Myron Elkins. Head on down to Franklin for this one.

June 26

GEODIS Park

FIFA World Cup:  Al Hilal SFC vs. CF Pachuca

A chance to see Group H action here in Nashville.

June 28-29

Bicentennial Mall State Park

Nashville Pride Festival

Concerts, a Saturday morning parade, vendors of all sorts. For line-up and schedule details, check out the website.

July 4

Downtown

Let Freedom Sing! July 4th events

Check my link above for details on all events including the Hot Chicken Festival, main stage concerts, fireworks display, and more.

July 11

Nissan Stadium

Coldplay

Their “Music of the Spheres” tour rolls in, likely to sell out.

July 18-August 31

Fisher Center/Belmont

Dolly: An Original Musical

Before it heads to Broadway, catch the inspirational story of a girl with big dreams and unstoppable talent. The show features some of Dolly’s greatest hits along with songs penned especially for this show. Likely to sell out fast. They’ve extended the run through August 31.

August 7- 9, 15, 16

Ryman Auditorium

An Evening with Vince Gill

It doesn’t get much better than a night with one of Nashville’s favorite singer/songwriter/producer and guitarist extraordinaires. Vince likes to mix things up so I doubt all five nights will be identical.

August 22-23

Cheekwood

Songwriters Under the Stars

The Cheekwood Gardens are a beautiful. place to hear A-list songwriters Brett James, Trannie Anderson, and Tom Douglas accompanied by the Music City Symphony.

August 30-31

No details yet

Music City Grand Prix

The dates are firm and I *think* it’ll return to Nashville Superspeedway but haven’t seen a confirmation yet. Stay tuned.

September 14 and 15

Ryman Auditorium

 Billy Springs & Bryan Sutton

This will sell out fast! They’re joined by Royal Masat.

September 27-28

The Park at Harlindale/Franklin

Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival

It’s like a scaled-down Bonnaroo with an eclectic assortment of performers and vendors. This year’s headliners are John Mayer and Kings of Leon with additional artists including Turnpike Troubadours, Better Than Ezra, Grace Potter, Maggie Rose,  Will McFarlane, and others. I wouldn’t sleep on getting tickets.

October 10-11

GEODIS Stadium

 Tyler Childers

Americana hero settles in for two nights of downhome delights. Joined by Charley Crockett and Cory Branan.