KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The City of Knoxville won't be holding its usual big Festival on the Fourth this year but will host a smaller celebration to mark Independence Day.
The city will host two events leading up to the Fourth of July on Friday, July 2 and Saturday, July 3, featuring live music at World's Fair Park. Friday's concert will conclude with a small fireworks show.
“We were disappointed to have to cancel Festival on the 4th months ago, when many COVID-19 precautions were still in place,” says Kyndra Brewer, Director of the City Office of Special Events. “But we are happy to be able to have a family-friendly, patriotic way to kick off the holiday weekend.”
On Friday, the 572nd Air National Guard Band of the South will perform on the Randy Tyree Performance Lawn at World's Fair Park. The band is based at McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base, and as only one of 17 Air Force bands in the world, has performed across the country. The night will include performances by the Concert band, jazz band Blue Groove and rock band Sound Barrier.
Their performance starts at 6:30 p.m. with follow-up performances from two other bands.
After the concert, LaFollette-based PyroShows will present a brief fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. The best place to watch the fireworks will be from the Performance Lawn near the stage.
On Saturday, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will perform a free concert in the Tennessee Amphitheater. The time and the program will be announced at a later date.
The concert will be broadcast on WBIR on July 4 from 8-9 p.m., followed by the Macy's Fireworks special on NBC.
Both events will be family-friendly. The city encourages everyone to bring chairs, blankets and food, but requests that you leave the alcohol and pets at home. There will be no food or beverages on site to purchase, other than bottled watter.
Restrooms will be available and parking is free at al City-owned garages as well as the nearby 11th Street Garage.
“We look forward to celebrating together at this year’s scaled-down celebration and producing a full Festival on the 4th in 2022,” says Mayor Indya Kincannon. Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the 1982 World’s Fair.