KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville recently hosted several events that drew thousands of people to the downtown area — some of which happened simultaneously.
The Bassmaster Classic was held from March 24 through March 26 and included a national angler competition with an outdoor expo at the Knoxville Convention Center. According to Visit Knoxville, the event attracted a crowd of 163,914 people and brought $35.5 million to the city.
The annual Big Ears Festival was also held over the weekend, starting on March 30. The festival brings together bands of many genres to different stages across the city. According to Visit Knoxville, more than 7,000 people attended, not including the festival's free concerts. They said it was more than a 50% increase in attendance compared to last year.
During the same weekend, the Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk transformed Market Square into a canvas for artists. More than 300 artists participated in the event, and thousands of people watched them draw, according to Visit Knoxville.
Covenant Health Marathon was the same weekend too, continuing its trend of being the largest road race in East Tennessee. Visit Knoxville said more than 6,330 people registered to run in the marathon.