Your Guide to Annual Events & Festivals in Franklin & Williamson County
Williamson County has a wide variety of annual festivals and events! Check out this comprehensive list of Franklin and Williamson County’s annual events, in order of when they occur. From art and music festivals to holiday traditions, there is always something to celebrate!
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Williamson County Parks & Recreation’s Kite Festival takes place in March, starting in 2023! Partnering with Chicago Kite, this free family event offers various types of kites and stunt kites! Featuring kite flying, food trucks, and a kids’ activity booth, the Kite Festival aims to be an instant classic within the Williamson County community!
The Kids Arts Festival of Tennessee is celebrated in Pinkerton Park every March! This annual event invites all K-12 students in Tennessee to display their original pieces in this juried exhibit. The exhibit accepts a wide variety of art pieces in multimedia platforms and the winning works are displayed at the Fire Hall Art Gallery in City Hall in Downtown Franklin. Young artists are even allowed to sell their own artwork to festival goers and display their talents like dancing, singing, music, acting, or poetry on the festival stage!
The Nashville Elvis Festival is held in The Factory at Franklin during springtime! Fans from all over the world attend this festival to celebrate the legacy and music of Elvis Presley. With live performances, special guests, and Graceland’s Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition, this is the place to be for any and every Elvis fan!
This annual spring-time event is every whiskey-lover’s dream. Whiskey Warmer offers an evening of live bluegrass music, good food, and even better liquor. Samples of premier whiskey, bourbon, and scotch will be available along with knowledge on the spirits for those looking to learn. Topped off with local food trucks, a photo booth, and a cigar lounge, the annual Whiskey Warmer event in Westhaven is a must-go!
The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County’s Main Street Festival occurs annually in April on Franklin’s historic downtown. With craft and food vendors, live entertainment, and more than 120,000 annual visitors, Main Street Festival is consistently listed as one of the top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society. This annual event includes over 150 arts and crafts vendors, over 30 food and beverage vendors, live entertainment, a beer garden, a whiskey lounge, spaces for kids to have fun, and even more!
Brentwood celebrates Arbor Day at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library with vendors teaching about trees and tree seedling giveaways.
Franklin celebrates Arbor Day with kids’ activities, a climbing wall, food trucks, free tree saplings, and knowledge on local trees.
City of Franklin Parks’ Annual Touch-a-Truck is fun for the whole family with trucks, equipment, and vehicles of all shapes and sizes at Jim Warren Park in May! Children are able to touch, climb, and explore these machines with parental supervision. Vehicles include fire trucks, police cars, tractors, back hoes, tow trucks, and more! There is even a “No Horn Hour” for little ears, along with music, games, and food from local vendors!
Tennessee Renaissance Festival
Travel back in time to 16th Century England with this Renaissance Festival! This annual event takes place in May and consists of a renaissance marketplace with handcrafted items ranging from jewels to swords, as well as speciality food and drinks! Musicians and performers will offer themed-entertainment in the forms of 16th century music, knife throwing, sword fights, and more! Come dressed in your best 16th century attire and get ready for a weekend of fun!
The Franklin Rodeo is the longest-running annual event in Williamson County! Founded in 1949, this rodeo brings in over 18,000 guests every May! The event kicks off with a parade of floats, horses, clowns, live music, and more! The following week is filled with competitions, speciality acts, food trucks, and autographs from cowboys.
Benefiting the 21st District Recovery Court, Eat the Street is a food truck festival in Franklin. You are invited to enjoy a day at Bicentennial Park while checking out the best food trucks in the area! The 21st District Recovery Court’s mission is to end the cycle of addiction and crime in our community, so stop by and eat some good food for a great cause!
Brentwood Summer Concert Series
It’s not a summer in Brentwood without the Sunday night concerts at Crockett Park.
The Brentwood Summer Concert Series provides weekly outdoor concerts, including July 4th! With BrentFest topping off the season in late July, gather with loved ones and enjoy a summer of music!
BrentFest is Brentwood’s annual summer festival, complete with live music, food trucks, a beer garden, and more! Remember to bring some chairs, blankets, and loved ones to enjoy good music and good people!
The Blackberry Jam Music Festival
Franklin’s Blackberry Jam Music Festival takes place on Boyd Mill Farm every June! This grassroots music festival is presented by Harpeth Presbyterian Church and focuses on Middle Tennessee’s homegrown talent, benefiting various nonprofits.
On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas and informed enslaved African Americans that slavery had been abolished for over two years. Every June 19, The Franklin Justice and Equity Coalition commemorates Juneteenth. This festival features great entertainment, live music, black-owned vendors, food trucks, contests, a kid’s zone and more!
Franklin celebrates every summer with Movies in the Park! Pinkerton Park is home to this series of outdoor movies on summer weekends. Make sure to pack a chair or blanket to enjoy fun movies and food trucks with the Franklin community!
Bluegrass Along the Harpeth takes place every 4th weekend in July on Franklin’s town square. This annual event started in 1991 and is a weekend of music in honor of Grand Ole Opry stars Sam and Kirk McGee, hailing from Franklin. Hosted by old time entertainers, these musicians and dancers’ love and preservation for music is what makes this festival so special. On Friday, you can relax with some of the best bluegrass bands around, and on Saturday you can enjoy the festival’s individual instruments and band contests! With live entertainment as well as food and craft vendors, you are sure to have an enriching weekend!
Franklin on the Fourth is an annual celebration on the square, sponsored by the Franklin Lions Club. Festivities begin in the morning and include music, food, vendors, antique cars, and a Children’s Patriotic Parade! Thousands are expected to attend every year, and there are prizes for best dressed, as well as best decorated bikes or wagons. This is a pet-friendly event with no fireworks, so feel free to bring your furry friends to this celebration!
Independence Day at Harlinsdale Farm – 4th of July Fireworks Celebration
Sponsored by WAKM and the City of Franklin, Friends of Franklin Parks hosts an annual 4th of July celebration at Harlinsdale Farm! With live music, family games, food trucks, and a firework show, this is sure to become an Independence Day tradition! Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to view the fireworks and enjoy the evening at Harlinsdale Farm.
The City of Brentwood will be hosting their annual 4th of July celebration from 7pm- 10pm at the Eddy Arnold Amphitheater in Crockett Park. Featuring live music throughout the night and fireworks starting at 9pm, make sure to bring a chair and some blankets to this free Independence Day celebration with the Brentwood community!
The Williamson County Fair takes place every August. This county fair consists of rides, games, a butterfly garden, a chick hatchery, contests, and more! Taking place since 2005, the Williamson County Fair has become a staple in the community, and something that attracts residents and visitors alike.
Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival
The Pilgrimage Festival is Franklin’s own music festival, hosting renowned and diverse musical acts every September! With 6 stages, local food trucks, artisan booths, lounge areas, an activities stage for kids, this is a festival you won’t want to miss out on!
Fork Fest takes place in the historic Lieper’s Fork every fall. This free annual event is filled with music and fun at The Lawn Chair Theatre!
Brentwood Beer & Wine Festival
With over 30 craft beers to sample as well as a selection of wines, food trucks, local vendors, and live music, this event offers an afternoon of fun with friends and family every October! The festival grounds cover 3 acres and include a covered pavilion, a sand volleyball court, and lawn games provided by Games To Go Nashville and Music City Axe. Proceeds from the Brentwood Beer & Wine Festival support the ACE Foundation to help create Catholic schools in the Diocese of Nashville.
The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County’s Annual PumpkinFest offers autumn-inspired food and drink, live music, and countless activities every October! Over 150 vendors line the streets, along with several restaurants and shops located downtown joining in on the festivities. Equipped with a KidZone, a whiskey lounge, interactive experiences, live entertainment, and costume contests for both people and pets, PumpkinFest will be sure to show you why it’s the largest family fall festival in Middle Tennessee.
Wine Down Main Street occurs the first Saturday of every November on Franklin’s Main Street. The most recent Wine Down Main Street brought in over 1,800 guests with more than 30 local shops and restaurants to participate. Event goers taste wines from all over the world, sample foods, and enjoy live music while strolling down Main Street and perusing stores. Proceeds from this event benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee.
Put together by the City of Franklin and local radio station WAKM AM-950, the Annual Veterans’ Day Parade takes place in downtown Franklin. Traveling down Main Street, the parade includes Williamson County JROTC units and marching bands. A reception for local veterans and their families is held at the Williamson County Archives before the parade. Remember and honor those who served at Williamson County’s Veterans’ Day Parade!
Franklin Parks’ Family Day provides families with a day of fun at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm. This free annual festival offers miniature train rides, hayrides, cane pole fishing, a petting zoo, local food vendors, live entertainment, and Touch-a-Tractor where kids can operate on small excavators and sit on large tractors. Family Day occurs on the first Saturday of every November, so make sure to plan on a day of memories with your family!
Located at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center, this awe-inspiring, mile-and-a-half-long drive-thru light show features over 200 displays synchronized to Christmas classics on the radio.
Christmas Tree Lighting on the Square
The annual Christmas tree lighting on Franklin’s square occurs the first Friday of every December. This tradition consists of live performances from renowned and local musicians as well as the lighting of Franklin’s Christmas tree.
The Franklin Kiwanis Christmas Parade is an annual event that takes place on the first Saturday of December. This parade allows the community to come together and celebrate the Christmas season in downtown Franklin. The Franklin Kiwanis Club and the WCS Fine Arts Programs invite you to enjoy a day of holiday fun as they welcome Santa Claus to Franklin!
The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County’s Dickens of a Christmas is Middle Tennessee’s largest outdoor Christmas festival and brings the time of Charles Dickens to life in Franklin’s historic downtown every December. Attendees experience a plethora of musicians, dancers, and Dickens characters filling the streets of downtown Franklin, along with local craft and food vendors.
Every year, the grounds of Eastern Flank Battlefield Park are sprinkled with candy canes every December in preparation for Christmas! Make sure to bring a flashlight to hunt for these holiday candies! Kids are invited to decorate their bag before the hunt and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies. Throw on your favorite holiday sweater and get ready for some festive fun at this annual event!
Photo by Kris Rae Photography
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