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Explore the list below of what's happening this month and check back as events are added before each First Friday.
Plus, enjoy a special First Friday block party on the 100 Block of Gay Street from 5-9 PM! Please note, Gay Street (between Jackson and Vine avenues) will be open for pedestrians only between 4-10 PM
Head to Jackson Avenue for artists & makers, candles, cozy knits, art, ceramics, jewelry, and more. Plus s'mores, BBQ, and sweets! Featuring music from the Brent Thompson Jazz Quartet. The Jackson Ave Block Party is brought to you by The Old City Association, the Old City Market, and the City of Knoxville.
4 PM—8 PM.
Join Able Trade for a Christmas Extravaganza! Enjoy a kid's craft area, Lumberjack Santa, photo ops, and vendors market. Start with a handmade basket, then fill with candles, home goods, cutting boards, leather goods, and more! Once you have your Christmas shopping done, grab a cup of hot cocoa, a bag of popcorn, and walk up to Gay St. to watch the Christmas Parade! This is a night you don’t want to miss!
Featured vendors include: Husmus Studio, Pecan and Poplar, Riverbend Candle Co, Made Last Night Studios, Biome Woodworks, Rising Moon Farms, Honeymouth, Sheri Burns Baskets, Kelly Dyed Fabrics, and talented Able Trade members.
5 PM—8 PM.
Join us for the Closing Reception of 'Fragile' a group exhibition featuring sculptural and functional ceramics by 44 local + regional artists. Don't forget to look for our Scout Elf, Cinnamon, during your visit!
5 PM—7 PM.
The Arts & Culture Alliance proudly presents its 2024 Members Show, the largest annual exhibition of local artists in the Greater Knoxville area. The fresh mix of two- and three-dimensional works created within the last two years encompasses a wide variety of media such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, photography, fine craft, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, and more from regional artists who are all individual members of the Arts & Culture Alliance, which serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions.
5 PM—9 PM.
Celebrate the holiday season in Downtown Knoxville with the 51st Annual WIVK Christmas Parade on Gay Street!
7 PM.
Unsilent Night is a unique and immersive outdoor sound sculpture that has become a holiday tradition in cities around the world. Created by Phil Kline, this ambient music piece is experienced by the audience through a mobile app that synchronizes the playback of multiple recordings, creating a one-of-a-kind, moving sound experience. There is no experience or performance necessary — participants of all ages simply have to carry a Bluetooth speaker and walk with the group! An RSVP is encouraged, but not required — all participation information is available HERE.
5:30 PM—7:30 PM.
Join RALA for December's First Friday with new work by Brian Pittman, featuring his beloved cathedrals!
6 PM—8 PM.
Opening reception for featured artist Claire Bodnaruk (glass) and painter Allen Monsarrat. Complimentary refreshments and music. Explore the marketplace of more than 60 juried-in East TN artists.
5:30 PM—9 PM.
RED Gallery is proud to host the opening of if only in my dreams… by Melissa N. Everett. A collection of quilts, sculptural pieces, soft mixed with rigid, color used to nurture and encourage you to "be a wildflower”. The show will open on First Friday and will run through the month of December.
5 PM—9 PM.
November's featured artist is William Downs. Downs' artwork explores themes of ambiguity and distortion viewed through repetition and representation of the human body. His drawings reveal "feelings of anxiety, fear, joy, angst" or desire with compositions inspired by Cezanne that appear dream-like or otherworldly. He often depicts "people who train their bodies to do inhuman things like run a marathon or bend and contort their bodies," in surreal-like, panoramic scenes. Multiple figures are layered with warped perspective, creating contrasting areas of compositional ambiguity and sharp focus.
5 PM—9 PM.
Hot shop Glassblowing Demonstrations at nationally known Pretentious. Don’t miss this.
5 PM—9 PM.
Enjoy jazz with the Jesse Eads Trio. Great spot for dinner and cocktails.
8 PM—10:30 PM.
For December, Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for Hannah Doss and Laura Woodson. Please join them for some amazing art and of course great coffee!
Hannah’s latest body of work reflects a renewed journey of learning and discovery, inspired by a fascination with resin techniques she encountered in a recent class. Hannah’s art predominantly explores wildlife, nature, and portraiture, inviting viewers to pause and savor the intricate beauty of life's small details.
In Laura’s recent work she has navigated her bold use of color with fine line drawings. She uses coffee filters as the foundation of her work and experiments with how color is affected by water. This process creates a watercolor effect that never creates the same pattern twice. Once she has created her vivid backgrounds, she creates fine line drawings of flowers to re-envision the nature we see in real life. She works to evoke joy in each new piece she produces.
6 PM—8 PM.
Casa HoLa invites you to experience their annual Holiday Bazaar with locally made and imported artisan crafts, accessories, holiday cards, ornaments, alebrijes, tamales, and more. They will also feature their annual Members Show which showcases artwork by local artists!
5 PM—9 PM.
Music by Big Dog with Ransackery.
8 PM.
Music from Knox County Jug Stompers (21+).
9 PM.
Watercolor and oil painter Tracye Amber Sowders will be December's featured maker at the Visitor's Center.
5:30 PM—7 PM.
Kick-off First Friday (and the holiday season) with festive holiday carolers at Maker Exchange! A holiday trio will be performing live from 5—7 PM. Shop locally-made artwork for everyone on your list and find our Scout Elf, Pablo, in the Curio!
5 PM—7 PM.
Visit Bethie Lou’s Fabulous Gift Store for the Gift Store Galleria. Come in for a special experience of fun, laughter, and fabulous gifts. Extended First Friday hours.
Open until 9 PM.
Featured works from mosaic artist Matt Herbstreit in the lounge. Stop by and enjoy local art and local beer!
5 PM—9 PM.
Gallery 1010 is the only fully student-run, non-profit, off-campus UTK exhibition space in the state of Tennessee. Gallery 1010 provides a location for School of Art artists to exhibit their work, curate exhibitions, and collaborate with other artists or disciplines outside of the School of Art.
December's exhibition is Eclectic Expressions. This capstone art show is a completion of works done by UTK Seniors at the College of Art throughout their final semesters before graduation. These art pieces show the hard work and progression of each individual artists' expression through various mediums.
5 PM—9 PM.
Stop by the Bijou Theatre for a pop-up gift shop featuring ornaments from the Bijou and Tennessee Theatre and special holiday cheer!
Stop in Studio 106 Art Gallery. Located on the lower level of the Emporium Center inside suite 106, the gallery will offer specials and discounts for First Friday!
11 AM—9 PM.
Addison's bookstore will be open for special extended hours for December's First Friday!
6—9 PM.
The musical guest for First Friday Live will be Sarrenna.
6 PM—7 PM.
Enjoy featured works from Logan Szymanowski. Logan is a cartoonist living on a small mountain in rural east Tennessee. His ink drawings and poems, inspired by the garden and forest become fine art prints and picture books that cross genres of ecology, folklore, mysticism and absurdity.
6 PM—8 PM.
Music from The Merlin's Nest with Villaphonic. Tickets at door.
8 PM.
Works from Selected National Workshop Instructors in the permanent off-campus exhibition space. Join this month for a special holiday market!
5 PM—9 PM.
Come see Santa at the Sunsphere December 6th—8th! Visit Knoxville will be hosting photo reservations with Santa on the Sunsphere's 4th Floor Observation Deck. Reservations must be made in advance.
Reservations can be made at visitknoxville.com.
Featured works by artist Drew Ellis and music by Renee Maggart.
9 PM—Midnight
Underground @ Mirage 12.0 with house music from Trevor Lamont, percussion from Corey " Legend " Hodge, and DJ support from Oli McIntosh, Kevin Nowell, and Christian Ferrer.
6 PM—1:00 AM.
Get ready to dance! It’s Andres Tapia Latin Night. Tickets at door.
10 PM.
River & Rail Theatre Company presents: It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. It’s a Wonderful Life is based on the story, The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern and is adapted by Joe Landry. This beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. Tickets are available at riverandrailtheatre.com.
KMA presents the 19th Annual East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition. This collaborative project with the East Tennessee Art Education Association is designed to gather the best student work in grades 6-12 from a 32-county region; award winners are eligible for $1,000,000 in scholarships to national art schools.
10 AM—5 PM.
Theatre Knoxville presents: My Three Angels - a Criminally Comedic Christmas in the Torrid Tropics. Tickets available at theatreknoxville.com.
7:30 PM.
