Visit Able Trade for beer, bites, and local talent. Enjoy featured works from woodworker Cary Ratliff.

5:30 PM—8:30 PM.

Addison's bookstore will be open for special extended hours First Friday! Plus they will be offering cookbooks at half-price on First Friday, as well as through the month of February.

6—9 PM.

Arrowmont Gallery presents "Lovingly: Black, Queer, Interracial Tennessee in Craft", co-curated by Crafting Blackness Initiative’s Karlota Contreras-Koterbay with Karen LeBlanc Sullivan and Lyn Govette. The reception beings at 7 PM, with artist talks and curators reading of poems by Nikki Giovanni and Beauford Delaney. Followed by DJ Soularia set from The Bottom from 7 to 9 PM.

5 PM—9 PM.

March's featured artists are Yvonne Dalschen and Sherrie Wilson. Yvonne Dalschen is a German photographer living in Oak Ridge, TN. She is interested in histories of place, cultural landscapes, complexities of memory, and digital experimentation. Sherrie Wilson is a life-long artist, specializing in fiber arts and silversmithing. Growing up in East Tennessee, she was influenced by her mother and grandmother, both exemplary needlewomen, to work with fabric and thread. She continued that journey through quilting and weaving.

The opening features complimentary refreshments and music. Explore the marketplace of more than 60 juried-in East TN artists.

5:30 PM—9 PM.

Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for Casey Field.

Casey Field is a portrait and figurative artist who lives and works in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her work blends contemporary sensibilities with classical techniques. She will be presenting the vibrancy of her studio walls to Awaken Coffee with a mixture of color studies and drawings alongside more fully refined paintings. 

6 PM—8 PM.

Visit Bethie Lou’s Fabulous Gift Store at their new location at 108 E Jackson Ave., Ste 1! ome in for a special experience of fun, laughter, and fabulous gifts. Extended First Friday hours.

Open until 9 PM.

Enjoy jazz with the Parker Bakkall Trio. Great spot for dinner and cocktails.

8 PM—10:30 PM.

Enjoy Bluegrass Jam music (21+).

9 PM.

Casa HoLa invites you to the Astrid Galindo Student Art Show and Competition. Showcasing the talent of student artists ages 15 - 21, guests will vote for their favorite piece on First Friday. The top three winners will get cash prizes. The exhibits will remain available throughout March.

5 PM—9 PM.

Kick-off First Friday at Maker Exchange! Browse work by 150+ local artists or enjoy a cocktail or bite in the Tavern. Enjoy live music featuring the Evelyn Jack Trio from 7–9 PM! And don't miss new work by Diahn Ott & Carri Jobe in the Curio.

4 PM—9 PM.

Join Dogwood Arts for the Opening Reception of "Seven Decades in Bloom: Celebrating the Legacy of Dogwood Arts", a new exhibition reflecting the organization's rich history, evolution, and impact on the region. Exhibition on display through April 18th.

5 PM—8 PM.

The Arts & Culture Alliance presents "From Paper to Thread to Yarn" by Kerry Remp. Kerry Remp is a retired NASA Engineer and professional pianist who enjoys the exploration of various mediums to “build” art. A musician from the age of three, Remp discovered visual art, via paper (modular origami) at age 40. Once he was hooked on creating, other paper art forms such as quilling, sculpture and portraiture began to take shape.

The Arts & Culture Alliance presents "Flora and Fauna of Tennessee" by Hannah Doss. Doss’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.

The Arts & Culture Alliance presents "Timeless Strings – The Art of Guitars and Clocks" by Deb Cikovic. Doss’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.

The Arts & Culture Alliance presents Creativity and Community, a show by A1LabArts. This new group exhibition includes artwork by members of A1LabArts, Inc., a nonprofit, Knoxville-based artists’ organization observing its 30th year of continuous activity in 2025. Throughout A1LabArts’ existence, its members (a rotating cast) have supported and engaged in a variety of creative work, including visual art in two and three dimensions; time-based art such as video, performance art, theater, written and spoken word; music; dance; multi-media events and more.

Big Ears presents Wayne White: Big Words. For almost 40 years, White has been unleashing humor in all aspects of his career. His most successful artworks have been his word paintings, which feature oversized, three-dimensional text painstakingly integrated into vintage landscape reproductions. The message of the paintings is often thought-provoking and almost always humorous, with White commenting on vanity, ego and his memories of the South. This exhibition is one of four special exhibitions of visual art on display in downtown Knoxville during the month of March as part of the Big Ears 2025 festival weekend (March 27-30).

A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Sarrenna, Travis Bigwood, and Nicholas Horner.

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.

Following the Pattern is a group exhibition at Gallery 1010 exploring visual patterns curated by Hannah Jordan. The patterns incorporated into the artworks are sourced from textiles, interior/exterior decor, nature, culturally significant objects, religious/meditative designs, and more, with a goal of enhancing the viewer's knowledge of patterns that they encounter in everyday life. 

5 PM—9 PM.

Knoxville Museum of Art presents Soundscapes at KMA: Women in Jazz. Celebrate women in jazz month with an all-woman ensemble led by bassist Teja Veal. Join KMA each month for live music, art, and a celebration of creativity. Tickets available at knoxart.org/events.

7:30 – 9:15 PM.

March's featured artist at the Visitor's Center will be Violins of Hope. They will have a violinist perform one song in the middle of the Blue Plate Special show.

5:30 PM—7 PM.

Underground @ Mirage 15.0 with house music from Debbie Graham, percussion from Corey " Legend " Hodge, Kevin Nowell, Christian Ferrer, Earl Grae, and Chris Marc. The newest member of The Art of House crew.

6 PM—1:00 AM.

For over 22 years, the Pilot Light has been the go-to for independent and experimental music. On Friday, hear performances by SOOT with Good Vibes Only, Lan Line, and Serial Baby. Tickets at door.

8 PM.

Music from Gramphix with Harmonic Vibrations. Tickets at door.

8 PM.

Hot shop Glassblowing Demonstrations at nationally known Pretentious. Don’t miss this.

5 PM—9 PM.

Join RALA for February's First Friday featuring the debut of "Alphabet Knox" by Mike C. Berry, the latest in his letters series. Known for his bold colors and dynamic cityscapes, Berry brings Knoxville to life through a playful, graphic exploration of the alphabet.

6 PM—8 PM.

RED Gallery is proud to host the opening of the opening of the colossal printmaking exhibition by Pangrok Sulap, a community-based collective from Sabah, Borneo that includes artists, musicians and social activists with a mission to empower rural communities through art. The show will open on First Friday and will run for two weeks in March.

5 PM—9 PM.

Music by Vagabon Brew with the Salty Moondogs.

8 PM. 

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.

Watch the sunset from the best view in the city! For this special evening tour, enjoy refreshments, explore the Observation Deck, shop local, and watch the sun go down over our scruffy little city. Event times vary based on scheduled sunset. This month's featured artist is author Mike McDonough, who will be there presenting his book 'Why is My City Called Knoxville?'.

Reservations can be made at visitknoxville.com.

Poets Noah Soltau, Kelsey A. Solomon, Nome Emeka Patrick, and Wesley Scott McMasters will be reading from their respective works. Join to hear their work, enjoy light refreshments, and celebrate the written word. RSVP for this FREE event by visiting unionavebooks.com/events.

6 PM—8 PM.

Kite Symphony is a multidisciplinary exhibition by Roberto Carlos Lange and Kristi Sword. The project features a series of drawings called Radio Telescope. Two films, one experimental piece called Star Scores, will be scored live during the Big Ears festival, and a film documenting sculptural interventions during their time in Marfa, Texas. Sound is the throughline between these diverse elements of this long-term project. Lange is a musician (widely known as Helado Negro), Sword is a visual artist, and Kite Symphony is an extension of their collaborative practice where they create work at the intersection of music, performance, and visual art. Parts of the film were originally commissioned by Ballroom Marfa and organized by Sarah Melendez.

5 PM—9 PM.

The musical guest for First Friday Live February will be UT Appalachian Strings featuring the Collective Unit Revival Band.

6 PM—7 PM.