Top Fourth of July Festivities in Knoxville

Festival on the 4th is a free, family-friendly event including activities like axe-throwing, mini-golf games and paddle boats. Food vendors will be located on both lawns.

The free festival begins at 5 p.m. and ends at approximately 10 p.m. at the conclusion of the fireworks display. This event is RAIN OR SHINE.

Festival Lawn stage
Dirty Grass Soul: 5:00pm-7:55pm

Performance Lawn stage
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra's 42nd Annual Free Lawson Family Foundation Independence Day Concert, 8:00 p.m. 

This is a FREE CONCERT - no ticket required!

Fireworks launch from the Henley Bridge at approximately 9:45 p.m.

FREE PARKING at World's Fair & Blackstock Parking Lots, 11th Street, Locust Street, Walnut Street, State Street, Main Street, and Market Square garages. ADA Parking will be available. On-street parking will also be free on July 4.  

NO PETS - NO ALCOHOL
NO PERSONAL TENTS / TENT CANOPIES
RAIN OR SHINE
ROAD CLOSURES:

• World's Fair Park Drive between Clinch & Grande will be closed from 2pm-11pm
• Clinch Ave between Henley & 11th Street will be closed from 2pm-11pm
• Henley Street between Sevier Ave and Hill Ave (this includes Henley Bridge) will be closed from 4pm-Midnight
• Southbound travelers should utilize detours at Summit Hill Drive to Hill Avenue to James White Parkway, as well as Church Avenue to Howard Baker Drive to Hill Avenue to James White Parkway.
• Northbound travelers on Chapman Highway should take Moody Avenue to James White Parkway.

While most Americans celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, the Museum of Appalachia marks the occasion with an old- fashioned “anvil shoot”. Every 4th of July, the Museum uses gunpowder to launch a 200-pound anvil hundreds of feet into the air! 

Anvil shoots were once a common way for pioneers to commemorate holidays, elections, and other special occasions. While the tradition of anvil-shooting is nearly obsolete, the Museum has made it a nearly 30-year tradition, striving to keep this piece of history alive for a 21st century audience. 

The anvil shoot is the centerpiece of an all-day celebration that includes a national bell-ringing ceremony, flag procession, live music, southern food, demonstrations from blacksmiths, beekeepers, dulcimer makers, spinners, weavers, rail splitters, and more. 

Event Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. with anvil shoots occurring at the top of every hour throughout the day.

Gather with us to celebrate Independence Day, the Declaration of Independence, and our community. Enjoy great views, good food and beer, live music, fun games, great company, and tours of the 1858 house museum. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and spread out on our 7 acres of green space near downtown and right off I-40!

Our event recalls the spirit of 19th-century Independence Day celebrations when communities gathered for patriotic revelry and enjoyment. Overlooking downtown Knoxville to the west and the Great Smoky Mountains to the south, historic Mabry's Hill enjoys a spectacular view of the fireworks presented by the City of Knoxville and revelers around the city and county. Take it easy with this laid-back celebration. It is the perfect time to come chill on the hill!

• Savor delicious local fare.

• Quench your thirst with beverages from local breweries.

• LIVE MUSIC for attendees to groove to and enjoy.

• The historic house museum will open for self-guided tours.

• A reading of the Declaration of Independence and a document about the unfinished revolutions of the United States.

We recommend buying pre-sale tickets early, as the event sells out. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door starting at 5:00 PM on July 4th. Adult tickets at the door will cost $20. No tickets will be sold before 5 PM.

This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee, administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. 

Pre-sale Ticket Prices

A limited number of Tickets will be sold at the door starting at 5 PM on July 4th.

General Admission (16+): $15.00

(Includes one drink ticket for the event bar. Adult beverages will be served to ages 21+ only)

Children aged 5 t0 15: $5.00, children under age 5: FREE!

Members of Mabry-Hazen House: 2 tickets for $10.00 each

We'll also have several activities for kids and the young at heart including:

• Purchase tickets to join in a cake walk and possibly take home a delicious dessert from a local bakery!

• watermelon seed spitting

• tug-of-war

• sack races

• three-legged races

• bocce

• croquet

• corn hole

• ... and MORE!

All proceeds benefit our educational and preservation missions!

• 5:00 pm — Food Trucks & Bar Open (back parking lot)

• 6:00 - 7:45 pm — Live Music (gazebo)

• 6:15 - 8:00 pm — Lawn Games

• 8:15 pm — Cake Walk

• 8:45 pm — Reading of the Declaration of Independence

• 9:30ish — Fireworks Fired Around City
  
  *Schedule Subject to Changes*