What's happening
Events Calendar
Just events, no always-open places. Each circle is something happening that day; tap a day to see what it is.
- Event
- Free
- Kids
- Halloween
- Cancelled
Saturday, October 3
- Free
3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival (Saturday)
Music starts noon
Ross's Landing, 101 Riverfront Pkwy, Chattanooga, TN
Free. Saturday's lineup: Randy Steele & High Cold Wind noon, Bronwyn 1, Mason Via 2, Big Richard 3, Appalachian Road Show 4:20, The Last Revel 5:40, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage 7 and Sam Bush 8:40. Lawn chairs and blankets welcome (no outside food or drinks); 18 local food trucks; free shuttle until 11 PM. Same-day Walnut Street Bridge reopening (noon–3) means heavier downtown traffic — see the City's closure list (Riverfront Parkway closed through 7 AM Sunday).
Bands of America Chattanooga Regional Championship
Gates 9 AM; prelims 9:30 AM; finals gates 6:30 PM, finals 7:30 PM
Finley Stadium, 1826 Reggie White Blvd, Chattanooga, TN
New! A marching-band competition with Signal Mountain High School performing at 2:45 PM and Soddy-Daisy High School at 3:45 PM in prelims. Digital tickets only (buy online to skip box-office fees); $15 spectator parking.
9:00 AM
Tennessee River Gorge — Suck Creek to Chattanooga
A 10-mile open-water swim down the Tennessee River Gorge, one of the marquee endurance events on Chattanooga's calendar. Kayak escorts required for swimmers; a striking stretch of river to watch from the banks.
- Free
Tennessee Aquarium Plaza, 1 Broad Street
Free entry. A riverfront farmers market in the heart of downtown, steps from Ross's Landing. Pay parking nearby.
Weekly through Oct 3
- Kids
Fall Festival at Flat Top Mountain Farm (Saturdays)
Saturdays 10 AM–9 PM
Flat Top Mountain Farm, 638 Bowman Cemetery Rd, Soddy-Daisy, TN
Hayrides, a corn maze, Highland cows and mini donkeys, and mountain views through Nov 1. $12 admission includes a homegrown pumpkin; kids 3 and under free. Free parking, stroller-friendly. Worth the drive.
Weekly through Oct 31
Rails, Wizards & Spells (Saturdays)
Saturdays 2:30–10 PM
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, 4119 Cromwell Rd, Chattanooga, TN
A train ride to Wizards Way Village, an enchanted-forest walk, potion-making, oversized games and a hayride — weekends through Oct 25. $35 per person, ages 2+; plan on about 2.5 hours.
Weekly through Oct 24
Enchanted Pumpkin Patch at Rock City
Sat 10 AM–10:30 PM
Rock City Gardens, 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain, GA
Rock City's fall wonderland — pumpkins, twinkling lights, fall photo spots and seasonal treats among the gardens and rock formations. Runs daily through Oct 31; this file covers the Saturday nights.
Weekly through Oct 31
- Kids
Mayfield Farm Park Fall Festival (Saturdays)
Saturdays 11 AM–8 PM
Mayfield Farm Park, 257 Hwy 307 E, Athens, TN
Three corn mazes, a 50-variety pumpkin patch, hayrides, zip lines, a mountain slide, a silo light show, animals and more (40+ activities), running through Nov 8. This is paid admission, not free — pricing is higher on the Oct 10-11 and 17-18 Signature Weekends, and buying online saves a few dollars off the gate price; check the ticket page for current day-by-day prices. Kids 2 and under are always free.
Weekly through Nov 7
Brenn! — Amateur At Best Tour (with Mor)
8:00 PM
Barrelhouse Ballroom, 1501 Long St, Chattanooga, TN
18+. $23 advance / $27 day of show.
10 AM–7 PM
Electric Crocodile North, 607 Cherokee Blvd, Chattanooga, TN
New! Vintage Crocodile's second annual fall vintage market — an outdoor vendor market with live music on the shop's porch stage.
Small Town America Festival — Dunlap Heritage Days (Saturday)
7 AM — music from 4:30 PM
Harris Park, 245 Cedar St, Dunlap, TN
Day two: live music all afternoon — Bill Hatfield & the Wild Wind Band (4:30), Cody McCarver (6:00) and Exile (7:30). $5 three-day wristband (kids 5 and under free).
- FreeKids
East Chattanooga Fall Festival & Fire Prevention Week Kickoff
10 AM–2 PM
East Chattanooga Community Center, 2409 Dodson Ave, Chattanooga, TN
New! Free. The Chattanooga Fire Department's Fire Prevention Week kickoff combined with the community center's fall festival — food, games and fire-safety education for the family.
- Kids
Flock Swap
8:00 AM
650 SE Wildwood Avenue area, Cleveland, TN
A backyard-poultry swap meet — chickens, ducks, supplies and know-how traded among local keepers. Kids love the birds.
Community Yard Sale in Hixson
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
5228 Hixson Pike, Hixson, TN
A front-lot day of bargain shopping — crafters, baked goods, furniture, antiques and yard-sale finds.
- Kids
Sat 9 AM–6 PM
658 Ketner Mill Ln, Whitwell, TN
New! The 48th annual fair — 150+ artisans, 20+ food vendors, wagon rides, canoeing on the Sequatchie River, a 4-H petting zoo, and live bluegrass, country and gospel music. $8 (cash only); kids 8 and under free. Free parking. Also runs Sunday.
- KidsOutside
Saturdays noon–2 PM
Departs from the Southern Belle dock, 151 Riverfront Pkwy, Chattanooga, TN
A guided boat trip to Maclellan Island with a roughly one-mile walk over dirt paths, nature and history interpretation, and a visit with the island's resident goats. $44.99 ages 13+, $34.99 ages 3-12, $5.99 ages 0-2. Chattanooga Audubon lists Saturdays Oct 3, 10, 17 and 24 (the last two dates). Tickets are limited and the island isn't wheelchair accessible.
Weekly through Oct 24
Oktoberfest at Cambridge Square
12–8 PM
Cambridge Square, 9453 Bradmore Ln, Ooltewah, TN
New! Free. A Root Bier Fun Run for kids plus the ticketed, 21+ Lederhosen Loop (a 5-lap beer challenge) and Bier Walk/pretzel competition for the grown-ups.
- Free
11 AM–1 PM
Downtown Library, 1001 Broad St, Chattanooga, TN
New! Free. A resource fair connecting students and families with local tutoring, mentorship, STEAM, arts, camps and career-exploration organizations. Supported by River City Company.
7:30 PM
Puckett's Chattanooga, 2 W Aquarium Way, Chattanooga, TN
No cover; tips for the artist appreciated. Dinner and a show on the riverfront.
- FreeKids
11 AM–4 PM
Main Street, Pikeville, TN
New! Free. The 40th annual festival — 80+ vendors, two kids' areas with free face painting and a pumpkin patch, live music on the Main Street Stage, and food trucks.
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC vs. Corpus Christi FC
Afternoon kickoff — see chattanoogaredwolvessc.com
CHI Memorial Stadium, East Ridge, TN
The Red Wolves host Corpus Christi FC at CHI Memorial Stadium in USL League One play.
- Kids
Adopt-a-Thon
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Oct 3–4)
Signal Mountain, TN
A two-day pet adoption event — meet dogs and cats looking for homes. Family-friendly.
Signal Mountain Nursery Fall Festival
Signal Mountain Nursery, 1100 Hubbard Rd, Signal Mountain, TN
New! The nursery's fall festival — the site confirms the date but not festival-specific hours, so check before you go (regular Saturday store hours are 9 AM–5 PM).
- Kids
Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Contest & Music Fest
11 AM–8 PM
2501 Fairmount Pike, Signal Mountain, TN
New! The Walden's Ridge Civic League's barbecue contest and music fest, with live entertainment and jump houses for the kids. Admission and the music lineup aren't posted on the organizer's page, so check before you go.
- Free
Tennessee River Rescue: Chattanooga-Area Cleanups
Chester Frost Boat Ramp, Earthfare, and Greenway Farm — all Hixson, TN
New! Free. Volunteer river cleanup at multiple Hixson sites (Chester Frost, Earthfare, Greenway Farm) — the organizer's page doesn't list a start time, so register and contact your site's zone leader for the meetup time. Also has Soddy-Daisy sites at Big Soddy and Thrasher & Frontage Road.
- Kids
9:00 AM
Soddy-Daisy Fire Hall, 11651 Dayton Pike, Soddy-Daisy, TN
The inaugural 5K fundraiser for Soddy-Daisy High School Track & Cross Country — walkers, dogs and strollers welcome. $33.78 (ages 0–18: $17.76), +$5 race day.
Walnut Street Bridge Reopening Celebration
Noon – 3:00 PM
Walnut Street Bridge
A celebratory walk marking the bridge's reopening after 18 months of restoration — 200,000+ pounds of new steel, fresh paint, and new Alaskan cedar decking. Live entertainment and family fun. Walnut St parking is blocked starting 6 AM; expect heavier traffic downtown with 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival happening the same weekend.
Wild Ones Fall Native Plant Sale
10 AM–2 PM
Grace Episcopal Church parking lot, 20 Belvoir Ave, Chattanooga, TN
New! A dozen vendors selling native plants — Reflection Riding's native plant nursery, Crabtree Farms, Hixson High School and more. Cost isn't listed on the organizer's page.
