Held on
Memorial Day Weekend Each Year

2007 PHOTOS

Thunder on the Rock

THE NEWEST, BIGGEST, BADDEST, MOTORCYCLE RALLY AROUND! Thunder On The Rock Motorcycle Rally is an annual event held on Monteagle Mountain in Tennessee.  Lots of music, events, contests and games including the frozen T-shirt contest! EVERYONE 18+ is welcome. Sorry, no pets, no four wheelers, no golf carts, no glass bottles, and no attitudes, please.

Delicious food from various vendors. Don't have a bike? Come anyway! Plenty of car and RV parking. Great music by Major Acts and some awesome local bands. Camping is available for everyone. Frozen T-Shirt Contest, Bike shows and games all weekend Trophies and cash awards.
 www.thunderontherockonline.com

Held in
June Each Year

2007 PHOTOS

Bonnaroo

The newcomer - but already the champ - is the three-day Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in June outside of Manchester, TN. The New York Times, noting that the festival is just a few years old, said it "has already revolutionized the modern rock festival."

Reminiscent of Woodstock, the rural Bonnaroo festival is a gathering of almost a hundred thousand fans who camp out on the grounds (though some offsite accommodations are not too far away), enjoying days and nights of music and assorted bazaars. There's 20-foot-high fountain to cool off in, and a tent cinema to watch some cult classics. The playground's swings and slides are an attraction to youngsters and adults.

Unlike Woodstock, Bonnaroo offers an eclectic selection of artists, not just today's rock.     www.bonnaroo.com

Held in
June Each Year

CMA Music Festival

Fan Fair began back in the early '70s as the country music industry's way of strengthening the bonds between artist and fan. The get-together gave fans a chance to hear, greet and usually hug their favorite artist.

Today, with the CMA's Music Festival added, the event has gone up to a whole other level. Concerts are held outdoors in the Coliseum (home of the NFL's Titans); autograph sessions and exhibitions are held in the Convention Center (more than 500 celebrities turn up for this); and down on the banks of the Cumberland River are even more live music shows.

The self-described "Country Music's Biggest Party" is also surrounded by hundreds of booths and vendors and bazaars - there's even a carnival.     www.cmamusicfestival.com

Held in
April Each Year

National Cornbread Festival

The National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tennessee honors everything cornbread. The National Cornbread Cook-Off features finalists preparing their original main dish recipes. Cornbread Alley is a taster’s delight where visitors savor the smells and tastes of a variety of cornbreads. This small Southern Tennessee town where cast iron skillets are made, fills the streets of the business district with great foods to taste, live entertainment, and arts and crafts.    www.nationalcornbread.com

Held in
June Each Year

Riverbend Festival

Tennessee's biggest festival is Riverbend, the 26-year-old party is held in June in Chattanooga. The nine days of performances draw as many as 500,000 attendees to see local musicians and stars such as Kid Rock, Boys II Men, Alabama, Big & Rich, Pat Benatar, Donna Summer, Hank Williams, Jr., Trish Yearwood and Kenny Rogers.

The main concerts are held on the bank of the Tennessee River, but other stages are spread nearby, as are a variety of arts/crafts and food vendors. This is one festival that you must make plans to attend!       www.riverbendfestival.com

February/March
Each Year

2007 PHOTOS

Country Radio Seminar

Every year around the last weeks of February or the first weeks of March, over 2800 Country Radio programmers converge at Music City to see and hear all the newest Country Songs and Artist’s being released for the year.

This event is not open to the general public, but it does draw a wide range of artists (from country to rock) to the downtown Nashville area.  You are likely to see your favorite artist roaming the streets or visiting nightclubs such as Tootsie's Orchard Lounge.     www.crb.org

May - November Each Year

2007 PHOTOS

The Stage at Monteagle

One of the newest music venues is The Stage at Monteagle.  Located on Monteagle Mountain and beginning its third season, The Stage has already played host to:  Merle Haggard, George Jones, Joe Nichols, John Michael Montgomery, Confederate Railroad, The Beach Boys, Rhonda Vincent, Kentucky Head Hunters, John Anderson, Classic Rock All Stars and Little Big Town.

The Stage at Monteagle will begin its New Season in May offering an array of music from country, rock, gospel, bluegrass and more this year.   www.thestagemusic.com