Special Events in Nashville

As is befitting, music celebrations abound in Music City, USA. During the Country Music Association (CMA) Country Music Festival, an event in early June, barbecues, exhibits and general fanfare envelop downtown Nashville. But let's not forget the live music: Huge crowds of fans pack outdoor and arena concerts given by country music's biggest celebrities. The festival ends with the long-awaited Grand Masters Fiddlers Championship, a hand-clappin', foot-tappin' string show. The Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival, named after New York's Tin Pan Alley, attracts hundreds of songwriters who perform in venues throughout the city in late March and early April. Catch the acts of both legendary and up-and-coming musicians. Outdoor concerts are the draw at the city's summertime Dancin' in the District event.

Next to the CMA Country Music Festival, the Running of the Iroquois Memorial Steeplechase in mid-March is the city's best-known event. Attracting Nashville's elite, the event began in 1941 and is said to be the country's oldest steeplechase. Seven races benefit the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

Each March 15th, The Hermitage celebrates the Anniversary of Andrew Jackson's Birthday with a grand display. Folks flock to the president's antebellum mansion for tours of the home and 1,120-acre grounds, where the president and his wife are buried. Spring also welcomes the Nashville Independent Film Festival in late April, during which well-known and promising film producers present their works. Cinemas host screenings, and festival goers can attend film-related seminars and forums.

The Tennessee Crafts Fair attracts artists and craftspeople from around the state, while the Tennessee State Fair offers carnival rides, performances, art exhibits, competitions, performances and pageants. In July, attend the Celebration of Cultures, an ethnic festival with food, entertainment, exhibits and crafts representing more than 50 nations.

Holiday events take place at Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, the Belle Meade Plantation, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and Loews Vanderbilt Hotel Nashville, but Gaylord Opryland's A Country Christmas, an event draped in almost 2 million lights, is tough to top. The event, which runs from mid-November to early January, features the Radio City Rockettes, a living nativity, carriage rides, an antique and craft fair and live performances by country music stars. ICE!, a frozen wonderland built around life-size ice sculptures, also is a cool part of the celebration.