Dogwood Arts Festival 2024

The three-day Dogwood Arts Festival held court in downtown Knoxville this past weekend on the World’s Fair Performance Lawn. Just the walk from the center of downtown to and from the festival revealed a Knoxville so different from just a short time ago.

The Arab Festival filled Market Square, the crosswalk over Henley filled with steady streams of people walking each direction, the convention center hosted girl’s basketball and they and their families joined the crowds. A long queue formed to ride to the top of the Sunsphere. On a return walk I spotted a Meghan Lingerfelt mural I’d not seen on the side of the Hilton Garage. And that’s not to mention the festival.

The festival in question started in 1961 and forms the centerpiece of our spring festivals. Stretching out over three days, it also stretched its footprint this year to include not only the amphitheater, but the space surrounding it, providing a second entire node for discovery. One of the great additions this year, a tasting tent with food by Real Good Kitchen vendors anchored the spot.

Two stages filled with entertainment throughout the day. I listened to young violinists, watched Tiny Dancers, and more mature dancers on the Amphitheater stage. I heard a couple of fun artists on the performance lawn. Even for the folks not listening directly, the music made the festival atmosphere just a bit better. That included the bagpipe player wandering about spreading his ethereal sounds.

Just inside the gate, Rainbow Roots Florals displayed a burst of color to set the tone with their cut flowers and several vendors sold plants to carry home and love as a memento. That wasn’t the only nature present. I caught a photo of a woman with a large bird on her shoulder, but missed the guy with the squirrel.

Also just inside the gate, Zen Dragonfly Studio really brought it. The rotating meditation sculpture caught a lot of people as they passed. Always in great supply, pottery fills a large portion of the booths, and we were particularly struck by the pottery of Sam Hitchman Ceramics. I’m not sure how he got that finish. We also loved the glasswork of Memory Glass. They take antique glassware and incorporated it into framed stain glass — often with a tiny plant inside. Crazy.

We loved the beautiful dulcimers by Wood Creek Designs and the beautiful knives by Marcus Johnson Bladesmithing and Metal Work. The festival-wear by Kanane made for one of the most colorful booths. Maybe I should get some of their gear and leave the black behind — or not. But I’d love to see others wearing it! Not too far from that booth was a Tesla Truck that looked like something from outerspace.

We both cruised through Saturday morning and I went back Saturday afternoon for another look. While the weather was sketchy on Friday, it was near perfect Saturday. Sunday turned out good, as well, but we had moved on to the Fourth and Gill Tour of Homes and Gardens, which I’ll hit tomorrow.

It served as a great end to the bulk of festival season (though there are more to come, including Southern Skies in just a couple of weeks). For now I’m ready for the return of the Market Square Farmers’ Market (tomorrow!) and jazz on the square next week. Those events feel more like neighborhood gatherings and remind me why — after all the festival fun has ended — I love living downtown.

A special thanks to Alexa-Marie Melendez, UT Intern for this semester for the great video she provided of both this festival and last week’s Rossini Festival. Enjoy the video and check out the rest of the photos from a fun annual event.