September is here! The fall festival season is in full swing in Nashville, and it seems like there’s something to do every day of the week. Here are our top picks for September activities, from comedy nights to celebrating Dolly. Make sure to tune into our podcast for even more ideas.
😆 Join Us in Roasting Nashville
City Cast Nashville is hitting the stage for our first-ever live show! Hosted by Marie Cecile Anderson, The Roast of Music City will feature local comedians taking aim at the city that we love to hate. Join us on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at The Lab at Zanies. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, with proceeds benefiting Open Table Nashville.
👠 Celebrate Dolly
Nashville leaders have declared September Imagination Library Month in honor of Dolly Parton, and there’s a push to name Sept. 25 as 9 to 5 Day. Here are some ways you can celebrate our beloved queen and her legacy in Nashville this month:
- Slip on your highest heels for the stiletto dash following a 9 to 5K on Sept. 5. Proceeds benefit the Imagination Library.
- Not a runner? Spend local and support the Imagination Library by grabbing the In Dolly We Trust cup of ambition at Madtown Coffee, munching on Dolly Parton cookies at The Puffy Muffin, feasting on Dolly's Strawberry Dream Pancakes at The Pancake Pantry, rolling into Sept. 25 at the Brentwood Skate Center’s Dolly Skate, and watching Dolly films for $9.25 a ticket at participating Regal theaters.
- Learn more about her musical legacy at the Dolly exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
- Visit her many murals around town.
👺 Follow the Knoblin Trail
While Nashville seems to have some kind of festival every weekend, we don’t have any centering local folklore that I know of, until now. The inaugural Knoblin Fest is based on a local legend about a goblin that plays tricks on people around Todd’s Knob in Donelson. The fun starts Sept. 4 and runs all month long with the Knoblin Trail, where 18+ businesses across Donelson offer special tributes to the local lore, like stitching a scrappy goblin at Smart Art, sipping a knoblin drink at Nectar Urban Cantina, or spotting hidden knoblins for discounts at JVI Secret Gardens. The month-long tribute to the trickster culminates in a free art and music festival on Oct. 3.
🤠 Square Dance Out in the Country
Bells Bend Farms kicks off its square dance season on Sept. 26 with a daytime fall festival including pumpkins, hay rides, and a corn maze. Then, at 6 p.m., the kids’ square dance begins, before it becomes an all-ages affair at 7 p.m. You don’t have to have any square dance experience to join in on the fun. In fact, this is the spot that finally broke our host Rachel Iacovone’s streak of never participating in any kind of boot scootin’. Now, she never misses a barn dance during season. She warns it does get packed though, so make sure to grab tickets in advance for $18 per person. Oh, and bring some bug spray along with your comfiest dancing shoes!
