Saturday, Oct. 31, is the last day of Market Square's summer schedule. The farmers market sets up at 9 a.m. for the final summer Saturday. Later that day, Trick or Treat on the Square hands out candy from 5 to 8 p.m. across Market Square and Union Avenue, with free tote bags, costumed characters, games and non-candy treats. Wednesday's market on Oct. 28 was the last midweek market until spring.
After that, the square gets four weeks of reduced programming. Downtown's November calendar is still full, but most of it happens a few blocks away: a film festival on Gay Street, a parade at the Civic Coliseum, a lecture at Blount Mansion and a charity forest at the Convention Center. Then on Friday, Nov. 27, the rink opens, the tree is lit, and two downtown-wide holiday trails begin, all on the same day.
The calendar below is laid out in that order: what's left on the square, what moves out, and the Friday when it all comes back.
What stays on the square: one Saturday market, with a different footprint
Nourish Knoxville runs the market, and it doesn't close for winter. It shrinks. The winter schedule drops Wednesdays completely and keeps one weekly market.
| Summer season, May–October | Winter season, Nov. 7 – March 27, 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Market Square | Closed |
| Saturday | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. |
| Saturday closures | None listed | Nov. 28, Dec. 26, Jan. 2 |
The winter Saturday starts and ends an hour later than the summer one. The first winter market is Saturday, Nov. 7.
The layout also changes for the holiday months. Nourish Knoxville's winter-hours announcement, published by Inside of Knoxville on Oct. 15, explains it this way:
"During November and December, the market's footprint will be temporarily adjusted to accommodate seasonal activities on Market Square. Shoppers can still visit the market during our scheduled winter hours, though vendor locations and the overall layout may look a little different."
The winter market spans Market Square, Union Avenue and Market Street. A farm you found in one spot all summer may be somewhere else on a December Saturday.
The 2026–27 winter market map lists farms including Alloy Acres Farm, Among the Oaks Herb Farm, Bee Tree Farms, Belmont Farms of Tennessee and Buffalo Trail Orchard. Good Greens Microgreens Farm, GoodThymes Organic Farm, Ivester Family Farms and Kimberly Ann Farms are on it too. So are Musick Mountain Farm, Old Bailey Farms, Race Family Farmstead, Reynolds Farm and Seven Springs Farm to Table. In Nourish Knoxville's description, the market typically carries produce, eggs, honey, pasture-raised meat, baked goods, jams, coffee and artisan crafts, depending on the season.
The programs keep running through winter. SNAP/EBT and Double Up Food Bucks are available on every scheduled winter market date. In Nourish's example, $25 in SNAP turns into $75 to spend when it's matched with $50 in food bucks. Nourish Kids continues on the second Saturday of each month, with activities and $5 in Produce Bucks for children ages 2 to 12. This season, that means Nov. 14 and Dec. 12.
Where the calendar moves in November
While the square runs on one market a week, these are November's dated events. Almost every one is somewhere other than Market Square.
- Friday, Nov. 6, from 4 p.m.: First Friday ArtWalk. Galleries and shops across downtown host open houses.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11, 10:45 a.m.: Veterans Day Parade. The Downtown Knoxville calendar lists it at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum and Auditorium.
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m.: Phillis Wheatley and the Black American Revolution. Dr. Katy Chiles speaks at the Blount Mansion Visitors Center as part of the Semiquincentennial Celebration Lecture Series. The event is free with an RSVP.
- Thursday, Nov. 12, through Sunday, Nov. 15: Film Fest Knox at the Regal Riviera. Details follow below.
- Monday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Nov. 29: Fantasy of Trees at the Knoxville Convention Center, with decorated trees, a Gingerbread Village, Santa and live music, all benefiting East Tennessee Children's Hospital.
Film Fest Knox
Film Fest Knox is in its fourth year, and it fills four days at the Regal Riviera. The Visit Knoxville Film Office started the festival. Visit Knoxville and Regal present it, and The Public Cinema is a partner.
The complete program, which Inside of Knoxville published Oct. 21, opens with Mouse and closes with Clarissa. Tim Blake Nelson presents his film The Leader and receives the James Agee Prize. The American Regional Cinema Competition includes Act One, Airport BLVD., And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind, The Pirate King and Ponderosa. The Made in Tennessee Competition has three features and fifteen shorts. The Elev8or Pitch, panels and revival screenings are also on the program. The top eight Elev8or Pitch teams are announced on Halloween.
The festival ticket page lists an All Festival Pass at $100 and a VIP Festival Pass at $275. The VIP pass adds VIP events and hospitality. According to the Oct. 21 announcement, single tickets and five-block passes were set to go on sale Oct. 27, and passholders can already pick their screening blocks. Check screening times on the festival site, not on last year's schedule page.
Friday, Nov. 27: everything returns to the square at once
The day after Thanksgiving, downtown's programming moves back to the center. Four things start that Friday.
Holidays on Ice opens at 17 Market Square and runs through Jan. 3, 2027. Home Federal Bank is the presenting sponsor, and the City of Knoxville organizes the rink. According to the Downtown Knoxville rink page, regular Friday hours are noon to 10 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults and $9 for children 12 and under, and it includes skate rental and unlimited ice time. Season passes cost $50 for adults and $35 for children. The online ticketing site adds a service fee to the base price, $2.20 on an adult ticket.
The Regal Celebration of Lights runs from 5:15 to 9 p.m. across Krutch Park Extension, Market Square and Market Street, and it's free. Live music starts at 5:15, and at 6 p.m. the 42-foot Mickey Mallonee Christmas in the City Tree is lit. The night also includes photos with Santa on Market Square and activities for children.
The Peppermint Trail begins the same day. Downtown restaurants, coffee shops, bars and boutiques serve peppermint specials through Jan. 3, and peppermints painted on the sidewalks mark the route.
The Elf on the Shelf Adventure also starts Nov. 27. It's a scavenger hunt through dozens of downtown businesses, and the North Pole Pass that guides it is available at Mast General Store or the Knoxville Visitors Center.
The next morning, Saturday, Nov. 28, the farmers market is closed for the Thanksgiving weekend.
December's recurring dates on the square
Once the rink is open, the square runs on a weekly schedule through December. The rink page lists Monday discounts tied to the Knoxville Ice Bears. Chilly and Ice Bears players skate on Dec. 8, 15 and 22. Tuesdays and Wednesdays have themed nights, Fridays and Saturdays have DJ skate parties, and Sundays have sundaes. Santa visits the rink on Dec. 6, 13 and 20. The rink's extended hours run Dec. 23 through Jan. 3.
Off the square, Dec. 4 has three events. The First Friday ArtWalk starts at 4 p.m., the WIVK Christmas Parade comes down Gay Street at 7 p.m., and Santa at the Sunsphere begins its Dec. 4 to 6 run on the fourth-floor observation deck. Visit Knoxville requires reservations in advance for the Sunsphere photos. The winter farmers market keeps its Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. hours on every scheduled December date, with Dec. 26 the only December closure.
If your downtown routine follows the Market Square calendar, I'm always glad to talk about the blocks around it, from the Saturday market streets to the corner where the tree goes up. Terri Lawson is happy to compare notes on downtown Knoxville whenever the timing suits you. Let's Connect.
