2022 Fall Festivals & Events in Chattanooga
FREE | Sundays, April 24-Nov. 20 / 11 am-4 pm
The weekly open-air producer-only market features local food artisans and farms, fresh produce, meat, and cheese, live plants, local arts and crafts, food trucks, and much more.
$ | On View Now-July 20, 2023
Passing Through features the works of Birmingham-based artist Amy Pleasant. Pleasant’s large-scale canvases and graphic paintings overtake the walls of the Hunter’s historic mansion stairwell, welcoming visitors to the early American galleries. Her figurative silhouettes deal with complex subjects, connecting traditions of American portraiture with contemporary themes of identity and human behaviors.
$ | On View Now-March 5, 2023
Explore the work of photography greats Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Paul Caponigro and others, all drawn from the private collection of Dr. David Dennard. Dennard, an avid photographer, was inspired by the Photo-secessionists, pictorialists and especially the transcendental work of Paul Caponigro and began slowly building a collection that covers a wide range of early to late 20th century works. This exhibition considers the significance of these movements in American photography and the influence on artists today. A small complementary exhibition highlighting additional works by Paul Caponigro will be on view in Gallery 15.
$ | On View Now-Jan. 8, 2023
Kerry and Betty Davis began gathering a wide variety of works by African American artists; today, their collection presents nearly 100 years of art, amassed over 35 years. The exhibition Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art presents 67 selected works from this astonishing collection, including works by Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Sam Gilliam, Loïs Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Gordon Parks, and Alma Thomas. Through strikingly diverse media and styles, these artworks respond to historical narratives and make bold creative statements that helped shape 20th-century American art.
$ | Oct.-Nov. / Times Vary
Cruise the Grand Canyon of the Tennessee River and see one of nature’s most brilliant displays of color. This three-hour cruise includes live entertainment, live narration of the historical sites along the river, Pilot House tours, buffet lunch, and free bingo with prizes.
$ | October 28-November 13 / Times Vary
A vanished father. A pill-popping mother. Three sisters harboring shady little secrets. When the dysfunctional Weston family unexpectedly reunites after Dad disappears, their Oklahoma family homestead explodes in a maelstrom of repressed truths and unsettling secrets. Mix in Violet, the drugged-up, scathingly acidic matriarch, and you’ve got a story that unflinchingly—and uproariously—exposes the dark side of the Midwestern American family. Tracy Letts’ ferociously entertaining play won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award. (Appropriate for mature audiences)
$ | Nov. 2 / 4-8 pm
Enjoy free admission to the permanent collection and $5 general admission to the current exhibition Memories & Inspiration
FREE | Nov. 5-6 / Times Vary
Watch one of the largest regattas in the U.S., hosting more than 5,100 competitors ages 14-89 representing 29 states and countries from Chattanooga’s riverfront. The Head of the Hooch regatta is a 3.1-mile course down the Tennessee River, passing by Chattanooga’s Riverfront and Bluff View Districts.
$ | Nov. 10 & 11 / Times Vary
The Hunter’s largest annual fundraiser, Spectrum, is one of Chattanooga’s premier cultural events. Presented for over 20 years by First Horizon, Spectrum is a two-evening event with a silent auction cocktail party on Thursday evening and a black-tie seated dinner gala with a live auction on Saturday.
$ | Nov. 11-13, 18-20 / 7:30 pm
An abandoned textile mill comes to life with music, dance, installation art, aerials, projection lighting, and craft cocktails. The Pop-Up Project offers an experience for art lovers and adventure seekers to explore as a story drawn from the history of the mill reveals itself over the course of the evening.
$ | Nov. 13 / 2-4 pm
Enjoy drop-in art experiences for kids and families, making your own work inspired by works of art in the Hunter’s special exhibition Memories & Inspiration. Family programming is generously sponsored by The Mark Hite Team.
$ | Nov. 17 / 6-8 pm
Inspired by the imagery of Memories and Inspiration, Hair Peace is an original multi-arts runway show presented by Demetrius Seay along with a group of local African American models, artists, performers and hair and makeup professionals. The performance will include hair, nail and clothing designs as well as six original couture gowns designed by Romey Roe and jewelry by designer Deshonte Jackson. Regular admission applies; members and youth 17 and under are free.
$ | Dec. 1-3 / Times Vary
Chattanooga will host the TSSAA Tennessee High School Football Championship games at Finley Stadium, home of the UTC Mocs Football.
FREE | Dec. 8 / 6-7 pm
Local Black poets, dancers and actors will be in dialogue about their own creative responses to pieces in Memories & Inspiration and the way their responses ripple into one another. Free and open to all.
