Happy Friday, Knoxville. You know the drill – grab your coffee (or whatever you sip in the morning), kick back, and let Knoxville Brief serve up everything you need to know for the weekend ahead.

📰 In the news

Local happenings: Knoxville’s casting calls are scouting local talent, YMCA after-school programs face a funding freeze, and Black women entrepreneurs grabbed $10,000 in prizes — catch up here.

State-level stories: Tennessee Athletics make top ten finishes look easy, MTSU rolls out practical esports majors, and Monteagle welcomes visitors inside turn of the century cottages — see what else is brewing.

National headlines: Infrastructure to study post-viral syndromes, full retirement age to increase by two months, major food recalls, and a new study on asteroid deflection — peruse the best of the rest.

Highlights this week

• Master Medicare essentials this Saturday
• Join Monday’s open breastfeeding support group
• Get one-on-one tech help every Tuesday
• Get career and resume help Mondays
• Meet 4th District City Council candidates
• Unlock dozens of travel deals with AARP

🫶 We got your back

Music: Forget Spotify playlists and folding laundry—if you’re after something rowdier than your earbuds can deliver, these live music venues bring the kind of energy that makes you remember why you used to stay out past 10 pm.

Home: Ready to ditch the starter home or plant roots in a neighborhood that feels like you? Meet top realtors in Knoxville—the ones who actually get you.

Brunch: Nothing says weekend like bottomless mimosas and fluffy pancakes, so why settle for bland toast? We’ve rounded up the coziest spots around Knoxville where the coffee flows freely and the eggs benny never disappoints. Check ’em out here.

Community: There’s something magical about Sunday farmer’s markets, pop-up concerts, annual gatherings, and block parties that turn strangers into neighbors. Local events don’t just entertain—they spark conversations and create a sense of belonging. Here’s a deeper look at why local events matter more than we realize.

Pets: An emergency vet visit could cost you $7,000+ (ask me how I know 🙃). From the initial fee just to be seen to x-rays, surgery, medicine, and aftercare, it adds up quicker than a chew toy turns into a crime scene. The good news? You could get up to 90% cash back on your vet bill with this pet insurance plan.

👀 Why just read it when you could be in it?

Own or manage a local business? Thousands of your future fans read our emails — advertising your products, services, listings, and events with us is easy.

You can advertise with us or submit an event for free.

📆 Around town this weekend

All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirey outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.

Today

🎨 Free Create Friday @ Blount County Public Library | Friday (7/11) at 10:30am – Grab your glue gun and head to the community center for Free Create Friday, where paper, yarn, fabric, recycled bits, and more are all there for your artistic hijinks. Think of it as show up with your weird craft impulses, we’ll handle the supplies, and you’ll avoid staring at your laundry pile for a while. No snooty art critiques, just fellow locals oohing and aahing over your next yarn-and-button masterpiece.

🎸 Senie Hunt @ The Pirate Tavern & eVape Dispensary | Friday (7/11) at 9:00pm – Slide into something comfy and pop over to the Tap Room for an evening with Senie Hunt, the Sierra Leonean percussion genius who drags West African rhythms into his guitar. He beats out loops that rival a drum kit, and makes it look effortless.

This weekend

🍏 Nourish Kids @ Market Square Farmers Market | Saturday (7/12) at 9:00am – Think your kid’s picky eater days are over? Swing by Market Square Farmers Market for Nourish Kids, where tiny hands get messy with educational games, free produce samples, and $5 in Produce Bucks they’ll undoubtedly spend on strawberries, not gummy bears.

🍪 Under the Sea Sugar Cookie Decorating Class @ Farragut Community Center | Saturday (7/12) at 11:00am – Take a deep dive into sugar cookie decorating with six sea creatures, from starfish to seahorses. It’s art class for adults, minus the critique, plus a pile of frosting and piping bags. Expect good company, gentle competition, and a rogue sprinkle or two.

🌀 Summer Craft Series: Tie-Dye @ Fountain City Branch Library | Saturday (7/12) at 11:00am – Bring your luckiest, or least sentimental, plain white T-shirt and turn it into a kaleidoscopic statement piece at Fountain City’s Summer Craft Series. We’ll be outside splashing Rit dye like it’s grown-up finger painting, so expect to walk away with a one-of-a-kind shirt and a few splotches you’ll swear are “intentional.” No art degree required, just a sense of adventure and a willingness to embrace your inner color fanatic.

🎨 Paint Night @ Token Game Tavern | Sunday (7/13) at 2:00pm – Think less stuffy art gallery, more laid-back game night with easels, canvases, and the occasional spilled drink. Token Game Tavern will arm you with paints, you bring the questionable talent, and we’ll supply the laughs. Bragging rights, not masterpieces, are the goal.

🎤 Matt Stillwell @ Hometown House Party | Sunday (7/13) at 6:00pm – Whether you’re fed up with overblown arena shows or just crave a night that feels familiar, this house-party gig brings Matt Stillwell to our backyard. Think stripped-down tracks, friendly faces, and that “we all grew up here” vibe. BYO stories, maybe a folding chair.

🎵 Music Bingo aka Singo @ Marble City Pub | Sunday (7/13) at 7:00pm – Sunday nights at Marble City Pub just got a serious upgrade with Music Bingo, where your teenage mixtapes finally pay off. It’s bingo meets karaoke without the awkward microphone solos, plus a craft beer or specialty cocktail in hand. Grab your lucky dabber and prepare for classic rock, guilty-pleasure pop, and bragging rights at stake.

Next week

🎱 Bingo Night @ Blount County Public Library | Monday (7/14) at 6:00pm – Library bingo night is calling, so grab your dauber, register online, and brace for the county’s friendliest game of chance. It’s an all-ages affair where yelling “Bingo” in public is the highlight, not the embarrassment. You’ll swap dry wit with fellow locals, compete for prizes that actually beat Aunt Harriet’s fudge, and walk away with an evening genuinely well spent.

🇪🇸 Spain and Flower Festival @ Parrott-Wood Memorial Library | Tuesday (7/15) at 1:30pm – This one’s a festival for kids of all ages—because in our town that includes anyone who still talks to plants or dreams of tapas. Siera from Lost Creek Flowers will show us how New Market’s blooms get their glow-up, and Ginger Spradlin will whisk us off to Spain with tales of flamenco and fiesta. Expect hands-on planting demos, quirky Spanish trivia, and enough local charm to fill your reusable tote.

🎷 Jazz @ The Emporium Center | Tuesday (7/15) at 7:00pm – Think you’ve heard all the jazz riffs our town can dish out? Tom Peron and his crew are lighting up the Emporium with free, silky trumpet tunes. Grab a bite from Above and Beyond Catering, BYOB, and drag a friend along, because couch concerts never come with this much charm.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

🎶 Live music & entertainment

• 7/11 Knoxville Dub Allstars @ Barley’s – 12 pm
• 7/11 Jay White @ Tennessee Theatre – 7:30 pm
• 7/11 Apple Jackson @ Brackins Blues Club – 9 pm
• 7/12 Big Jayyy @ Birdhouse Neighborhood Center – 7 pm
• 7/12 Overtime: The Long Way Home Tour with Krizz Kaliko @ Open Chord Stage – 8 pm
• 7/13 Redd & The Paper Flowers @ Barley’s – 7 pm
• 7/14 Crystal Ship (The Doors tribute) @ Open Chord Stage – 8 pm
• 7/15 The New Romantics and more @ Pilot Light – 8 pm

Price is right – Knoxville edition

How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).

*This 👇 could be your listing. Hit us up if you’ve got a home (or 12) to sell.

Listed by: Joey English (Realty Executive Associates Downtown)

This storybook Tudor flaunts its double corner lot with a parade of mature trees and a fully fenced yard, while an arched front door and original hardware keep the fairy tale alive. The living room’s stone fireplace and hardwood floors bring the cozy, and the formal dining room’s window bench is ready for dramatic readings or lazy brunches. The kitchen skips the pumpkin carriage, opting for soapstone counters and a gas stove with a vented hood.

Upstairs, the primary bedroom’s window nook is perfect for daydreaming, and the shared bath’s checkered tile and cast-iron tub are straight out of a vintage catalog. The basement offers a bonus room with heat, air, and a window—ideal for hobbies or hiding from chores. Raised garden beds, a covered back porch, and sidewalk-lined streets put the cherry on this North Knoxville classic.

Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →