Making Knoxville Spooky, Together.
Halloween is a very unique American holiday. With origins in the Celtic end-of-year celebration of Samhain (pronounced Sowin), and later influenced by the Catholic Church, Irish immigrants brought the day to our country (and our city) over 150 years ago. Today, it is the only major U.S. holiday that recognizes the dark and spooky things in life, as well as the only one that gives a center stage to the reality of of mortality, which we believe is a good and healthy thing. It is also the main holiday in which people are encouraged to be creative and become someone else for a night and to let loose and embrace the strange, weird, and scary.
We think this is good too.
Aside from our love for what the holiday and overall Spooky Season represent, Halloween has become big business, with Americans only spending more money at Christmastime. We believe that making Knoxville - especially the downtown area - a uniquely well known area for Halloween will not only be a boon for the economy (think about how many people travel every October to places like New Orleans, Salem, or Savannah) but that the non-religious, creative, and relatable spirit of the holiday (everyone finds something spooky!) is a great way to build community and make Knoxvillians even more proud of where they live. Like the original celebrants of Samhain, we strive to make October in Knoxville a time for gathering and celebrating before the weather turns cold and the nights get dark.
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Will you join us in making our home The Spooky City?
Frequently Asked Questions
See below for some queries you just may have.
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Are you a nonprofit?Yes! We became an officially registered nonprofit in Tennessee in November 2023. We are currently awaiting to get our letter of exemption from the IRS and become a 501c(3)!
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How do I get involved?Shoot us an email with your name and if you want to be involved generally or with something specific (helping us make downtown festive, helping organize the parade or other events, outreach, etc).
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Where and what does a donation go to?A small amount of donations will go to keep this website up and print marketing materials and all the goods that come with being a nonprofit. We are all volunteers so no donations go to pay anyone. Some donations will go to helping us provide more decor in downtown and other locations. Most donations will go toward helping us celebrate the season through various new events that we hope become lasting community-building traditions! Once we officially become a 501c(3), your donations will become tax-deductible.
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When is the Halloween parade?!Creating Knoxville's 1st annual Halloween parade is one of our primary goals, but we know the logistics of these things take time and resources. That said, we hope to see ghouls and goblins marching down the street in October of 2024 or 2025! If you want to help us make this happen, contact us!
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I have a spooky event near downtown! How do I share it?Email us with the details and we will put it on a calendar or in a blog post. We will try to have the first round of event announcements up by the beginning of Autumn.