Downtown Knoxville’s Boomsday Festival is the Best of the Best

September 6th is the 22nd Anniversary of the Boomsday Festival, the largest Labor Day weekend fireworks show in the country. A free event, it’s on the Tennessee River/Fort Loudoun Lake in downtown Knoxville.
Each year the event grows and brings more people to view the fireworks. It’s estimated that this year 400,000 people will be at the Boomsday Festival on Neyland Drive. There are food vendors, activities for kids and music, and the music continues until right before the start of the fireworks at 9:30 pm.

The first Boomsday was in 1988 and that first Boomsday had to cross many hurdles including receiving permission to close the Henley Street bridge for three days. It was expected that the event would have 12,000-15,000 people. About 100,000 came. Vendors quickly ran out of supplies and lines at bathrooms were 20-30 minutes long. They now have it all worked out. Many local, state and even federal groups have to weigh in on Boomsday. That includes groups from Knoxville police and fire, to the Coast Guard and the Federal Aviation Administration.
For those that don’t want to drive to the event, there’s always the river/lake. The “navy” will be present here as they are for UT games. More than 1,000 boats will be on Fort Loudoun Lake to see the show from the water—at a safe distance, of course.

Whether you come by car, boat or on foot, come and enjoy Knoxville’s signature event recognized as a Top 20 Event by Southeast Tourism Society. It’s fantastic! It’s fun! And it’s free! See you there!

Schedule subject to change
For more information,
log on to www.boomsday.org

Boomsday photography provided by John G. Karnes