Nashville is a city bustling with activity during the sweltering summer months. From cultural celebrations to arts exhibitions to live dance and music offerings, there is something in store for everyone. Vanderbilt University is proud to support numerous nonprofit and community organizations that provide activities and events throughout the season.
Make memories outdoors
Get your dancing shoes on for Big Band Dances. Enjoy free swing and jazz lessons on Saturday evenings at the Centennial Park Bandshell. Listen and dance to the tunes of over a dozen local bands and load up on some delicious food from vendors. The community is invited to this free event series from Metro Parks Music, Creative Parks Nashville and the Centennial Park Conservancy.
Enjoy the uproariously funny comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor, for free at the summertime favorite Nashville Shakespeare Festival in The Yard at ONE City. This festival runs Thursdays to Sundays, Aug. 21 to Sept. 21, and also offers insightful lectures, concerts and food trucks.
Join the Nashville Pride Festival happening at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park June 27–29. This festival features workshops, concerts, food, a kids and family area, community art installations, and over 225 local vendors.
Gift your little ones a world of adventure and magic with Enchanted Castles at Cheekwood. Now through August 31, visit these locally-crafted castles placed among Cheekwood’s vibrant summer blooms.
Cool off indoors
Explore the latest exhibition, Monumental Figures at the Parthenon, in Centennial Park. Prominent Nashville sculptor Alan LeQuire, BA’78, offers a new body of work celebrating contemporary people who have inspired him. Several Nashville natives are featured prominently in his selection of activists, musicians and athletes.
Experience the remarkable legacy of the Fisk Jubilee Singers® at the National Museum of African American Music. The groundbreaking 2,500 square-foot JUBILATION! exhibit brings to life the story of young African American singers who broke through racial barriers in the late 1800s while preserving and celebrating the unique American tradition known as spirituals.
Join the Nashville Public Library’s Summer Reading Challenge to earn prizes and visit your neighborhood branch for story times and puppet shows for kids and families. Browse through the renowned Civil Rights Room and Votes for Women Room at the main Church Street location downtown (reopening July 28).
Visit the Frist Art Museum to explore current exhibitions, Venice and the Ottoman Empire, Ellen Altfest: Forever, Enough to Go Around: Food and Community in Nashville, and Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (opening June 27).
Vanderbilt in the community this summer
Experience the wonders of the universe at Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory with programs like Telescope Nights and Meet the Astronomer. Engage with astronomers and enjoy gazing through Dyer’s historic Seyfert telescope. Grab a picnic basket and enjoy music for a magical night under the stars at the Bluebird on the Mountain concert series.
The annual Music City Hot Chicken Festival brings together the local community and visitors to celebrate the uniquely Nashville dish, hot chicken. Stop by the Vanderbilt University Press booth and get your copy of Hot, Hot Chicken: A Nashville Story by Rachel Louise Martin.
Don’t miss an evening with R.F. Kuang, presented by Parnassus Books and Vanderbilt University. Hear Kuang and a special guest discuss her new book, Katabasis, at Langford Auditorium on Aug. 31.
Vanderbilt University is proud to contribute to the city of Nashville and facilitate exciting events that bring the community together. Make the most of Nashville’s summer by experiencing the city’s rich culture and heritage.
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