Vestival has always been about celebrating the soul of Vestal, and for the second year in a row Vestival is being celebrated in the very heart of Vestal.
Conceived as a tribute to the creative heritage of the Vestal community of South Knoxville, where the marble and lumber industries thrived for many years, Vestival embraces the past and present with a day of fun, food, arts and history. Vestival will take place at the Sustainable Future Center, 201 Ogle Ave., on Saturday, May 9, 2026. The gates will open at 10 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.
After more than two decades at the Candoro Marble property, Vestival last year moved two blocks away to Sustainable Future to take advantage of a more flexible space and parking. The location also puts Vestival closer to “downtown Vestal” – marked by the Vestal Gateway Arch – and allows it to partner with Vestal mainstays Tea & Treasures on Martin Mill Pike and Vestal United Methodist Church, which will host a giveaway by the Kickstand Bike Collective. Joining the venues this year is the new Steve Keene Art Store, next to the former King Tut’s Grill on Martin Mill Pike, which will be having a soft opening.
Sandsation Dancers perform at the 2026 Rossini Festival. (Photo from Sandy Larson)
“We want people to get a sense of the community that is Vestal,” said Patrick Michael, president of the Candoro Arts & Heritage Association. “Aligning with our business and nonprofit neighbors feeds into that spirit.”
The Vestal Community Organization is joining the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment and Candoro Arts & Heritage Association to sponsor Vestival. Independent Americana radio station WDVX is also providing support.
Vestival traditionally takes place on the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend, and one of attendees’ favorite traditions is the Mother’s Day brunch, which is free and open to all. The deliciousness starts at 11:30 a.m.
Music is another big attraction of Vestival. This year’s acts include Ayca & Sasquatch, Matt Foster, Jessica Watson with Greg Horne, and the Lonetones. (Foster, Watson and the Lonetones are all South Knoxville residents.) Also performing will be the Sandsation Dancers, fresh off their popular appearance on “America’s Got Talent.”
The Vestival art show will feature 1930s marble quarry photographs never exhibited before. The photos were donated by brothers Jeff and John Craig, descendants of John J. Craig, who formed the Candoro Marble Works in 1878. There will also be a student art show, which will include a competition for the best interpretation of a new “Welcome to South Knoxville” sign – the original went missing during the Chapman Highway/ Blount Avenue redevelopment several years ago.
A wide array of items by crafters and makers will be available for purchase at vendors’ booths. Vestival is also bringing back its popular silent auction.
Kickstand Bike Collective is offering refurbished bicycles for children, but they must be reserved in advance. To sign up for one, call Eric Johnson, 865-771-6223.
Vestival parking is available in the lot at the intersection of Ogle Avenue and Immanuel Street.
For more info and updates, visit the Vestival Facebook page or www.candoromarble.org.
Throughout May, the South Knoxville branch of the Knox County Public Library will display a retrospective of Vestival posters. The nonprofit group that organizes Vestival was originally incorporated in 2001 as the South Knoxville Arts & Heritage Center and changed its name to Candoro Arts & Heritage Association after a study and recommendations by the Tennessee Arts Commission.
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