By Olyver LaGabed, Staff Writer
What does music mean to you? That might sound like a loaded question – how can one define music and its impact with just a few words? It’s a challenging question for individuals everywhere, but for those in Tennessee, the answer is quite simple: music is everything. It’s built our cities, inspired our history, and it’s something that we locals take great pride in conserving. This is exactly why events like Knoxville’s annual Sunset on Central festival are so important to the East Tennessee community.
Taking place on Saturday, August 29, 2026, the Sunset on Central festival has been in Knoxville for a decade now, since 2016, making it their mission to keep music free and accessible to all local communities. Managed by the Knox Music Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the music scene in Knoxville, Sunset on Central aims to introduce new crowds to local musicians every year. This year was no different; one of the headlining performers, local solo artist Hollye B, describes her experience with the Sunset on Central festival as such:
“It’s been amazing. They’ve been super accommodating and communicative, and just really quick to respond, and really care, and I think that’s kind of indicative of the lineup – they’re just good people that are doing this out of the kindness of their heart, and so it’s representative in every factor of the festival. I feel really happy to be a part of something like that, not just to perform but just as a human that loves music. ”
Additionally, the aforementioned artist Hollye B has recently released her newest debut solo, Ain’t Got Nothin’, which was written in collaboration with guitarist Mike Campbell and was performed at Schulz Brau Brewing Company during the Sunset on Central festival on August 29. It’s a beautiful song that everyone should hear at least once, and it’s a wonderful thing that Sunset on Central can introduce so many different audiences to sounds that they may not have otherwise heard before.
Performances for Sunset on Central took place all over Knoxville, with the city having its residents walking up and down the streets of downtown over this past weekend. And who can blame ‘em? For Knoxville, a music festival is a big deal for both audience members and performers alike. People from all walks of life were at the festival on the 29, creating a large crowd, diverse in both audience and performers. Emma, a crowd member who had actually travelled all the way from Cookeville, had this to say when asked what music and events like Sunset on Central meant to her:
“Music is community, to put it into one word. It brings people together, holds them together, with emotion and energy.”
And she’s not the only audience member who felt this connection to the event. One crowd member, a science teacher local to Oak Ridge, shared a story with me about her son performing at the festival – another reported the event as her first-ever exposure to Knoxville culture. All in all, the event proved to be an excellent moment of community for everyone, bringing a group of mostly strangers together for a shared interest in one thing: music.
Music has to be one of the most important things to Knoxville’s community. Its presence has permeated itself through every era of mankind and has especially played a huge role in the community and history of our lovely Tennessee mountain home. Music breathes air into the lungs of Tennessee’s culture, community, and history – and if music is the air Tennessee breathes, then festivals like Sunset on Central are the beating, thrumming heart of our community, which thrives on its symphonies… or something like that. Either way, next year Sunset on Central will return with a fresh setlist, many more memories to be made, and the same promise as they’ve always kept – community through a shared love of music.
