East Nashville is about to go all-in on red again. The Tomato Art Fest is set to return to Five Points for its 23rd run, filling the neighborhood with a weekend of art, live music, parades and proudly weird contests. The main festival stays free and family-friendly on the streets, with a handful of ticketed parties and gallery preview nights for anyone who wants an early or upgraded experience.
When and where
The 23rd annual Tomato Art Fest is scheduled for Friday, August 7, with evening programming, and Saturday, August 8, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout Five Points in East Nashville, organizers say. Street access remains free, with a few ticketed extras and an art show spread across nearby gallery spaces. According to Tomato Art Fest, the event is produced by Good Neighbor Festivals and is billed as the 23rd annual edition.
Art show and preview party
At the core of the weekend is the Tomato Art Show, which organizers say will feature more than 350 tomato-inspired works in every form they can squeeze out of the theme, including paintings, sculptures, textiles and mixed-media pieces on view all festival weekend. Gallery hours are set for Friday from noon to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The ticketed Preview Party for first crack at the art is slated for Thursday, August 6, at Main Street Gallery, 625 Main St, with tickets running about $50. Many of the pieces are available for purchase during the weekend, according to NewsChannel 5.
Bloody Mary Garden Party and ticketed extras
The festival's popular Bloody Mary Garden Party returns as a separate 21-and-over ticketed event, presented by the Tennessee Titans and stocked with full-size Bloody Marys, mimosas, garnish bars, live entertainment and a hat-decorating contest. Past ticket listings show the brunch bash at the Bongo East grass lot, with ticket prices starting in the mid-$50 range. Event pages strongly suggest buying early, since the party often sells out, according to Vivenu.
Parades, flash mobs and contests
One of the signature spectacles is the Push, Pull & Wear Parade, a community procession of tomato-themed costumes, floats and stroller set-ups that tends to turn the whole neighborhood into a roaming gallery. Flash-mob performances will again pop up around Troy Duff’s tomato mural, with this year’s lineup including salsa, swing, rueda and breakdance turns.
The contests are just as offbeat, with haiku bouts, a Beautiful Tomato showdown, costume competitions and categories for the Biggest, Littlest and Ugliest tomatoes. Voting for the Battle of the Vine runs June 15 through 23, with the winner crowned July 1, as reported by NewsChannel 5.
Getting there and festival basics
Organizers suggest plugging 1004 Woodland St into your GPS to land in the heart of Five Points. Rideshare pick-up and drop-off lanes are planned at 10th and Woodland and at Forest and N 11th. The festival operates as a cashless event, provides portable restrooms and a first-aid tent, and runs a Tomato Art Show shuttle from the corner of 10th and Woodland on festival days.
For maps, accessibility notes and the most current schedules, check the festival FAQ on the Tomato Art Fest site before you head out.
Why it still matters
What started as a small neighborhood art show in the early 2000s has grown into one of Nashville’s defining neighborhood festivals, regularly drawing large crowds and racking up recognition in local polls. The city’s visitor bureau reports the event has set an attendance record and calls it a perennial favorite in Nashville Scene reader polls, and organizers highlight the weekend as a key showcase for local artists and small businesses. For vendors and performers, Tomato Art Fest weekend doubles as a community meet-up and a critical revenue driver, according to Visit Music City.
If you are heading to Five Points this August, expect heat and crowds, snag tickets to the preview party or Bloody Mary Garden Party early and give the festival site a look for final maps and vendor lists. Bring sunscreen and water, and consider rideshare or the shuttle to sidestep parking headaches.
