Contests

The following list includes traditional music competitions and contests of all sorts, with categories including fiddle and other instruments, bands, singing, and dancing. Exact contest rules vary widely. Check website or call the phone number provided for information about exact dates and times, location, and contest categories and details. If you’d like to add an event to this listing or update information, please contact the Folklife Program staff. For more information on the history of traditional music contests in the state read Fiddle and Old Time Music Contests in Tennessee.

East Tennessee Young Musicians Bluegrass Contest (Rogersville), late February

State of Tennessee Old-Time Fiddlers’ Championships (Clarksville), late March

West Tennessee Old-Time Bluegrass and Fiddler’s Jamboree (Holladay), mid April

Uncle Jimmy Thompson Bluegrass Festival (Granville), late May

Hillbilly Days (Lafayette), mid June

Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree & Crafts Festival (Smithville), early July

Uncle Dave Macon Days (Murfreesboro), early July

Bluegrass Along the Harpeth Fiddlers Jamboree (Franklin), late July

Williamson County Fair Bluegrass Festival (Franklin), mid August

Laurel Bloomery Fiddlers Convention (Laurel Bloomery, Johnson Co.), late August

Wilson County Fair Bluegrass Competition (Lebanon), late August

Smoky Mountain Fiddlers Convention & Crafts Fair (Loudon), early September

Bell Witch Old-Time Bluegrass Competitions (Adams), mid September

Grand Master Fiddle Championship (Nashville), late September

Harvest Moon Festival (White House), early October: 615 / 672-2265