There’s something special about the first few weeks of fall in East Tennessee. The mornings start getting a little cooler, festival season kicks into high gear, and suddenly our weekends are filled with hot air balloons, rodeos, pumpkin patches, live music, local markets, and plenty of reasons to get outside.
If you live around Tellico or Watts Bar Lake, Monroe County, or Loudon County, September is shaping up to be a fun month!
Here are some of the local events happening over the next few weeks that are worth putting on your calendar.
🎈 Monroe Life Balloon Festival
September 5–6, 2026 | Monroe County Airport
What better way to kick off September than with a sky full of hot air balloons?
The Monroe Life Balloon Festival returns Labor Day weekend, this year at its new, larger location at the Monroe County Airport. The festival runs from 4–10 PM Saturday and Sunday and includes hot air balloons, balloon rides, live music, food, games, and an inflatable Kids Zone.
One of the highlights happens after the sun goes down, when the balloons light up together during the Balloon Glow set to music.
It’s a great family outing, and proceeds help support the Boys & Girls Club of Monroe County.
Learn more, see FAQs and find ticket information:
Monroe Life Balloon Festival
🧺 Madisonville Farmers & Makers Market
Thursday Evenings | Downtown Madisonville
Sometimes you don’t need a huge festival to have a great evening out.
The Madisonville Farmers & Makers Market takes place at Memorial Park in historic downtown Madisonville and brings together local farmers, bakers, artisans, crafters, food vendors and more.
There’s also live music, places to sit and relax, and downtown shops and restaurants within walking distance. It makes for an easy weeknight outing while supporting local farms and small businesses.
Upcoming September markets include September 10, September 17 and September 24.
Learn more and check the market schedule:
Madisonville Farmers & Makers Market
🤠 4th Annual CASA Monroe Rodeo
September 11–12, 2026 | Legacy Horse Ranch at Rarity Bay, Vonore
This one is GOING TO BE THE BEST YEAR YET for this event!!
The nationally recognized CASA Monroe Rodeo returns to the Legacy Horse Ranch at Rarity Bay for two nights of professional rodeo action.
Expect eight professional rodeo events, world-champion cowboys and cowgirls, food trucks, vendors, a FREE Kids Zone, and a special appearance by Miss Rodeo USA.
Friday night is also Kids Night, with general admission free for children 12 and under.
Gates open at 6 PM each evening, with rodeo action beginning at 8 PM.
Best of all, the event supports CASA Monroe and its work advocating for abused and neglected children in our community.
Event details and ticket information:
CASA Monroe Rodeo – Buy tickets
🪶 35th Annual Cherokee Fall Festival
September 12–13, 2026 | Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, Vonore
Another fantastic event happening is the annual Cherokee Fall Festival at Sequoyah Birthplace Museum.
This isn’t simply a craft fair. The weekend is designed to give visitors a chance to experience and learn about Cherokee history and culture.
There will be Cherokee arts and crafts demonstrations, Native American food, music, dancing, blacksmith demonstrations, living-history displays and an 1800s printing press demonstration.
Visitors can also see the Warrior Dancers of Ani-Kituhwa, the official cultural ambassadors of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
The festival runs 10 AM–4 PM Saturday and Sunday. Children 12 and under are free.
Learn more about the museum and upcoming events:
Sequoyah Birthplace Museum – Fall Festival Event
🍇 Fall Market at The Notch
September 12, 2026 | Tsali Notch Vineyard
If your idea of a good fall Saturday involves shopping local with a beautiful East Tennessee backdrop, put this one on the list.
Tsali Notch Vineyard is hosting its Fall Market at The Notch from 10 AM–3 PM.
The market will feature local artisans and handcrafted goods including woodworking, jewelry, baked goods and more. It also happens during muscadine season at the vineyard, with U-Pick available.
It’s a relaxed alternative—or addition—to some of the bigger festivals happening that weekend.
Find current information from Tsali Notch and other Monroe County events:
Visit Monroe TN Events
🚗 Lenoir City Annual Street Festival
September 12, 2026 | Historic Downtown Lenoir City
Historic Downtown Lenoir City will be taken over by another free community event on September 12.
The Lenoir City Annual Street Festival runs from 10 AM–2 PM along Broadway and Depot Street and includes a classic and antique car show, live music, arts and crafts vendors, food vendors and a children’s play area.
Admission is FREE, making this an easy family outing if you’re looking to explore a little beyond Monroe County.
See full event information:
Lenoir City Annual Street Festival – Loudon County Tourism
🎶 Blooms, Bluegrass & BBQ Festival
September 18–19, 2026 | Historic Downtown Sweetwater
Bluegrass and BBQ in downtown Sweetwater sounds about as East Tennessee as it gets.
The Blooms, Bluegrass & BBQ Festival returns September 18–19 with live bluegrass music, food, vendors, decorated downtown streets and a BBQ competition.
Main Street will also feature the festival’s music-themed topiaries.
It’s another great opportunity to support local businesses while enjoying one of our area’s downtown communities.
See the 2026 schedule, festival map and additional information:
Blooms, Bluegrass & BBQ Festival
🎃 Deep Well Farm Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze Opens
Opening September 19, 2026 | Lenoir City
Pumpkin-patch season officially arrives!
Deep Well Farm opens its Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze for the season on September 19.
This is a particularly good one for families with younger kids. Deep Well Farm is known for combining the traditional pumpkin-patch experience with lots of activities around the farm, making it easy to spend several hours there instead of simply picking out a pumpkin and heading home.
If you’re ready for pumpkins, corn mazes and that unmistakable fall-farm atmosphere, September 19 is the date to remember.
Hours, tickets and seasonal information:
Deep Well Farm
🍺 Oktoberfest in Tellico Plains
September 19, 2026 | Tellico Brewing Company
Take a drive toward the mountains for an Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Tellico Plains.
Tellico Brewing Company is hosting Oktoberfest on September 19, with the Monroe County tourism calendar listing festivities from 12–9 PM.
Tellico Brewing is located on Southard Street next to Peach Street Grill, making this one particularly easy to turn into an afternoon or evening exploring downtown Tellico Plains.
Check for the latest event information:
Tellico Brewing Company
🏰 Crown & Dragon Renaissance Festival
September 19–20, 2026 | Madisonville
Here’s something completely different!
The first Crown & Dragon Renaissance Festival is coming to Madisonville September 19–20.
This immersive fantasy festival is designed for families, cosplayers, gamers and anyone who still has a little magic left in them.
The festival will feature five immersive fantasy realms, each with its own quests, artisans and experiences. Guests can complete quests throughout the different realms and collect commemorative tokens along the way.
It runs 10 AM–6 PM Saturday and 10 AM–5 PM Sunday at 214 Industrial Park Road in Madisonville.
This may end up being one of the most unique new events in Monroe County this fall.
Explore the festival, realms and event information:
Crown & Dragon Renaissance Festival
🍂 Townsend Fall Heritage Festival
September 25–26, 2026 | Townsend
We’re stretching our three-week window just a little for this one, but it deserves a spot on the list.
The Townsend Fall Heritage Festival celebrates the Appalachian traditions that make East Tennessee such a special place.
The FREE two-day festival features traditional and contemporary bluegrass and mountain music, clogging, square dancing, arts and crafts, Appalachian demonstrations, old-fashioned children’s games and plenty of Southern food—including fried pies and kettle corn.
For 2026, the festival is being held at the Greater Smokies Event Grounds next to the Townsend Visitor Center.
Combine the festival with a drive through the foothills and you have a pretty great early-fall East Tennessee day.
See festival details and updates:
Townsend Fall Heritage Festival – Smoky Mountains Tourism
There’s No Better Time to Enjoy East Tennessee
One of the best parts about living in the Tellico Lake area is that you don’t have to drive far to find something fun to do.
Over just a few September weekends, you can watch hot air balloons glow after sunset, cheer on professional rodeo riders, experience Cherokee culture and history, wander through a vineyard market, listen to bluegrass downtown, take the kids through a pumpkin patch, step into a Renaissance fantasy world, or spend a day celebrating Appalachian traditions in the foothills.
And this is only the beginning of fall festival season.
So grab the calendar, pick a few weekends, and get out and enjoy everything our wonderful corner of East Tennessee has to offer this fall!
Click Here to see even more events happening locally.
Posted by: Karen Millikan – Lakefront Living Realty
Event schedules, activities and times can change. We recommend checking the linked event websites before heading out.