Honestly what's not to love about Tomato Art Fest? It's a whole weekend dedicated to the best summer fruit/vegetable, and brings the entirety of Nashville together for a weekend full of good eats and creative art. This was my third year attending, and every year just gets better and better! Be prepared to walk a bit for parking ... it's all street parking in nearby East Nashville, and spots can be hard to come by. Bring reusable water bottles, hats, sunscreen, and your best tomato costume. If you want to avoid the crowds and the heat, I highly recommend visiting the market on Friday night versus Saturday during the day. The parade and 5K are also so much fun, and definitely worth catching especially if it's your first time. I feel like the food offerings get better and more tomatoey every year, and our favorite from this year was The Mac Shack! read more

Such an amazing time! Parade started PROMPTLY at 9am and was entertaining from start to finish. From the unique floats to the marching bands to the colorful costumes, it was a sight to see. As you're driving to find parking, there are several properties with Tomato decorations in their yards and on their fences. All the parking was free, but you have to be diligent to find decent parking. I suggest arriving early, carpooling, or taking a rideshare if you don't want to deal with it. After the parade, walked a few blocks over to an area that had several food vendors along with retail vendors. I also heard of a kids area inside. Notes for anyone attending next year, wear sunscreen, a hat, arrive early, and bring cash. The event is free to enter but you can get discounts on items you buy from vendors if you use cash. read more

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The biggest block party in East Nashville that is all about art, community and of course, tomatoes! Since moving to Nashville a few years ago, we make it point to swing through Tomato Arts Festival every year we can. The festival runs deep through East Nashville streets and covers close to the entire Five Points neighborhood. The span of the festival grows each year and seems to add a block or two. The streets are lined with tents of local artists from print shops to intricate wood carvings. Alongside the art are clothing and decor, games, vendors, snack carts, food trucks and of course, drink tents slinging the goodness of Bloody Mary's! Speaking of, one of my favorite things is the Bloody Mary Garden Party, which is well worth the $55 ticket price! Timing is limited, so you have to get our early, but you get FOUR full sized Bloody Mary's along with a cooled tent to chill in that features games, prizes, art, etc...It is basically your VIP area of the festival and a cool experience if Bloody's are your thing. In addition to the tents and booths you can wonder in and out of, they also have live music throughout the neighborhood set on large stages that have music from morning to night. The other big draw is the parade, which is a fun time for all walking in it or standing on the sidelines. The other cool thing about Tomato Fest is that the local businesses that are on the route/streets where it is held offer specials for the festival days. We absolutely love popping from spot to spot for drink specials and of course a little bit of A/C every few minutes. The festival is well managed and such a fun part of East Nashville culture. It is well managed, well supported and well intentioned from start to finish! The inclusivity and celebration of community is evident in everything about the Tomato Arts Festival! ...and don't forget, The Tomato, it's a uniter, not a divider! read more

This was my first time coming to Tomato Arts Fest, and what a weird and wonderful and truly East Nashville tradition. Tomato Arts Fest has been going strong in the Five Points neighborhood since 2003/2004. A key word here in the name - "Arts." A community gathering in celebration to all things tomato, Tomato Art fest brings East Nashville neighborhood local pride, small businesses, artists, local food pop-ups, musicians, etcetera in a Friday to Sunday celebration in early August. I went on Friday night and Saturday morning, but Saturday is the main day of the event. The event itself is free to attend, but you can pay to participate in a few key events, including a 5K and a parade on Saturday morning. The event is well run, with vendors, schedules, maps, and amenities well placed through a 3-4 block radius around five points. Street parking was pretty crowded but doable on Friday night, and on Saturday morning I came at 8:30 am to both beat the heat and find excellent parking. Saturday they also have shuttles for those hoping to avoid traffic altogether, which was sweet. The local vendors for the craft/fair portion was pretty awesome. I came specifically for a cute tomato hat from Music Valley Archive but checked out almost every vendor and was really blown away by the creativity and fun in the art, food, and products I saw. It's weird and kitschy but it's also just really fun and unique and actually really beautiful art. There is an air conditioned gallery of featured tomato art for sale, which is a nice break from the heat and a parade and costume contest (the former of which features all the local public schools in the area.) It's honestly both so hot and crowded but also so family friendly and wonderful. I spent about an hour on Friday and about 3.5 hours here on Saturday just exploring myself until I got too hot and decided to call it a day. Lots of free giveaways from local businesses and some chains (the Publix samples were actually awesome this year) and it's clear this event just goes bigger and better now over 20 years in. The live music was really fun as well. Will be back next year! read more

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Tomato Arts Fest is one of the best weekend events to occur every year in Nashville! It's always some time in August - when it's hotter than he'll - but I promise it's worth the sunburn and dehydration! There are over 300 vendors - mostly local or from the region - selling all types of art, clothing, food and other goods. Entry is free and dogs are not allowed. We took an uber there because we feared parking would be insane! read more

Tomato Art Fest - Live music - Local Flavor Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

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Had so much fun! Everyone dressed up and it was a cool experience. So many vendors and tomato themed food stands. Tried tomato pie for the first time! read more

We had way too much fun and look forward to more adventures each year! Bring it on! Bloody Mary is the drink I love!

This was my 2nd or 3rd time at the Tomato Arts Festival, and I have a good time coming here! I like browsing the booths of food, jewelry, art, and other miscellaneous items and stopping in at some of the places of business in and around 5 points. However, I hate that it's just SO crowded and crazy if you try to escape the heat and grab a drink or some food at one of the restaurants nearby. That's the other issue, it is sooo hot! I was hoping with our mild summer it wouldn't be so bad, but alas, it was just as blistering hot as usual. Blerg! I still enjoy stopping in at the food booths, while most places have food for sale, you can also sample salsas (my favorite) and other goodies while walking around. Plus this time, we walked around when things were closing up and I managed to snag two pairs of earrings from a vendor for quite cheap since they would rather sell the items than take them home! Score! There's plenty to do if you get here early; all kinds of contests and competitions, and some pretty awesome people watching as well! Who knew the tomato was THIS popular? read more

Tomato Art Fest - Local Flavor Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Great time as usual as the event continues to grow in people and vendors. We walked from the house with the pups early so they could enjoy this dog friendly event. The Heat got to them after about 45 minutes so we brought them home to chill and headed back down for some adult time. Great art, music, and fun was had by all. I can't wait until next year! read more

Tomato Art Fest - Hot - Local Flavor Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Although the Tomato Festival has always been hosted in East Nashville, in its 10th year, this endearing event has certainly become a favorite amongst Nashvillians residing outside of the 37206, 37207, and 37216. I have attended this free event a few times before (skipped last year) and was happy to be back this year. Now if only I could make it a point to throw on my Nikes and gallop in the Tomato 5k (7:30am)? I arrived on location at around 2:30pm and there was still much to do and see. There is literally a little something for anyone and everyone here. Ranging from recipe contests hosted at Margot, screening of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes hosted by Logues Black Raven Emporium, and a cornhole competition at East Pavilion to bike decorating at East Side Cycle, Redhead contest, or Tomato Kids Art Exhibit... your interest will be piqued. This event is also super pet-friendly with many vendors around to court your furry friend. I happen to love the little baby pool station where are the pups congregate and chill out! Throw in food trucks, shopping, and interactive booths, and 4 stages that host live musical performances (from 10am - 10pm) sprinkled throughout the main strip in Five Points and you have the makings of a really FUN day. I enjoyed shopping (shocker) quite a bit this year and picked up a few items that included a repurposed vintage tee from Goodbuy Girls, a bag of juiciness from The Peach Truck, a fun little ceramic Tomato Fest serving tray, and this TASTY bottle of Habanero Ketchup from Abode Just Like Home's (http://www.yelp.com/biz/abode-nashville) popup booth. I couldn't resist a refreshing cup of locally made kombucha from Spark of Life's booth either. And, of course... I somehow managed to score a table on 3 Crow's patio in all of the madness. Enjoying a couple of cocktails with friends was the perfect way to end the day. TIP: Tomato Fest is so much more than just Saturday, they have events lined up beginning a couple of weeks before that get the buzz going. Some standouts on the schedule this year included a Tomato Wine Dinner at Marche, Voodoo Swing Circus at the East Pavilion, Tomato Art Preview Party hosted at Art & Invention Gallery, and the Tomato King & Queen Contest. Can't you see? Tomato is a state of mind! read more

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Thanks Yelpers for helping me find this fun diversion while in Nashville in mid-August. It was cool to see the Yelp table set up handing out fun swag to the masses. While there were lots of folks out seemingly enjoying the hot summer day, I was a little disappointed in the lack of adult beverages and a few of the food booths were out of stuff half way through the day. I really wanted to spend more money there, I did! And who throws a festival without beer?? (Forgive me, I am from New Orleans.) read more

A festival...about tomatoes? Sounds lame, I know. But this festival is my favorite Nashville festivals AND it's open to the public. I've now been two times and have had fun experiences both years I've been. The festival boasts everything from live music, vendors, activities, food, drinks, and good vibes from the East Nashville area. There's a ton of vendors, many of which are local, that sell food, drink, merchandise, art, etc. The shops in the area are also opened during festival hours. I ended up buying a few Christmas gifts (I know, I know...but better to shop now than during the peak of holiday shopping madness) that I think my family members are going to love. AND the gifts were all local purchases! All about supporting local businesses. One of my favorite parts of the festival is the food scene. There's a lot of fresh produce, food trucks, and tomato-based foods (fried green tomatoes were out of this world) and drinks (Bloody Mary's...duh). Both years, I've stumbled upon the Bloody Mary Contest at 3 Crow Bar, and besides being packed into a hot, crowded room, I find it worth checking out. A few people (not sure how they are chosen) compete for the best Bloody Mary. There's even an MC that livens up the competition with his commentary..."Now he's adding chicken fried bacon?! Well, this is a HUGE game changer!" FYI, parking is a bear and last year I spent about 10 minutes trying to find a parking spot in the neighborhood and another 10 minutes walking to the festival. This year we uber-ed to the festival, which I thought was a lot better than parking. read more

Tomato Art Fest - Bloody Mary competition at 3 Crow Bar. - Local Flavor Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

I'm in town for training and was excited to see that a local festival was 1st on my list of things to do. The tomato art festival is full of fun people, food venders, and artisans. We ate fried green tomatoes, BBQ brisket, Bloody Marys, Carmel corn, tomatoe cheese bread and tomato ice cream! Great bands like a Boy Named Banjo, and well... a lot more walking! This place is HUGE! I will be planning a vacation next year to come back! read more

Tomato Art Fest - Local Flavor Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

This event is just a hoot. We started this year by having my son run the the kiddie run, it was hilarious watching the 3-6 year-olds scurry along the half-mile course as fast as they could. He completely wiped out halfway through and everyone was very encouraging to him to get him back up and on the road again. Afterwards, the grown-up race started and he got to meet Mayor Dean and play in a cool blow-up bounce area. We were able to sneak into Marche with no wait! After a leisurely tomato-themed brunch (by the way, Marche was PACKED by the time we finished), we sauntered away to enjoy the rest of the festival. The kids had a great time, there was a sweet second-line brass band roving around, and we camped out in the middle of the Five Points, right in the street, and ended up seeing everyone we knew in Nashville it seemed (I even had my first Brian C. sighting). A ton of fun. By the time we moseyed back home later that afternoon, the kids were ready for naptime and we had a whole new love for our fair city. read more

This festival was rad! I made my way out this morning with my Honey as part of my Birthday Weekend of Fabulousness, and the Tomato Arts Festival didn't let me down. Parking on the street was no problem, with only a short walk to five points. The vibe was great, with the sort of friendliness I've come to expect from the East Nashville community. The businesses represented included local favorites like Jeni's, Pied Piper Eatery, and Yelp (!). Jewelry, t shirts, handmade ceramics, and cute aprons abounded. Dogs and their people strolled past toddlers rolling along in Radio Flyers. Tasty free samples were everywhere. Live bands played throughout. I caught a bit of some Nawlins jazz, and there was some rock and singer-songwriter performances going on here and there as well. Want to hear about the stuff I got? Of course you do. I won a tshirt from a pub for correctly answering a bit of Simpsons trivia. I found cute felt rose hair clippies to stick on my baby's headbands. I found a really cool light catcher made out of an old key hole and pieces of glass. More than anything, I found that community spirit is alive and well in Nashville. read more

This is just one of the most wonderful summer events the city of Nashville has to offer. It really brings together a sense of community for the East Side of Nashville. Five Points in East Nashville is blocked off for one day. It is packed with local vendors selling local art, food, jewelry, clothing, and many more crafts. My favorite part was the doggie daycare vendors. They had huge baby pools full of water and my little Sanford loved the pools to cool off. Speaking of dogs, it was very pet friendly. If you have a pooch, there is a dog costume contest and many of the eateries are pet friendly on the patios. So bring your pup along. I will be going next year for sure! read more

This is the most prominent festival hosted in East Nashville every year and serves as the areas culmination of the summer. It's a little weird to me to host a festival in celebration of an item that Nashville, or even Tennessee is not known for, but hey whatever floats your boat right? The festival celebrates all things tomato and tomato related, with a variety of events and activities catering to all ages. The site for the festival is East Nashville's popular 5 Points area and all the local businesses there take part. There are tomato and tomato product (like salsa, soups etc) tastings at the Turnip Truck and tomato martinis at 3 Crow Bar. A lot of places do demonstrations ranging from cooking to art projects, making the festival highly interactive. There is a massive amount of tomato themed arts and crafts displayed and you can even find some people dressed up in wacky outfits. There are several stages set up in the area that showcase local bands and musicians, even if you don't feel like watching a performance the live music makes a great background. During the festival the streets inside 5 Points are closed off and hundreds and hundreds of booths are set up. The booths are rented by local businesses and merchants of all varieties. There was a booth for a local chiropractor's office, even dance studios and gyms. The majority of the booths, however are occupied by local crafters and artists, some business owners some not, but all offer homemade items for purchase. The main thing I didn't like about this festival is how unbelievably CROWDED it was. I've never felt so claustrophobic walking down a street in East Nashville. Going inside pretty much any of the businesses is impossible. Every table and spare inch of space is not only being consumed, you have to wait in line just to wait to be uncomfortably smushed. This makes it very difficult to enjoy a lot of the things they offer. If you want to see a demonstration or participate in a tasting or something, be prepared to get there way before its scheduled start time or you are out of luck. Also I found a lot of the 'crafts' and merchandise offered redundant. I'm all about supporting my local artisans, but it is disheartening to see the same things over and over again. read more

We have lived in metro Nashville for just over a year and want to try everything at least once! We ventured to the Tomato Art Festival about 1pm on Saturday to check it out. Parking was available with street parking and some paid lots. We lurched out just as someone was leaving and parked free on a nearby street. Things were in full swing and we just joined in! Loads of food trucks, beer and drink places as well as crafts, artists and local companies! A great vibe was felt throughout as we walked the numerous blocks in encompassed. It was a warm August afternoon, and several places were passing out "fans" and free water. We noted families and people of all ages. Some were dressed in this "tomato" outfits, all done in fun and good taste! Did I mention loads of dogs.... The water stations had dog bowls too! This was a fun event, we bought a few things, escaped the heat and had lunch in a local sports bar ( that's another review). We will return next year, maybe earlier to see the parade and beat the heat! Great event for the community and East Nashville! read more

My girlfriend and I attended the Tomato Arts Fest today for the first time and it was a lot of fun! We live in the heart of East Nashville, so it was great to go out into the community and feel like a part of something. The entire 5 Points area is blocked off and jam packed full of every imaginable vendor. It was actually much bigger than I thought it would be, and I think half of Nashville must have attended! There is, of course, art for sale, but also jewelry, clothing, crafts, and antiques. Additionally, there are many local business set up in booths, and all of the businesses in the 5 Points area are open and ready for the flow of traffic from the festival. There are lemonade and food stands scattered throughout the fest, as well as specific section for food vendors set up near Bongo Java. I Dream of Weenie and Pad Thai Kitchen (two local eateries) made an appearance! Oh, I almost forgot to mention the live music in two different sections - told you it was a big fest! read more

I've never seen such wacky tomato-related tomfoolery! When it comes to crazy, original fun, East Nashville certainly has it covered. The Tomato Fest is only about five years old, but each summer (usually August I believe) they hold art shows, workshops, photography exhibits, Bloody Mary contests, a Tomato King & Queen pageant and more. The Tomato Fest is held in the Five Points District, one of Nashville's most hopping areas. It certainly gets a bit slammed, and if you try to drive through Five Points while the festival is going on, you'll probably be blocked by scores of families adorned in tomato garb and bright red rickshaws provided by East Side Cycles. There is a lot to do during the Tomato Fest, and even if you don't dig tomatoes, it's a cool place to be. It's basically just another excuse to have a ton of fun on the East Side. Check it out. Trust me, you'll have fun. read more

What a fun time, 5k, Parade, dressing up, cavorting and dancing and waving, have picture taken with Queens and King rest back on the porch and a few bloody marys then back out to shop, buy jewelry, a green tomato stem and cape just in case we need it, adopt a dog or kitten, admire the models in the fashion show wearing the latest from our local vendors, have a quick look in Trunk and Two Old Hippies, have a sit down and a nibble from a food truck, back home, few more bloody mary's and back out again, listen to some music, jump up and down on the tomato in the road at 5 points...stop at the green wagon for some Kombucha, get home, take off red wig and attire - fall asleep until next year. PS those of you who were not at the King and Queen Judging on Thursday night missed a good hilarious time and that 30 second rendition of Jaws by one of the Queens brought the house down. read more

The Tomato Arts Festival is an adventure in East Nashville's pride in its quirkiness. It's a whole day of tomato-themed fun! Why tomatoes? I don't know and I prefer the mystery. All of the locally-owned businesses in 5 Points open their doors to participate in this community event. There's Rosepepper salsa and salsa dancing lessons in 5 Spot. 3 Crow hosts a margarita contest and serves them up all day. There are tomato-themed recipe contests, bobbing for tomatoes, and even a fashion show behind the Hip Zipper. The festival is all about having silly fun with your neighbors and reminding people to support their community businesses. No matter where you live in the city you will have an excellent afternoon at next year's Tomato Arts Festival. read more

Happening in the first week of August, the tomato arts festival is one of the strangest little festivals I have been witness to. I guess that shows you how sheltered I am eh? Anyway, I have lived on the East side for years and I thought it was really a stretch to build an entire festival around a fruit we don't even grow. Alas, I should have known... There are bloody mary contests, best tomato art contests, costume contests, etc... Some of the tomato stuff is really quite compelling other stuff is just hilarious. Very little of it is county fair kind of stuff. It's in the 5 points area so there are lots of exhibits and participating businesses to visit. It gets quite crowd as there appears to be many who enjoy paying homage to the tomato. read more

The Tomato Fest is becoming quite an event after only a handful of years. It's a small festival that takes over the Five Points area in East Nashville in the late summer. They have a contest for the King and Queen of the Tomato Fest, and they host live bands on a quality outdoor stage. They shutdown the street so you can just wander around and have fun outside while listening to some music. I really enjoyed last year's fest because of the art exhibit. They had a specific Tomato themed art exhibit in a large building right near five points, I am not sure what the gallery shows regularly, but during the Tomato fest, every piece of art was inspired by, or featured the half fruit half vegetable. It's not really an affair where you can spend the entire day, but I enjoyed going for an hour in the evening to hear some music and tour the gallery. read more

My friend and I took an impromptu trip to Nashville for 36 hours and before I left I bookmarked this festival. I didn't know what to expect, but it was a delightful experience! It's a bunch of vendors, music, food, people and art filling the streets of East Nasty. My absolutely favorite part was the art gallery featuring some hilarious works of art. A great time and worth a look see if you're around!!! read more

So Much fun When weather Permits. Music, Food, screen prints, beer and the community. read more

Go first thing in the morning, before the crowds and the heat sets in. You can walk and see the different stalls of art, wares, food, promotional material. They have a bike rack for those that bike over. They have free water. They have lots of good music. BUT go early before the heat and crowds set in. It's really too bad that this festival couldn't be held in cooler weather.. It would be so much more enjoyable. read more

I've been going to this since it's inception, but i was a little disappointed last year when I came back into town to go and it has changed. Why during the day?????? The night was much more pleasant and living on the west coast for as long as I have now, the heat got to me. I mean, I should've gone to the hospital kind of "heat getting to me". I am not sure it is an art festival anymore. I didn't really see anyone buying art. I give it 4 stars because I know it's potential, not due to my experience last year. read more

2017 only....First off I love this festival, so it hurts to write this. Vendors ran out of ice, booze, beer, wine, T shirts and basically everything else they where selling. Art was a repeat of the last four years. Some new vendors, but the classics had all the same items for sale from the last years. Don't run out of all your products by noon on Saturday. read more

I love festivals, especially the kind that are in my own backyard! I was finally off from work to go this year and I was not disappointed after hearing so much about it year after year. Bring some cash for the freshly squeezed lemonade! read more

I have to admit that when I stepped into the art gallery at the Tomato Festival, I was a little skeptical about the idea of an exhibit devoted to tomatoes. Don't get me wrong - I have a deep appreciation for this enigmatic and versatile vegetable. But a tomato art show? I had my doubts. The exhibit was actually pretty interesting. Sandwiched between the predictable countrified tomato drawings and reverent tomato still lifes, I found some creative takes on the theme. My favorites were a small ochre-colored oil painting of a tomato house, and a close-up photo of a very moldy tomato. Back outside, there were plenty of vendors and activities. I enjoyed the people/dog watching and the festive atmosphere, but it didn't take long for the heat and the crowds to get to me. I'm not sure I'll go again next year, but the Tomato Festival is definitely worth experiencing at least once, and it seems like a great way to foster a sense of community in East Nashville, as well as a fun family outing. read more

It's always a blast. One of the best events of the year. Super fun stay all day or a couple of hours.

hey me and my family wants to go but we don't know where it is or what time it is all we know its at down town Nashville and its this Saturday can some one help so if you can till me the time and where it is or directions it be nice so email me tay581@ymail.com thanks :) read more