Nashville Film Festival is in its 53rd year. For those who are unaware, that's practically unheard…read moreof in the film festival world. Capitalizing on its location in Music City (Nashville, TN), the Nashville Film Festival is a week-long festival that weaves together film, music, and culture and produces a film festival that is both critically acclaimed and noted for its hospitality. The festival utilizes some of Nashville's most historic cinemas - The Belcourt Theater, the Franklin Theatre in nearby Franklin, TN, and the Andrew Johnson Theatre at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. The Virgin Hotels in Nashville also hosted screenings. I've always sort of been on the fringes of the Nashville Film Festival starting when Brian Owens (formerly of Indy Film Fest) was their artistic director and because of a sort of kinship that exists between Nashville and Indy's own Heartland Film Festival. However, this year was the first year I became actually credentialed by the festival as a film journalist and was able to cover screenings as press. The process for credentialing was really media friendly and I've been super impressed with how much follow-up the festival does with its media. It really makes me want to stay in Nashville and cover the entire week (which I may do next year). This year's festival had 150+ screenings (both in-person and virtual offerings, though the virtual offerings were definitely more limited). They also offered panels, workshops, live music performances, a creators conference, and quite a few activities after the day of screenings for filmmakers, press, and specific target populations. The film festival is guided by the non-profit organization NashFilm and it does offer year-round activities including outdoor movies, educational programming (they offered a great screening of the wonderful documentary "Butterfly in the Sky" during the festival for area school kids), the Living Reel Project, and quite a bit more. Of the theatres, Belcourt is easily my favorite. As is true of all festivals (or most), tickets are less expensive if a member. However, you can also get all access passes that really make it pretty affordable. The website makes it super easy to check out film options, the schedule, and to get tickets. Staff and volunteers are all friendly and helpful and I really like the vibe here. It's artsy yet accessibly so. I suppose I expected it to be a tad snootier and that just wasn't the experience at all. This is a definite gem of a film festival. It lacks the pretentiousness of some festivals and really just offers great screenings at great venues and people you enjoy being around. If you're in Nashville, it's a no-brainer to attend and I'd definitely consider this a festival worth taking some vacation time and attending!

Awarded one of my coveted 5-star ratings!…read more One of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in Nashville. I mean, this is right up there with sitting behind the glass at a Predators game! A person at the festival told me that the atmosphere of openness and accessibility was how the big-city, big-name film festivals used to be. It's unfortunate that things change and I understand that it is most likely a response to changing conditions at the festival sites. I felt like I was a VIP with the access that I had to directors, producers, sponsors, writers, and generally anyone that had anything to do with the movies. Admission to the movies was $12, or $9 if you were wearing a rock n roll t-shirt, which was not advertised very heavily. The Regal Green Hills Stadium 16 is not a new theater, which added to the ambiance when watching movies. Seats were comfy but a bit creaky at times. Some of the movies/events I enjoyed: Musica Campesina - A new immigrant tries to get his feet on the ground in a new city (filmed in Nashville!) 10 Days to Nashville - Short documentary of a couples journey to their mecca - Nashville again! Stranger Things - Trust and human connections are explored Broke - The music industry is in flux and how one group is struggling to make it big Gustavo Santaolla - Two-time Academy Award winner who scored Brokeback Mtn and many other films Terri - Social misfit develops a warm relationship and has a coming of age experience Mercy Lounge - Closing party I will be there next year!

Musicians Corner's 16th season is underway. I was so excited to see Britney Spencer headlining…read moreFriday night. She sounded amazing. I love seeing families, couples, friend groups, and everything in between in attendance. The weather was perfect and I am so grateful for free public access to live music in Centennial Park every May/June and September. Everyone should have the chance to listen to incredible music in Music City. Musicians Corner is a program of Centennial Park Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that aims to preserve, enhance, and share the Parthenon and Centennial Park. Street parking can be found around the park. There are a variety of vendors that range from food, beer, crafts, snacks, and artist merch available to buy. I recommend bringing a thick blanket or lawn chair! The ground was a little uncomfortable and I just need to make sure I come more prepared next time. Events like this make Nashville special! Can't wait to go back this summer.

What's not to love? Musician's Corner is an annual series of free concerts in the back corner of…read moreCentennial Park. This past weekend (5/17/24, 5/18/24) was the opening weekend of the spring 2024 series, the 15th anniversary year of the series. Sponsored by grants and corporate sponsors, attendees don't have to pay a dime for a show and there's almost always plenty of free parking in and around the park to boot. Vendors set up around the circle--food, beer, crafts, snacks, and artist/venue merch. The variety of artists is pretty wide from genre (country, rock, soul, jazz, everything else) to experience (newbies, up-and-comers, seasoned veterans). For example, this past Saturday consisted of a newer soul artist out of D.C. (Kenny Sharp), Vince Gill (celebrating those 15 years with 15 minutes), a young local alt-rock/pop band (Nordista Freeze), and Lissie (a fantastic 20-year indie rock veteran with a great band). Rain rolled in clearing out a lot of the space as Lissie played but she kept on rocking through the rain with a full, excellent set. Bring your own blanket, towel or lawn chair. You can even bring a cooler in so long as you leave the booze at home (they want you to buy theirs if you're thirsty).

This has been such a great place for our kids to be in real plays and productions! Many great…read morefamilies are involved.... and all the work the kids and the directors put into the production each time is incredible. Our daughters just love to be up on the stage with friends too.

Jon Boyce and his music tree entertainment is superb. I highly recommend participating in any…read moreevents held by this business. From karaoke, to trivia, to wedding events, it will definitely be worthwhile!

Homecoming is not really a big deal... it takes place in October and its usually packed, but its…read morenot really comparable to Rites of Spring, which takes place in April. The artists are AMAZING! I'm always surprised that we are able to get these musicians here. And ditto to the previous reviewer about differing opinions on the performances. Anyway, the prices are still $40 for the general public, but its now $15 for students.

This yearly concert is part of Vanderbilt's Homecoming festivities. Though tickets were once free…read moreto Vandy students, last year they were hiked up to $15 and now this year they went up to $20. The concert usually has Rap or Hip Hop artist headlining the show, and they tend to be whoever is most popular that year. In 2006 Common and Ludacris were our headlining men, 2007 it was Guster and Kanye West (who wore a small backpack the entire time), and this year we get the ridiculous luck of having Lil' Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, and Free Sol. The concert is open to general admission (though you get the privilege of paying $40) and you can buy your tickets either at the Sarratt box office at Vanderbilt or on ticketmaster. People usually leave the Quake with differing opinions of the night's performer -Personally, I thought Kanye was really disappointing - but nevertheless it's bound to be entertaining (If anything because the performers always manage to upset the delicate sensitivities of Vanderbilt's more conservative students).

Entry and exit went very smoothly for 2025. I live nearby and walked to the event. I arrived at…read more5:00, just a few minutes before they opened the gates, and I was able to buy a drink and get all the up to within 30ft of the front of the stage pretty easily. The musical acts were all top notch as would be expected in Nashville. Sound and lighting were excellent, and the video work was great when it was on (screens were off during live broadcasts). The only reason I deducted a star was because the event was very much catering to the TV broadcast. Some artists like Keith Urban were really good at filling the gaps, but others just stood around and talked. When CBS went to news, there was a 30 minute gap with nothing, but they could have used that time for a local artist or smaller act to fill time. Buying anything was pretty much not happening if you wanted to be near the front. Merch was closed after midnight and there was no way to get back to the pit if you left for drinks or food. If you want to be near the front, eat before you get there, bring water, and don't plan on having much access to alcohol. Overall, I'll go again - the show was a lot of fun, but there is definitely some room for improvement.

The TEN is a new addition to the Nashville theater scene; they opened their first show - Romeo and…read moreJuliet - this weekend. If you go to shows for cushy chairs, snacks at intermission, and fancy props and costumes, this isn't the place for you. But if you like theater because you enjoy the experience of watching a story play out around you, you just might find a show that's to your liking. The experience is very bare-bones - folding chairs, cinderblock walls, and nothing in the way of scenery other than a raised platform painted black. It's a very intimate venue - there are chairs for about 50 people, the girl selling tickets will pop out at intermission to tell you it's time for a break. One of the people we saw on Saturday night had brought his own cushion for the chairs - BRILLIANT. You should do that. I really enjoyed their rendition of Romeo and Juliet. The Montagues and Capulets wear argyle and plaid, respectively (BRILLIANT!) which makes it very easy to follow who is angry at whom. Mercutio's performance was the best I have ever seen, on stage or on screen, hands-down. This is a particularly great show for those of you who vaguely remember reading this in junior high or who avoided it at all costs because Shakespeare is obnoxiously incomprehensible - even though they haven't modernized a single word of the script, you'll understand what's going on - and you'll even get the Nurse's saucy jokes through the veil of Shakespeare's English. Tickets are incredibly reasonably priced at $10. Keep an eye on their Twitter feed for deals - I scored 2 free tickets for retweeting the information about their opening weekend.

What a cool place! While heading out of Franklin and driving further south, I passed by the county…read morefair at Williamson County Agricultural Expo. It was about $15 to get in and it was certainly worth it. The fair was so unexpected yet sooo incredible fun. There was a hilarious magician, tons of rides, plenty of fun, farm animals, games, face painting and so much more. I played the water gun shooting game where you aim at the small dot and also the basketball hoops contest, and won both! I also rode the giant spinning carousel swing which as an adult, was absolutely exhilarating! Parking was even nice and easy as they had friendly staff giving golf cart rides back and forth from the parking lot to the entrance.

Not sure if this place was a great fit for Jurassic Quest. First off, the entire bottom floor is…read moreentirely dirt and since this is an agricultural expo center, I'm assuming the dirt is here year round? The parking was easy enough, but you get bottle necked immediately at the entrance and there are so many stairs and only one elevator! For a family with a stroller or a person with a disability that requires easy to access to the main floor, fingers crossed you don't end up on the north side venue. There are only two bathroom locations, which were clean during my visit, but I didn't see any concessions or actual event workers here at all. They did have food trucks outside, but I didn't venture out that way. This building just seems super outdated and doesn't offer a "we're about to fun" feeling at all. I'll think twice about coming back here for any events in the future.