Cumberland Gap, Tenn. (May 7, 2025)––The town of Cumberland Gap unveils its highly anticipated calendar of community events for 2025. Interested persons may visit our Events Calendar for a complete event list or acquire a printed version at participating businesses in Cumberland Gap. Event organizers are excited to roll out the itinerary so visitors can mark their calendars and be proactive in reserving lodging for the week or weekend.
Though having a population of just over 300, the town has quite a renowned record of attracting thousands of visitors every year with a variety of wildly popular events. From farmers markets and themed festivals to specialized activities and various holiday observances (among several others), event organizers in this small East Tennessee town meticulously plan each occurrence to offer something for everyone in attendance.
Several of the events are organized by the Guardians of the Gap, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization established to preserve, protect, and promote the town of Cumberland Gap. These include the annual Tri-State Outdoors Fest, FolkFest, Streamin’ the Gap Airstream Urban Camping Rally, and Pumpkin Lights Free Pumpkin Carving.
These functions and several others not only bring droves of residents and out-of-town visitors together, but they also help facilitate getting the word out about the often unobtrusive yet thriving culture of the town. While the events have always had a strong following, they statistically gain more attendees year over year, organizers say.
Many people attribute much of the most recent growth to the town’s successful completion of the state’s 2-year Tennessee Downtowns program. With the procured funding from the program, the Guardians of the Gap were able to hire a Knoxville-based marketing and advertising agency, Colloredo & Associates, to create and launch a new tourism brand, website, and social media campaigns. Since the launch of these new initiatives, the events (as well as the town itself) have garnered sufficiently more attention from outsiders.
The Town of Cumberland Gap has a rich history, most notably due to Daniel Boone leading pioneers through the physical mountain pass from which the town gets its name, earning it the moniker “Gateway to the West.” Today, the town is known for everything from its specialty shops, assorted dining options, vast outdoor activities (including over 80 miles of picturesque hiking trails), and more. The majority of the downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town is located approximately one hour north of Knoxville at the tri-state border of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. To learn about Cumberland Gap or get updates on town events and festivals, visit our Cumberland Gap Website.