See Knoxville Smokies historic opening day at new downtown stadium
See Knoxville Smokies historic opening day at Covenant Health Park, in Knoxville, Tenn., April 16, 2025.
People poured into Covenant Health Park on Oct. 18 not for a soccer match or a baseball game, but to sing, dance and party all day long.
Jammin’ 99.7 WJBE, the city’s only Black-owned radio station, hosted several local and regional musicians for the first Knoxville Music Festival – the first event of its kind at the new downtown stadium. Boosie, CitiLimitz, Cupid, Pokey Bear, Lakeside, Tabu and more graced the stage, which sat in the outfield, and the audience gathered in the infield, stadium seats and concourse to sing and dance along.
The stadium opened just six months ago, and we’re just starting to see what kind of events it’s capable of hosting. Covenant Health Park is geared up for a slew of events for the remainder of the year, including playoff soccer, a beer festival and a Christmas lights show.
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The Double-A baseball season wrapped up more than a month ago for the Knoxville Smokies, but the ballpark is staying busy. The $114 million stadium promised to be multiuse, and it is following through on that promise. One Knoxville SC was in season at the same time as the Smokies, and the field converted back and forth between a baseball diamond and soccer pitch for months. The baseball season wrapped up, but some kind of conversion will keep happening as different events cycle through. One Knox played a home match Oct. 1, a week before Kansas played the first concert at the stadium. Two days after the concert, the stadium’s field was back to a soccer pitch for the club’s match against Portland. The field will switch again after the Knoxville Music Festival, as One Knox returns Oct. 19 for a game that could give them their first championship title. It’s all about versatitlity and accessibility. The Knoxville Music Festival showed the stadium is committed to both.
Musician after musician took the stage, and a crowd gathered in the outfield seats. The party reached every corner of the stadium. The concourse flooded with concertgoers dressed to the nines − some in their Sunday best and others in their gameday gear. Pink, orange and silver rhinestones sparkled on an array of cowboy boots waiting in line to grab a drink before heading to the field and joining in line dancing. “They called this a community stadium, and we are here to be united,” Patricia Hammond of the Knoxville Smokies said from the stage.
Covenant Health Park is not Neyland Stadium, and a music festival is not a football game. But Tennessee Volunteers pride showed up in overwhelming fashion at the festival. From orange sequin jerseys to Vols bandanas tied to cowboy boots to the musicians’ outfits – even their opening songs. Bryan Cameo knew his crowd. The Vols were hours away in Tuscaloosa, but the musician opened his set with a familiar song. “It’s the third weekend in October. You know what that means,” he shouted into the mic before busting into “Rocky Top.”
WJBE made the intentional decision to host the festival at Covenant Health Park, owner Joe Armstrong told Knox News. “We have been supportive since the inception of putting the stadium in downtown Knoxville,” Armstrong said. “We were an advocate for local contractors and vendors getting involved.” The stadium has “done more than lots of people’s expectations,” he said, and has become the “anchor” for redevelopment extending into East Knoxville. Team owner Randy Boyd has repeatedly referred to the new stadium as “the people’s park.” “They are maintaining the history,” Armstrong said. “They’ve done what everyone in Knoxville wanted to do − get on the other side of James White Parkway.”
The Knoxville Music Festival wasn’t a passive concert-going experience. It demanded attention and called concertgoers out of their seats to move. Some even hopped on top of the dugout to dance. “This is the biggest day party in East Tennessee,” a member of WJBE said from the stage as people continued to move to the music and dance the night away.
Knox News reporter Joanna Hayes covers Covenant Health Park for the business growth and development team. Email: joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com; Instagram: @knoxeat65. Sign up for Joanna’s Eat65 email newsletter to get the latest drink and dining news, as well as restaurant recommendations, at knoxnews.com/newsletters.
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