Save the Date: 2025 Tennessee Folklore Society Gathering

The Tennessee Folklore Society (TFS) will hold its annual gathering on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at the historic Palace Theatre, 72 South Main Street in downtown Crossville, TN. The event is free and open to the public. Registration will begin at 9:30am and all events will conclude at 4:00pm.

TFS is a statewide organization of folklorists, community scholars, nonprofit leaders, and interested citizens who are concerned with the preservation, celebration, and study of the traditional, expressive cultures of the state. Founded in 1934, the Society published its print journal, Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, for 90 years, compiling one of the richest regional folklife resources in the nation. Through a cooperative arrangement with Tennessee State Library and Archives, the Bulletin is now available online, while the Society continues to publish original content and folklife news on its recently revamped website.

Tennessee traditions are ever-evolving. Chinese erhu, Ghanaian drumming, and Mexican crochet are as much a part of the state’s cultural landscape as blues harp, five string banjo, and Indigenous beadwork. TFS annual gatherings, such as the one planned for Crossville, are a time for like-minded people to come together in support and appreciation of traditional arts and culture.