Outlandish Adventure Festival

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Outlandish Adventure Festival

Adventure and music festival with the mission of celebrating Knoxville's outdoors – from trails to rocks to rivers.

Along with our community partners, we aim to bring people outside, promoting health and adventure for all.

03/05/2026

After the festival …
It’s the people and the place that keep the adventure going. Today we’re a little bit sunburned, and a lotta bit happy.

Knoxville showed up for a beautiful weekend celebrating the outdoors and our community. We witnessed countless moments of joy and delight. Heard “What?!!”, “Woah!!”, and “That was awesome!” from kids and adults alike either seeing something that they’ve never seen or doing something that surprised them in their own ability. People hiking, climbing, riding, boating, creating, balancing, talking, hugging, laughing, dancing.

Keep it going, Knoxville! Thank you for being you! ♥️

Now, get some rest and find some adventure 🌿

01/05/2026

Some adventures fill up fast. 🌿⏰

The Full Moon Paddle is already full — and other small-group activities have limited spots too.

You can walk up and register day-of if space remains, but if there’s something you’ve got your heart set on, lock it in now.

Reserve spots for activities like:
🚣 Guided Paddles
🚴 Guided Greenway Ride with Two Bikes
🚴‍♂️ Guided Road Ride with Knoxville Smoky Mountain Wheelmen
♿ Roll & Stroll
🧘 Yoga + SUP Yoga + SPARK!
⚖️ Slackline Workshop
💧 Stream School with Little River Watershed
🌿 Guided Hikes + Birding Walks
🧗 Climbing Competition
SUP Relay
Nature Journaling
Recovery Workshop
Sign up for all at the activity registration page

Guided Trail Rides + Kids & Youth Social Ride sign up are on outlandishaf.org/biking

And the good news? So much of the festival needs no signup at all.

🎶 Live music
🛍 Vendors + makers
🎉 Parade
🦎 Kids zone + animal encounters
🔥 Spectacles + demos
🧗 Family Climbing
🌲 Dance party in the woods
✨ Wandering around and finding your next favorite thing

Plan ahead for the limited stuff. Drift into the rest.

01/05/2026

A little prep = an awesome day. 🌿

Here’s what to bring to Outlandish Adventure Festival:

🧥 Layers — it’ll warm up, then cool off fast
🌧 Rain jacket — because… you know
👟 Shoes you can move in — trails, dancing, all of it
✨ Adventure attitude — required

Good to know:

* You’ll be outside most of the day (sun, dirt, maybe mud)
* Limited parking → biking or shuttling in = a good move
* Water, snacks, and vendors on site, but plan ahead

Want the full rundown? Head to the FAQ:
👉 outlandishaf.org/faq

30/04/2026

🚨 READ THIS BEFORE YOU OUTLANDISH 🚨

Parking is easy… if you plan it right. Here are some ways to keep things simple:

🚲 BEST MOVE: bike or walk in
Skip the hassle, roll straight into the action

FRIDAY (5/1)
Park at Ijams Nature Center or Mead’s Quarry lots for music + full moon vibes 🌕
Bringing a boat? Drop at Holston River Park, then move your car to Ijams — shuttles will get you back to the launch.

SATURDAY (5/2)
Main lots will fill — here’s the move:
🅿️ Park at South Doyle Middle School
🚌 Hop the free shuttle (every 15–20 min) straight to the festival, 10AM-10:30PM

KEY NOTES:
If you're driving in to Ijams, check outlandishaf.org/parking for lot details
Parking is FREE 🙌
No parking at River Landing or Aberdeen Lane

Save this. Send it to your crew. Ride in if you can.

outlandishaf.org/parking

30/04/2026

Come wander a little — you’ll find something good around every corner. 🌿✨

Vendors, makers, nonprofits, and outdoor orgs are set up across Ijams Visitor Center + Mead’s Quarry — and it’s a stacked lineup:

Knox Stroopwafels • Chef Mo • Tea Rex Creations • Toxic Femininity • Foothills Physical Therapy • Cam de Lame • Dick’s House of Sports • Seven Islands State Birding Park • TN RiverLine • Knoxville Parks & Rec • Climbing Roots • Wild Sky Tie Dye • Ashlynn Beth Pottery • Rooster Cat Leather • East TN Grotto • Giddy Up Coffee Bar • Conservation Fisheries • Rocky Ridge Creations • Sea Healing Moss • Lucy’s Lovelies • Big Bright Circle • K–Candles • Community Shares • Wildside • Little River Watershed • Lynn’s Craft Closet • No Waste Knox • Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont • Kickstand • Carrie On Events • Catalyst Sports • Sprinkles and Spokes • The Mystic Orb • Marcy Yoder Art • Oddment Apparel • Smoky Mountain Wheelmen • Knox Girls Who Fly Fish • Knoxville Adventure Collective • Luna Creative • Charit Creek Lodge • AMBC • Joyride • Little Bellas • AYC • 865 Studio Shirts

Local, creative, mission-driven — all rooted in getting outside and building community.

Come meet the people behind it all. 🌿🔥

29/04/2026

And if your preference is pavement… 🚲

Three more ways to ride at Outlandish:

🌿 Greenway Ride: easy miles, good pace, take it all in
♿ Roll & Stroll: strollers, wheels, all welcome
🔥 Road Ride with Knox Wheelmen: longer, faster, dialed in

Show up solo or bring your crew - you’ll find your people either way.

Save this. Pick your ride. Let’s roll.

29/04/2026

NO GUARDRAILS: WOMEN, WILDERNESS, AND WILD STORIES 🌿🔥

A conversation with women who’ve gone far and then kept going.

From cross-country bike journeys to solo treks and wild places around the world, this panel gets real about risk, resilience, freedom, and choosing the bigger life.

🎤 Panelists:
🚣 Charli K. Elder — researcher, writer, and whitewater paddler across 22 states
🚴 Deb Shmerler — tandem cyclist, global traveler, hiker, paddler, lifelong adventurer
🥾 Liza Zenni — arts leader and long-distance hiker from Scotland to Montenegro
🏔 Dr. Sarah Love — climate scientist, wilderness guide, hunter, rescue team pioneer
✨ Angel Howard — movement therapist, coach, speaker, and champion of bold living

🎙 Moderator: Kat Bike — lifelong outdoor enthusiast and community builder who leads rides, mentors young cyclists, and serves Knoxville through education and advocacy.

📍Ijams Visitor Center, 12 PM, May 2nd

Come listen, ask questions, and leave with a bigger sense of what’s possible.

29/04/2026

Rivers have stories. These folks know how to read them. 🌊

Join our Paddling Roundtable, WATER TALES - The Ones That Splash, for real talk on access, safety, stewardship, local routes, and where paddling culture is headed.

🎤 Panelists:
🛶 Noell Lewis — climber turned kayaker who found a whole new community on the water
🌊 Dave Crawford — owner of Rapid Expeditions and longtime whitewater instructor
🚣 Ed McAlister — founder of River Sports Outfitters and local legend in getting people outside
🌿 Andrew Gunnoe — educator, conservation advocate, and lifelong explorer of Southern Appalachian rivers
🎙 Moderator: Marcy Souza — trail biker, river paddler, and outdoor enthusiast keeping the conversation moving

📍Ijams Visitor Center, 10 AM, May 2nd

Whether it’s your first season or your fiftieth, pull up a chair.

26/04/2026

Bring the kids and plan to have the best day. 🌿
✨

Outlandish Adventure Festival is packed with ways to move, make, explore, and play:

🚲 Kids and Youth Mountain Bike Ride — roll together on an easy, fun group ride
👽 Slackline workshops — check out the wild moves on the highline and then go and try it yourself closer to the ground
🎉 Parade with Cattywampus and Knox Honkers and Bangers — costumes, bikes, strollers, and a whole lot of joy
🧗 Family Climb — try climbing together in a supportive, all-levels environment
🎨 Activities with The Muse Knoxville and Ijams Nature Center education team — creative, hands-on learning and play

🦎 Animal Encounters — meet wildlife up close
🪵 Fort Building — build it, climb it, make it yours
🍃 Mud Kitchen — mix, splash, get gloriously messy
🪨 Rock Play — stack, scramble, explore

💧 Stream School with Little River Watershed Association — step into the creek and discover fish, bugs, and how water really works

🎵Music — run around and dance it out

🪩 Spectacles — when you just wanna watch something wild, check out the whip off or the fire dancing or any of the other crazy things going on throughout the day

This is what happens when kids get real space to explore — a little wild, a little muddy, a lot Outladish.

👉 outlandishaf.org/kids

26/04/2026

Lace up — the trails are calling. 🌿🥾

At Outlandish Adventure Festival, hiking isn’t just one thing — it’s a full day of ways to explore, learn, and move through the landscape:

FRIDAY:
🌕 8:30 PM — Full moon hike to experience Ijams after dark

SATURDAY:
🌅 10 AM — Guided Birding Hike
Slow it down and spot wildlife along the trail

📓 11:30 AM — Nature Journaling Hike
Take it all in, sketch, observe, and connect

♿ 12 PM — Roll & Stroll Hike
Accessible, easy-paced, and open to everyone

🎪 3:45 — Not exactly a hike, but a parade! Join Cattywampus and knox hunkers and bangers as a parade around the event

🌿 4 PM — Guided Naturalist Hike
Learn the land as you walk it — plants, history, and ecology

⸻

These are all part of a full lineup of guided outdoor experiences designed to get people onto the trails, learning and exploring together.

📍All hikes leave from the Ijams Visitor Center.

Whether you’re here to move, learn, or just breathe a little deeper — there’s a hike for you.

Find your pace. Find your people. 🌿

26/04/2026

All things paddling at Outlandish Adventure Festival:

🚣 Friday Night Guided Paddle
📍 Tennessee River
Kick off the weekend with a full moon paddle — bring your own boat or rent and roll with the group

SATURDAY
🏄‍♂️ SUP Sprint
📍 Mead’s Quarry
Grab your crew for this fast-paced stand up paddleboard relay. 3 teammates, 1 board, lots of fun!

🚣 Guided River Paddles
📍 Ijams River Landing
Get out with experienced guides — whether it’s your first time or you’ve been paddling for years

🌊 SUP + Paddle Experiences
📍 Mead’s Quarry
Try stand-up paddleboarding or just cruise in a kayak

🧠 Paddling Roundtable Discussions
📍 Ijams Visitor Center
Hear from seasoned paddlers with experience locally and around the world

⸻

From calm quarry laps and fast-paced races to river paddles in the moonlight, this is your chance to experience Knoxville from the water. Jump in. 💦

Address

2915 Island Home Avenue

37920

Website

https://www.outlandishaf.org/

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