Atomic Fall Fest to be Sept. 26-27
Tickets are now on sale for concerts at the Atomic Fall Fest, launching Sept. 26-27 at A.K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge.
The city will no longer hold the Secret City Festival, which ended in 2021. Senior communications specialist Lauren Gray said the new event, organized by different groups and held in the fall, will keep some elements from past festivals such as the Secret City Festival, Azalea Festival and Mayfest.
“We are starting small this year and bringing back some of the best parts of previous events, but not all,” Gray said.
The free festival will feature live music, food, art and family-friendly attractions. Concerts require tickets for the fenced-off area.
Festival hours are 3-6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Concerts start at 7 p.m.: Friday, Chillbillies with opener Lüttge Presents – More Cowbell; Saturday, Boys Night Out with opener Brooke Logan.
Tickets are available at atomicfallfest.com/tickets or at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
Executive Director Jon Hetrick said visitors can expect live performances, local vendors, art displays, a free children’s area with inflatables, magicians, games, face painting, a car show and interactive entertainment.
The event is a partnership between the city and Explore Oak Ridge, rather than Celebrate Oak Ridge, which produced the 2021 Secret City Festival.
Gray credited City Manager Randy Hemann for reviving the festival, which will use locally based musicians and a smaller footprint within A.K. Bissell Park.
The event will not feature World War II reenactments, but will offer a car show, cornhole tournament, miniature golf, beer garden, and vendors in the Civic Center gym. The Oak Ridge Public Library will host sensory-friendly activities. A golf tournament will be held earlier in the week.
More details are available at atomicfallfest.com.
