Events / May 2026

Events in Cookeville TN - May 2026

5 events in May 2026

ArtsFree

StoryFest in the Park 2026

Sat, May 2Dogwood Park, Cookeville

An all-day, free storytelling festival at Dogwood Park featuring professional storytellers from across the region, an amateur storytelling competition, and headliner Andy Offutt Irwin. A Cookeville tradition celebrating the art of oral storytelling.

Festival

TN Pickle Festival 2026

Sat, May 2Putnam County Fairgrounds, Cookeville

The Tennessee Pickle Festival returns to the Putnam County Fairgrounds for a weekend of pickle eating contests, live music, carnival rides, local vendors, a free petting zoo, and more. One of the quirkier and most beloved festivals in the Upper Cumberland.

CommunityFree

Downtown History Hike

Sat, May 9Cookeville Depot Museum, Cookeville

A guided walking tour connecting the Cookeville Depot Museum and the Cookeville History Museum through Cookeville's historic downtown. Led by local historians with stops at key landmarks.

FestivalFree

Upper Cumberland BBQ Festival

Sat, May 16Cookeville Downtown Square, Cookeville

Teams from across Tennessee compete in this annual BBQ championship on Cookeville's downtown square. Live music, local vendors, and plenty of smoked meat.

CommunityFree

Cookeville's Largest Yard Sale - May

Sat, May 30Citywide - Downtown Cookeville, Cookeville

One of three annual dates for Cookeville's city-wide yard sale event. Hundreds of vendors and residents set up across town making it easy to treasure hunt across multiple neighborhoods in a single day.

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