A man and a woman who are playing musical instruments at Arts Alive.

Alabama Renaissance Faire

The official Alabama Renaissance Faire is held annually on the fourth weekend of October in Florence. It features authentic costumes, medieval games, musicians playing authentic instruments, artisans and merchants, public lectures, and dance programs.

Website: www.alarenfaire.org
E-Mail: bwarren@fcs.k12.al.us

Arts Alive Logo.

Arts Alive

Arts Alive is an annual fine arts and crafts festival held at the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts in Florence. It features a juried art show as well as artist booths, which are set up in beautiful Wilson Park.

Phone: (256) 766-1445
Website: www.artsalivealabama.com

A bridge in Lauderdale County.

Festival of the Singing River

The Festival of the Singing River is an annual festival held in mid-October in McFarland Park in Florence. It celebrates Native American culture through ceremonial dances, story telling, and arts and crafts.

Phone: (256) 760-6416

A pink and yellow image that says "Hellen Keller Festival, June 24-28, 2020"

Helen Keller Festival

The Helen Keller Festival is an annual festival held each summer in honor of Helen Keller, whose birthplace, Ivy Green, is located in Tuscumbia. The festival includes arts and crafts, a parade, concerts, athletic events, a car show, and The Miracle Worker, a play dramatizing Anne Sullivan’s efforts to help Helen Keller communicate with the outside world.

Website: www.helenkellerfestival.com
E-mail: info@helenkellerfestival.com

 

Muscle Shoals Music City Fest

The Muscle Shoals Music City Fest is an annual celebration of the rich musical heritage of Muscle Shoals. Events include live music, an arts show, historic displays, a car/truck show, and a bicycle tour.

Phone: (256) 386-9200

Fireworks being shot over the Tennessee River above O'Neal Bridge.

Spirit of Freedom Celebration

The annual Spirit of Freedom Celebration is held on the 4th of July in Florence. The celebration features live music and a large fireworks show on the banks of the Tennessee River in McFarland Park.

An image of several motorcycles who are participating in the Trail Of Tears.

Trail of Tears Commemoration

This is an annual motorcycle ride from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Florence to commemorate the journey of American Indians who were forced to move from their homelands in the Southeast to reservations in Oklahoma in 1838. It attracts tens of thousands of motorcyclists each year.

Website: www.trailoftears-remembrance.org

 

 

The 2019 W.C. Handy Music Festival advertisement.

W.C. Handy Festival

The W.C. Handy Music Festival is a week-long tribute to Florence native, W.C. Handy, known as the “Father of the Blues.” The festival, which began in 1982, offers more than 200 events, including musical performances of rhythm and blues, jazz, soul, gospel, and contemporary music. Past performers at the festival include Dizzy Gillespie, Roberta Flack, Manhattan Transfer, Nancy Wilson, Diane Schuur, Percy Sledge, Ellis Marsalis, and others.

Phone: (256) 766-7642
Website: www.wchandymusicfestival.org