Knoxville Events Calendar — 2026.Anime. K-Pop. Cosplay. Live Music.Year-Round.

Knox Pop Con is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a simple mission: make Asian pop culture accessible to every young person in East Tennessee. We are not a for-profit event company. We are a community of volunteers, artists, dancers, cosplayers, and organizers who believe that anime, K-Pop, and Japanese pop culture are powerful vehicles for creativity, self-expression, and cross-cultural understanding.

Since our founding, KPC has served 500+ youth across East Tennessee through dance programming, community events, and our flagship annual convention. Every ticket sold, every donation received, and every sponsorship dollar goes directly back into the community — funding subsidized tickets for students, arts programming in underserved areas, and free community events throughout the year.

Our events are all-ages and family-friendly (with the exception of our 18+ K-Pop Rave Night). We welcome first-timers, lifelong fans, curious parents, and everyone in between. Whether you have been watching anime since Toonami or just discovered K-Pop last week, there is a place for you at Knox Pop Con.

We are proud to be Knoxville's home for Asian pop culture — and 2026 is our biggest year yet.

Knoxville's Asian pop culture community has exploded over the past few years. What started as a handful of K-Pop fans meeting up in parking lots to practice choreography has grown into a thriving ecosystem of dance crews, fan groups, and cultural organizations that rivals scenes in cities three times our size.

The Knox K-Pop Group alone boasts 50+ active dancers, making it one of the largest K-Pop dance communities in the Southeast. Add in crews like TNT-K (Nashville), starstrucK, and EquiKnox, and the Tennessee K-Pop dance scene is deep. These groups perform at conventions, community events, and festivals across the region — and they all converge at Knox Pop Con every year.

The fan community extends well beyond dance. Knoxville is home to active anime watch groups, cosplay crafting circles, manga reading clubs, and a growing network of Asian-owned businesses that support and sponsor local events. Our partnership with Nama Sushi Bar — one of Knoxville's most beloved restaurants — is just one example of how the city's food, culture, and fandom communities are intertwining in exciting ways.

University of Tennessee students make up a significant portion of the scene, bringing fresh energy and new fans every semester. Between UT's anime and K-Pop student organizations and Knox Pop Con's year-round programming, there is always something happening for fans in the Knoxville area. The community continues to grow month over month, and 2026 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet for Asian pop culture in East Tennessee.

Whether you are looking for things to do in Knoxville this weekend or planning ahead for May, the Asian pop culture scene here is vibrant, welcoming, and unlike anything else in the region.