Mardi Growl Knoxville 2027

Mardi Growl Knoxville 2027

Mardi Growl is a unique event for your fur babies! Your favorite pet party takes over Knoxville for one of the most fun parades in the USA.

• Visiting Knoxville for a Mardi Growl or special occasion? Book your stay close to Market Square, just steps from the city’s top tourist attractions and the Mardi Growl events.

The Event

• Next Edition – Saturday 6th March 2027, 11am –3pm
• Knoxville’s Mardi Growl is a party for dog lovers everywhere. The event raises funds for the Young Williams Animal Centre and attracts dog lovers from across the state and beyond for a fun day of parades, competitions and parties.
• The parade features hundreds of costumed dogs and puppies making their way through the downtown streets of Knoxville in a blaze of colour, ribbons and more.
• Mardi Growl’s pet parade and costume contests will kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday. The parade route begins in the Old City and ends in Market Square.
• Stay at The Oliver, rated “Superb” by guests with a modern fitness centre, spacious rooms and highly-rated breakfasts. The hotel is close to all the Mardi Growl events.

Mardi Growl Parade Route

• The Mardi Growl Parade starts in Knoxville’s Old City at 11:00, travelling north along Central Street before turning west onto Jackson Avenue and continuing towards World’s Fair Park Drive.
• The 1.2-mile (1.9 km) route finishes at the Performance Lawn at World’s Fair Park, where the Mardi Growl Festival continues until 15:00.
• Expect thousands of spectators, marching bands and some seriously creative costumes, with plenty of owners dressed to match their four-legged parade partners.

The Pet Costume Contests

• The Pet Costume Contests are one of Mardi Growl’s biggest crowd-pleasers, with pets and owners competing for prizes across several categories.
• Expect everything from elaborate themed outfits and matching pet-and-owner costumes to group entries, local Tennessee-inspired looks and wonderfully ridiculous creations.
• Judging takes place during the parade; entrants must remain in their category groups until they pass the judging stand at World’s Fair Park.
• The contests are broadcast on TV news stations across the state, and Mardi Growl has received international media attention for its colourful costumed pets and owners.

The Pet Party

• From 11:00–15:00 – The Mardi Growl Festival takes over the Performance Lawn at World’s Fair Park after the parade.
• The free festival features nearly 100 pet-focused vendors, local rescue and adoption groups, food trucks, live music, games and activities.
• Costume contest winners are announced during the festival, with plenty of space to explore the stalls, meet local animal organisations and join the 20th-anniversary celebrations.

Mardi Growl Cajun Crawl

• Downtown Knoxville restaurants, bars and businesses are offering specials and events in the week leading up to Mardi Growl.
• The specials and events began on Feb. 28 and will continue through Saturday. Previous participants have included King Cake doughnuts from the Back Dough at Lonesome Dove, Mast General Store, and New Orleans cocktails from Oliver Royale and others.

Recommended Hotels

Here are the hotels we recommend with good reviews, close to all the action:

The Tennessean,  Crowne Plaza Hotel,  Graduate Knoxville,  Hyatt Place Knoxville.