NASHVILLE, TN — Kick off the weekend at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens’ Thursday Night Out, happening every Thursday evening from 5-9 pm from May 5 through October 27. Thursday Night Out offers fiery musical performances, regionally-sourced food and spirits, lawn games and wellness classes, all with the gardens as the beautiful backdrop.
This year’s Thursday Night Out ushers in the return of Thirsty Third Thursdays and Dog Nights of Summer, as well as an exciting new addition to the series, Thursday Night Out featuring WNXP.
Cheekwood is excited to announce a new partnership with WNXP. Thursday Night Out featuring WNXP will take place the first Thursday of May through August: May 5, June 2, July 7 and August 4. Showcasing live performances by a diverse array of emerging Nashville-based artists from the First Horizon Performance Stage, the series includes musician and songwriter Josh Gilligan, eight-piece brass band Brassville, indie-pop artist Haiva Ru and Pop/R&B artist Isaia Huron.
WNXP’s permanent home is at 91.ONE FM. This series contributes to fulfilling WNXP’s mission of amplifying the voices of Nashville’s independent music scene and curating musical discovery opportunities to enrich every community of Middle Tennessee. “Thursday Night out at Cheekwood is one of Nashville’s favorite celebrations of local music, food and art,” says Cheekwood’s Music and Public Programs Director Mark Mason, “We are thrilled to partner with WNXP to present the best of the region’s music crop inside the beautiful Cheekwood gardens.”
Thirsty Third Thursdays, the popular music and garden-infused cocktail crawl, is back. At the festive ticketed event happening on June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15 and October 20, guests enjoy samples of specialty cocktails from favorite spirit providers, as they stroll through the gardens and raise a glass to the eve of the weekend. Advanced reservations are required.
The member pre-sale for Thirsty Third Thursdays’ tickets begins on May 2. Tickets go on sale to the public on May 9. Tickets are $25 for members and $45 for not-yet members.
Cheekwood welcomes four-legged friends for Dog Nights of Summer on Thursday nights in August. Visitors and their pooches can explore 55 acres, take a stroll through the lush scenery of the colorful summer blossoms and check out The Ann and Monroe Carell Jr. Family Sculpture Trail. Special musical performances, food trucks and cocktail stations accompany dog-friendly vendors, making it an enjoyable evening for humans and canine companions alike.
With its intact and picturesque vistas, Cheekwood is distinguished as one of the leading Country Place Era estates in the nation. Formerly the family home of Mabel and Leslie Cheek, the 1930s estate, with its 30,000-square-foot Mansion and 55-acres of gardens, today serves the public as a botanical garden, arboretum, and art museum with furnished period rooms and galleries devoted to American art from the 18th to mid-20th centuries. The property includes 13 distinct gardens including the Blevins Japanese Garden and the Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden, as well as a 1.5-mile woodland trail featuring outdoor monumental sculpture. Each year, Cheekwood hosts seasonal festivals including Cheekwood in Bloom, Summertime at Cheekwood, Cheekwood Harvest and Holiday LIGHTS. Cheekwood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and nationally as a Level II Arboretum. It is a three-time voted USA Today Top 10 Botanical Garden and in 2021 was recognized by Fodors as one of the 12 Most Beautiful Gardens in the American South. Cheekwood is located eight miles southwest of downtown Nashville at 1200 Forrest Park Drive. It is open Tuesday through Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., with extended days and hours of operation depending on the season. Check cheekwood.org for current hours and to purchase advance tickets required for admission.
2022 Thursday Night Out Performance Schedule:
May 5 Josh Gilligan, co-presented with WNXP
May 12 Paul Childers
May 19 Cristina Vane
May 26 Shaun Murphy
June 2 Brassville, co-presented with WNXP
June 9 Intersection
June 16 The Gripsweats
June 23 The Tiger Beats, Thirsty Third Thursday
June 30 Airshow
July 7 Haiva Ru, co-presented with WNXP
July 14 Shannon LaBrie
July 21 The Stolen Faces, Thirsty Third Thursday
July 28 Jess Nolan
August 4 Isaia Huron, co-presented with WNXP
August 11 Tim Gartland
August 18 The Tiger Beats, Thirsty Third Thursday
August 25 AJ and the Jiggawatts
September and October performers to be announced at a later date.
