Editor’s note: New for 2026 we are excited to partner with local arts nonprofit Hellmouth Magazine, whose team will be curating a monthly lineup of can’t-miss arts and culture events, exhibitions and more. Hellmouth is dedicated to publishing quality cultural commentary both online and via its gorgeous print magazine; I devoured the inaugural issue from cover to cover. Next week I’ll be sharing a feature story on Hellmouth including interviews with its creators. Until then, enjoy. – Leslie
January is a quiet month with long stretches of night and small blips of sunlight in between. As the Dame Maggie Smith is noted to have said: “We talk so much of light, please let me speak on behalf of the good dark. Let us talk more of how dark the beginning of a day is.” And though the beginning of our year is dark as well, we can find the good in it, uniting amongst our kin, huddling close beneath that cloak of crepuscule.
To encourage Knoxville to step outside of their homes during this winter respite, Hellmouth Magazine has curated a list of (currently known) fetes and fares worth braving the cold. The nonprofit pub joins the Inside of Knoxville community to bring you the deep cuts, the underground, and the most interesting happenings in arts and culture each month. We love to see all the activity on comprehensive lists, but sometimes in a sea of simply names and locations, it’s hard to choose what’s going to be a truly engaging event.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 2…