On Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., the Happy Holler district is hosting its annual Holleroo Street Fair. The Happy Holler district is located in North Knoxville and is filled with several unique shops and places to eat.
Holleroo is not a typical fair because it is more than just purchasing items. The streets come to life as vendors sell their crafts, with many smells coming from food trucks that sell everything from tacos to funnel cakes. There is also live music.
UT alum Seth Barber has seen the Holleroo Street Fair firsthand and is one of the many people who make this event happen. Barber is the co-owner of eVape Lounge and the Pirate Tavern. For the eVape lounge, he works with three different locations including the Happy Holler district.
Aside from his day-to-day jobs, Barber has several tasks when it comes to the street fair. For example, he deals with some of the government regulations and coordinates events.
The story of how the Holleroo Street Fair began is one that was first brought up between Barber and his partner, Neal Murphy, when they opened up the eVape and Tavern shops. The idea was initially discussed as a joke. Soon enough, Barber and other neighborhood businesses talked about how to turn around the Happy Holler district. Barber spoke about the initial thoughts of how to make Happy Holler more welcoming.
“Discussing speeds on Central and if there is anything we can do to slow traffic, trying to get help for some of the unhoused who live around the neighborhood … we met a few times as a group, and the idea to do some events to showcase the Holler started to materialize,” Barber said.
After fixing up the Happy Holler area, Barber and Daniel Schuh, owner of Happy Holler Events, brought up the idea of a soap box derby in 2023. They solidified this idea with the plan of a spring fair in addition to the soap box and concert.
This event welcomes anyone to join and is also very flexible in terms of distance. This inviting feeling came from the efforts of Barber and several others. Barber emphasized the hard work that went into the Happy Holler district.
“It is a fact that efforts by business owners in those neighborhoods in partnership with the city took them from ghost towns to active and vibrant jewels in the necklace of Knoxville,” Barber said.
Just like how this event is truly unique to the area, the name “Holleroo” is just as special.
Emily Belanger is a UT alum and general manager and event coordinator of Central Flats and Taps. Belanger is also in charge of the budget for this year’s Holleroo Street Fair. Belanger said this event got its quirky but fun name from another event called WayneStock.
“It was at WayneStock that some folks were discussing our street fair concept,” Belanger said. “Someone — I am not sure who — threw the name ‘Holleroo’ out there as a suggestion. We wanted a short and sweet name to draw attention to our vision, and Holleroo was perfect.”
Although the Happy Holler district has turned around, it’s not forgotten how the area used to be. People in the area and those who work at the street fair take pride in how they have turned the area around. It shows just how far along the Happy Holler district has come.
“We think Old North Knox is an amazing community and it deserves some awesome local nightlife, and Knoxville in general deserves an entertainment district with some real character, some real history and some real fun,” Barber said.
For more information on the upcoming Holleroo Street Fair, visit its website.
