Your Guide to August 2026 in Nashville

Today on CityCast Nashville, a brand new voice is joining us today and every day, and we cannot wait for you to meet her. Our new host, Rachel Yakovone, joins newsletter editor Margaret Kingsbury and me to talk about everything worth eating, hearing, and doing this August. From 90s dance parties and Froyo to Shakespeare in the Park and back to school events. Plus, election day is August 6th, so go vote. It's Thursday, July 30th. I'm Maurice Cecil Anderson, and this is what Nashville's talking about. Well, listeners, as promised, we have some very exciting news this month. We have a new voice joining the CityCast Nashville team. Yay! She is an award-winning public radio journalist and former host, editor and director at Nashville Public Radio. And now, after spending the past year reporting for Connecticut Public, She is returning home to Music City. That's right. She just moved this past week. So without further ado, it is truly my utmost honor to officially pass the host torch to the one and only Rachel Yakovone. Rachel, welcome to CityCast Nashmen. Thank you so much for having me. It kind of felt like that whole wonderful intro there, like when someone's singing you happy birthday, and you're like, oh, God, what do I do? Thank you for the generous intro. Wait, when's your birthday? We got to write that down. February 21st. I once lived with two other people with that birthday in college, and they did not sort us that way. It was God, the universe. So shout out. Please leave, you know, a comment. Shout out to us on social media. if you also are somehow February 21st. How does it feel to be back behind a Nashville microphone? Oh, it feels like a homecoming. Everyone's been so welcoming to be here. And CityCast Nashville is like how I felt connected to home, you know, while I was away. I was listening. And you guys always felt like you were having so much fun. And even when you were covering subjects that were like less fun than we're about to talk about. So this is really, really great. I felt like I knew you guys my parosocial relationship even before I got this job. We feel like you're the cherry on top of our. Sunday, if you don't mind me saying. And we're going to get into ice cream later.

So Rachel, I love that you just moved back to town. I apologize a little bit for this, but we're just going to throw you right into the deep end because it's August. And Nashville's calendar is very packed. And we are so eager to hear what you're excited to do now that you've moved back. But Rachel, we're going to be easy on you since you just moved back. So let's start with what you want to eat. I've heard you're a big foodie. So what have you missed the most and where are you heading to first now that you're home? Yeah, as I was waiting on those movers to bring all my pots and pans, I've been eating out pretty much every meal. The thing I probably missed the most is actually Kurdish food. And I used to live in West Nashville. Now I live in South. So I'm kind of in the perfect location for that. My first sit-down meal after arriving was Addessa. And my mom was traveling with me. So she finally got to go to Addessa. It kept being so packed after it made that New York Times list that every time we'd walk up, there'd be a line out front and she got. we can go somewhere else. So it's been years, several years of me saying we have to go here. And, you know, we got seated immediately. The service as usual was amazing. And I eat mostly plant-based. And so this is one of those places that it's very easy to do and eat like the best chickpeas, something that I can't make at home easy enough, you know. And I would say the number of coffee shops has... significantly grown since I left. I also am very lucky to live near Tempo, which has been my longtime favorite since I first moved to Nashville in 2019. They have expanded their menu. If you've not been to Tempo, I highly recommend it. It's like the best breakfast tacos in town. I'm from a very Mexican area of Florida. So when I first moved up here, I was like, oh, this is great. I ended up in Connecticut in a very Puerto Rican area, which is like my own blood. But even though I could go and get like a cafe con lece, which is our thing, I couldn't get like a horchata espresso. So now I can again. And I've really missed that. That's great. You know, this is why I'm so excited you here too, Rachel, because no one else on our team are big coffee goers. Like we're not going to coffee shops. No, what is this? I don't spend my money on coffee. I spend it on sushi or other things. So this is good. We need a coffee. We need somebody to be on the coffee beat. I am at a different coffee shop probably daily. It's a habit. I put it in my budget every month. I have a nice espresso machine, guys. I'm a former barista in college, so I can make my own coffee. I choose not to. We just are really lucky in this city. I say that as someone who's taking the train into New York City for the last year. I don't think I had a single New York City coffee shop that was better than anywhere here. Wow. That is not a hot take. It's a correct take. I'm more of a tea drinker myself, and Marie, I saw on Instagram that you had some wonderful tea this week, and I want you to tell me about it. This is the thing that I'm going to return to this month. It was my mom's suggestion. My hip mom, who's almost 80 years old, was like, we have to go to Istanbul Lounge on Nolnsville Pike for Turkish breakfast. So this past Sunday, my family went, and we actually shared the breakfast for two, which was so much. food for 4299 so much food for three people and they present Turkish tea to start it's mixed with hot water and the actual tea to dilute it and then sugar cubes the tea was outstanding and then again like a plethora of

cheeses and breads and fresh vegetables and sauces, honey with walnuts. And then I posted just a sweet little picture of just like, I'm here. And the owner came over and said, thank you so much for posting on the house. I'd like to give your family Turkish coffee. Would you film it? You know, they drag the coffee in hot sand, and it was outstanding, and he served it with Turkish Delights, the little gummy-type candies. I just remember from Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Turkish Delight? I felt transported. I felt like I was not in Nashville. The music, the people around us, the different languages we were listening to. It was really such an amazing experience, and I can't wait to go back and bring other friends. And my mom's going to do a ladies who lunch there as well. I mean, $42.99, that is a steal for three people. Really? Yes. And free Turkish coffee. Rachel, I saw you had gone to Tash Tea. Is that right? Yeah. I was to say, I don't think these are competitors. It seems like everyone in the community seems to be supportive of each other. But Tashty is also like it is almost Antioch, I guess, if you keep driving down. And I went with my mom. So it was also a family affair. I think the great part there, too, is it does have a lot of vegan options. But they had a baklava cheesecake that we did not even get to because I was so full from just the tea. the little bites, you know? It's like, I hate to bring back that term, but kind of like girl dinner, you know? Little bites. Love it. Well, Margaret, what are you excited to eat this month? I'm going to check out the gluten-free goose in South Nashville. I've heard they're losing some business because T-DOT closed the main entranceway as it works on Nolensville Pike, and people can't figure out how to get in there. The road closure will last until mid-October, but you can still access that. bakery and other businesses in the shopping center from Sunnywood Drive. So you can still get there. It's just harder to see the entranceway. So I want to support them because I have celiac and the gluten-free goose is a celiac safe bakery. We really only have a few places in Nashville that are completely celiac safe. And this is one of them. They have cookies and cupcakes and bread. I particularly like their scones. This is quite a ways for me from Bellevie, so it does take a bit to get there. But I'm still going to go. I'm going to take the time to do that. If you live closer, even if you don't live closer, you should support them. And while I'm out there, I think I'm going to go check out Mariposa Park, which just opened. It's about 10 minutes away from the gluten-free goose. So I want to go check that out and grab some pastries. The gluten-free goose. What a name. The gluten-free goose. Yeah. I feel bad for them that it's been obstructed and it's hard to get to. So, all right. Well, Rachel, now that you're back, is there anything new in the Nashville's food scene that you just truly can't wait to try besides all the coffee shops? I feel like this one still has great coffee, but it's not a coffee shop.

a brick and mortar of Soikobano opened since I left. So I knew them from the wash and east and like the smaller stall style. But now they have a brick and mortar. I believe on Charlotte Avenue, which also feels like a slight toward me personally because I used to live off of Charlotte. And they did this right after I left. But I had to come back, you know, now to have it. I am really excited about that. And like I said, so many more coffee shops for me to try apparently and tell you guys which ones are the most worth it. I know we were talking about. the number of like ice cream Froyo, that trend that's come back, I guess. I'm glad, you know, I used to go to the Froyo shop before you'd go to like the movies in high school. It was like right after the burger trend, which I guess was right after the cupcake shop trend. So it all circles back. There's so many Froyo places. It's wild. And Margaret, I just have to shout you out. You had an excellent article this past week about all the... amazing new ice cream and dessert shops in town. So folks, please go to our website, Nashville.citycast.fm to check out all the places for frozen treats in town, one of which is Culture Club, which I tried to go to and the line was wrapped around. This is the one in WeHo. Now there's one downtown. The WeHo line moves quick, all right? I got it. My first week, it's not that far from me. I had a friend who was really like, I've been waiting for you to return to Nashville to put up with the line. So we went, I think it was like a 15-minute wait. And it moved way faster than I thought it was going to, considering the chaos of they have seating inside. Don't sit there. Honestly, it's like if you were sitting, you're just going to get stepped all over by the long line of people. So I think that was part of the holdup. But I got the passion fruit and the tart. And both were very good. They have a lot actually of gluten-free options, Margaret. So like I think some of them are totally celiac safe because they're keeping them. separately. I will say my pro tip is that if you want just tart, frozen yogurt, that's more that Greek style, the best one in town is probably radish and it's cheaper and it's just that. Yes, the salad place. I also say that about greenery's chocolate chip cookies. Some of the best desserts are at salad places here in town.

Okay, I'm going to try it then. I'm just going to skip the salad, though, and go straight for the froyo. Yes. At least there's something safe to eat at a salad place right now. Concerts, bowling, and a full-service restaurant all under one roof. Brooklyn Bowl, Nashville is always a great night out, and its upcoming calendar is absolutely stacked. Pond kicks things off on August 6th with high-energy psychedelic rock. Then on August 10th, Catch Walk Off the Earth, the wildly talented pop group known for turning practically anything into an instrument. Seriously, y'all, you will never know what might make it out on stage. If dancing is more your speed, like myself, St. Lucia brings a full-on neon dance party August 12th, and Bluegrass fans won't want to miss Mountain Grass Unit celebrating the release of their new album, Appalach and Smoke, on August 27th. September gets even louder with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats on September 10th. Then make a weekend of it with Rising Texas country star Braxton Keith on Friday, September 11th. followed by Nashville favorites The Weeks on Saturday, September 12th. Grab your friends, make a night of it, and get tickets now at Brooklyn Bowl.com slash Nashville. I think we all could spend the whole episode talking about food, but we got to get into what we're looking forward to hearing this month because we are Music City. Rachel, I'm going to throw it to you. What are you looking forward to listening to? Oh, gosh. Yeah. I'm the friend in this group who keeps a upcoming concerts list with all of the prices and locations for like the next three months. So I now have my shared notes with our friend group again. I'm going to choose the one that is like coming up the soonest, which is hooray for the riffraff. And. Reowning Giddens and Mavis Staples. And that is on Sunday. That is August 2nd. So right at the beginning of the month here. And that's the caverns. So I have yet to go to the caverns as a venue. It's like one of maybe two Nashville area venues that I've not been to. And I really think that would be great. I'm biased. Ray for the Riffraff is also Puerto Rican and had this wonderful song after Hurricane Maria, Balante, which is like this very. specific to our dialect term of like keep going, kind of like an encouragement kind of thing. It's because our dialect chops the sentences, like the syllables out of a full phrase. It's really para adalante. And we just smash that together and the palante. So it's missing the whole middle. But I think like all of those artists in that setting would just be so, so cool. I've toured the caverns, and it's a really cool place. Well, what about you, Margaret? So if I were hipper and able to stay cognizant at night, I'd probably want to go to see TLC, Salton Peppa, and In Vogue on August 15th. They're playing at the First Bank Amphitheater in Franklin. I mean, this makes my 90s heart.

So happy. I loved listening to these groups as a 90s child. Did y'all listen to them? Do you have any favorite songs? Oh, yeah. Waterfalls. What do you do I do about? Waterfalls, don't go chasing waterfalls. Free your mind and the rest will follow. That's right. Oh, man. Maybe I will go out there. Are tickets still available? Cheapest tickets, $54. Totally doable. What? Oh, that's not bad. Could be up close and personal for 297. But. 54? Yeah. Well, that's the same day as our good friend of the pod, Freddie Angelico, is doing their bro country at Vinyl Tap on August 15th. I believe it's in the afternoon. So I'm going to go to that. And maybe then I'll go to TLC that night. What a day in Nashville if I can make it all happen. I do want to shout out the one concert that really caught my eye. They had one in July and they're now having another August 12th. Gay Ole Opry presents Lilith Farrell. At the OG basement, it's showcasing queer women and non-binary musicians. Last month sold out so quickly. I couldn't get tickets. But tickets are still available for this one August 12th at the time of this recording. It's going to sell out, I guarantee. And finally, folks, what should we do? What is the one August event you refuse to miss this month? One that I've been looking forward to, sad to have missed last year, is Nashville Shakespeare Festival. It is at Centennial Park. So I'm used to like when it was in the one city development for a while there. This year is a midsummer night's dream. It is all donation based. So. you know, pay what you want. There are also VIP areas, though. That is the nice part. If you do want kind of guaranteed seating up front and you want to really support this nonprofit that puts this on for free for a lot of, I would say a lot of the teens that are probably there. I don't imagine they're giving much more than like the dollars in their pockets when they're leaving. And that's totally fine. Like I think that the beauty of this is exposing everyone to art in public. So I'm really excited. I think that's one of my favorite Shakespearean plays. I love that one. Same. And aren't we? sponsoring it. We're presenting sponsors. So you'll see, I think we'll be in the program or something. Margaret, how about you? So this is an event I can't miss, which is back to school. Yeah. Ding, ding. Yep, I'm not missing this one. I literally cannot. So it's a big month for parents and kids. MNPS students start back on Tuesday, August 11th. and Metro Nashville Public Schools, they're hosting a bunch of back-to-school bashes based on school clusters. So I think previously they've kind of done it where there was one big bash, but this year they're doing it by school clusters. So many are this weekend and next week. Check out the district's website so you can see when you're back-to-school bashes. They're going to have free school supplies, food, bouncy houses, and lots of fun activities for kids of all ages.

Several other places are hosting back-to-school parties with freebies. South Englewood Community Centers is this Saturday on August 1st, and they'll also have food, free supplies, and free haircuts. Also on Saturday, Wedderburgers in Antioch, Clarksville, Madison, and Murphysboro have a school supply giveaway first come first served. And 12 South Farmers Market has a back-to-school event on Tuesday, August 4th, though I'm not sure what's going to be there. They didn't have a list of what's happening yet. And this weekend is tax-free weekend. So it can be a good time to stock up on school supplies. So that's July 31st through August 2nd. But it's going to be busy, folks. Everybody's going to be out shopping. I got all ours earlier this month at Stables. It was about $130. So it is expensive to buy these back-to-school supplies. Admittedly, I let my kid pick out a backpack. So we bought some... extra things, but, you know, backpacks are kind of important for school. M&PS is providing free supplies to kindergartners and first graders, but check your school's PTA page for school supply lists. Wow, I can't believe it's already time to go back to school. Margaret, are you okay? You know, I cry every, every first day of school, and I probably always will. On the one hand, it's hard in the summer. It's hard to find child care. It's expensive to find child care over the summer if you're a working parent. But it's sad to see them get so old. I wonder to get bigger. You know, it's great to see them get bigger. But it's still sad. You know, time is a thief. And I also meant to say, I forgot to mention this, that back to school times are changing. High school is 725 in the morning to 225 in the afternoon. Middle school isn't changing. It's 8.55 to 355. And elementary school is 810 to 310. So they changed about 10 to 15 minutes to let high school kids have a little more time to sleep in in the morning because Nashville high schoolers had the earliest start time in the nation. So now it's still really early, 725 in the morning for high schoolers. Well, I'm glad you brought up high school because apparently Nashville wants to party like it's 1999, which is the year I graduated from John Overton here in Nashville, Tennessee. But have y'all noticed all the 90s events this month in Nashville? It's crazy. I guess it's the nostalgia craze, right? I guess. I mean, Rachel, you're a little younger. Is the 90s hitting you and your friends as much as I guess it's attacking us ladies? Yeah, like I'm seeing it in events. And I think I'm, because I'm straddling as like a millennial, I turned 30 this year. And my friend group, you know, is a bunch of 32 year olds to 28 year olds. We're all in that, you know, same age range. Our youngest friends were born in 1999. So there's not this like nostalgia poll. It's like, oh, yeah, I listen to these songs. The kids bought version, you know, of them. Right. So I know, I'm so sorry. I saw everyone cringe. No, I love it. My kid loves kids pop. Look, at the time, it was great. I don't know about the quality today, but it was good at the time. It's like those now this albums, you know? I have no idea who's buying those now, but they're still putting them out. Oh, man. If I have a long road trip, I'll throw one of those on. I'm not ashamed. Well, I want to just mention.

So I found out about this one that's this Saturday at Brooklyn Bowl because one of my friends from high school is having her birthday party there. Club 90s presents Michael Jackson at Brooklyn Bowl this Saturday. And Club 90s is I had no idea what this thing was until like a couple months ago. If you all remember, I went to the heated rival rave. presented by Club 90s. And it's a national producer that goes around and does these events. So I guess Club 90s Michael Jackson is making the rounds. But they know what they're doing. They hand out like, you know, laser things and props. I don't know. It's silly. It is 18 and up. I was the oldest person there at the heated Bible rave. I felt as though, you know. I could have gotten dark about like, man, I'm the oldest person here. But then I'd spun it around. And I was just so proud of myself for kind of stepping outside of my comfort zone and going and dancing with the children. It was fun. It's so fun. I'm going to do it again on Saturday to Michael Jackson. But they have Club 90s. Again, at Brooklyn Bowl, they have Club 90s off campus night, which did you all watch Off Campus on Amazon? Or I guess it's a book, too. Yeah, I was told to watch it because someone told me it was better than the summer I turned pretty. And again, I think this is the millennial Gen Z argument kind of thing. I was like, well, you guys didn't grow up reading Jenny Hahn, okay? Ah, right, right. Well, the thing that I... absolutely love is my so-called band is doing an all-90s hit live August 22nd at Basement East. If you haven't seen my so-called band, it is just a Nashville staple. You have to go. And again, it's August 22nd, two days before my birthday. So maybe I'll have my birthday party there. Who knows? We shall see. But there's other 90s events that we're going to write about and include in Margaret's Beautiful August guide that will be coming out later this week in your inbox. Oh, and then one other thing that we all must do. Can you guess August 6th? Vote. Vote. Vote. We're voting. I just re-registered. So. That may be cutting it a little close. We'll do a whole story, I'm sure. I'll just record the audio of me entering and see how that goes. Yeah. Well, wire you up. Yeah. How exciting. We can see the wire sticking out of your shirt. Yeah. That's right, folks. August 6th, state and federal primary election and municipal general. So please go vote. Please, please, please. And then we have a concert calendar because, again, we're Nashville. So we have Bob Dylan at Ascend Amphitheater on August 1st. I love metric, broken, social scene, and stars. The All the Feelings Tour at the Ryman on August 4th. And my chemical romance is performing August 13th at Nissan Stadium. Whitney's going for sure. Well, I mean, gosh, I feel like Nashville's just rolling out the red carpet for you, Rachel. You're welcome. It does feel like that. Yeah. Thank you, guys. Yeah, all these amazing events. I mean, that I think is one of the greatest things about living in our city is that there's something so cool to do every single night, every single day, every single hour, minute, second here in Nashville. And again, we're so glad that you're here.

Thanks for moving back. Yes. Thank you. Say thank you guys for giving me a wonderful reason, many, many reasons to move back. Happy August. See y'all soon. That's all for today here on CityCast Nashville. Early voting is still happening through August 1st for the August 6th state and federal primary election and municipal general. So go vote. And don't forget, you can support this show and get great perks by becoming a CityCast Nashville neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. If you enjoyed the show, why not tell your friends, rate the show. Leave us a review and subscribe to our CityCast Nashville newsletter. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more news from around the city. Tootles!