Born & Raised to host outdoor silent disco to celebrate community vaccination efforts

Production company expects 300 attendees at Central Filling Station

“When this is all over, we’re going to have a big party!”

These are words many people have said throughout the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it isn’t over quite yet, vaccines are providing enough cushion to offer plenty of opportunity for celebration – which is why Knoxville-based event company Born & Raised Productions will be doing just that on Friday, June 25.

One of the outfit’s most popular events is a silent disco, and it is hosting one at a gathering it is calling “Vaccination Celebration,” set to take place on the eve of the last weekend in June at local food truck park Central Filling Station, located in Happy Holler. Born & Raised co-founders Garrett Thomson and Kent Oglesby felt that the outdoors venue would add to the safety measures being implemented for the event.

“We have been sitting on our hands now for over a year as an event company,” says Thomson, who explains that there has been some tension with the local government about how to safely create a space for people to gather – something they depend on for their livelihoods – and that others depend on for a sense of connection and better mental health.

When brainstorming about how to compromise with the city, Thompson thought, “We’re good at getting people together, so how can we use that in a positive sense?” After conducting research, he and Oglesby noticed that Knoxville’s vaccination numbers were lagging behind. Wanting a way to help the city while also bringing the community together, they came up with the idea for a large, outdoor silent disco.

Born & Raised believed that holding a celebration for those who have been vaccinated would be something the city could get behind, and they were right. How to push individuals to be vaccinated is a current hot topic, and many companies, organizations and cities are incentivizing the process. Thompson and Oglesby think their event could be a perfect opportunity to help the city bring awareness to the joys of being vaccinated, celebrating safety and bringing our Knoxville community closer together.

While Central Filling Station will be open all day, the silent disco festivities will begin around 8 p.m. and will extend into the night. In order to fully participate in the experience and to reserve a pair of sanitized headphones, a ticket can be purchased for $10 from the Born & Raised website (www.bornandraisedknox.com). Thompson highly recommends buying tickets in advance, as he expects the event to sell out.

Although people who are not vaccinated are allowed to participate, they must wear a mask the entire time, something that is not required of those who provide proof of vaccination. “We’ve all been cooped up for a year,” says Thomson. “We can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, and Knoxville’s community is more than ready.”

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