KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Knoxville has slowly become a destination city for big events. Last fall, ESPN’s College Gameday came to town twice for football and they’ve been back two more times for Men’s and Women’s basketball.

UT isn’t the only thing bringing people to the city though. Friday night is the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and pretty much every weekend through June has festivals, markets and concerts bringing in tourists.

“We really get out and promote that there are things to do,” Visit Knoxville President Kim Bumpas said. “People are in town for the basketball games, people are in town to enjoy swimming and diving and people will benefit from going to the parades.”

The NCAA brought its Swim and Dive National Championships to Knoxville, adding to the list of events and also bringing new people to Knoxville for the first time.

“This is my first time in Knoxville,” Shannon Summerlin and James Bray said. “Knoxville is top-notch. Everybody has been so nice, we’ve had some good dining and it’s been outstanding.”

While the focus of their time here is cheering on Bray’s daughter Olivia, they are also enjoying the sights and sounds of the area.

“We’ve gone to Topgolf and we’re going to go back most importantly,” Summerlin and Bray said. “We’ve gone to Market Square, Copper Cellar and we’ve gone to Peyton’s Dar. We are staying at the Graduate which is awesome because it’s within walking distance to the pool. We’ve just really walked around and seeing what Knoxville is all about.”

When the NCAA leaves time at the end of the weekend, the Bass Master Classic rolls in, even more events are planned for the following weeks.

“We maybe get to take a breath and then we go straight into another really eventful weekend with Dogwoods Chalk Walk, the Big Ears Festival and the Eagles are coming to town,” Bumpas said. “Festival season is here, event season is here and it’s just an exciting thing for us at Visit Knoxville, it’s an exciting thing for Knoxville.”

Knoxville will always have something to offer and there is a constant presence of out-of-towners taking in the numerous and diverse events.