PHOTOS: Tennessee Tech draws crowd for Flo Rida concert at ‘College Town Kickoff’
Flo Rida performs for an estimated 8,000 concertgoers at Tennessee Tech's College
Town Kickoff on Saturday, Aug. 23. Photo by QUIK SLVR.
An estimated 8,000 Tennessee Tech University students, parents, alumni and Upper Cumberland
locals packed into downtown Cookeville’s WestSide district for a free block party
and concert over the weekend from multi-platinum music sensation Flo Rida.
The festivities were part of Tech’s third-annual College Town Kickoff, a free community celebration to welcome back students and mark the start of the fall semester.
Earlier in the day, crowds enjoyed free carnival games and attractions – ranging from a zip line, Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and axe throwing – followed by musical performances, all leading up to Flo Rida’s headlining concert at 8 p.m.
“The unmistakable message of this event is that Cookeville is truly Tennessee’s College Town,” said Tech President Phil Oldham. “This was a start to the fall semester unlike any other and was the largest College Town Kickoff crowd that we’ve had to date. Our Division of Student Affairs, community partners and others outdid themselves and set a new standard for the kind of large-scale, high-energy events we can deliver for our students and community.”
Flo Rida performs a free concert as part of Tennessee Tech’s third-annual College
Town Kickoff.
Tennessee Tech students and others join Flo Rida on stage during a performance at
College Town Kickoff.
Amy New, president and CEO of the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, which served as a partner in planning College Town Kickoff, praised the event as an economic boon for the region.
“While the full economic impact of this event will take some time to assess, it reaffirms that Tennessee Tech is a leading economic driver for not only Cookeville, but the entire Upper Cumberland region,” said New. “We love seeing thousands of students, locals and visitors descend on our beautiful downtown and patronize our local shops and restaurants. To our newest Golden Eagles getting settled in Cookeville, we are proud to say, ‘welcome home!’”
This year’s College Town Kickoff comes as Tech anticipates a final count of more than
2,000 new freshmen for the 2025-2026 academic year, encompassing students from 89
Tennessee counties, 31 U.S. states and 17 other countries. Enrollment numbers will
be finalized upon completion of the university’s upcoming annual fall census. 
Tech President Phil Oldham (center), First Lady Kari Oldham (center-right in floral
dress) and concertgoers give a ‘Wings Up’ hand signal before the start of the College
Town Kickoff concert with Flo Rida.
A close-up view of Flo Rida performing at Tennessee Tech’s College Town Kickoff.
It also comes on the heels of key recognition for the university, including from Money.com, which ranked Tech as the top public university in the state of Tennessee, and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The commission’s 2025 Fact Book highlighted Tech for holding the highest freshmen retention rate, highest four-year graduation rate and highest incoming student ACT scores among all Locally Governed Institutions (LGIs) in the state.
See additional details from this year’s College Town Kickoff at www.tntech.edu/collegetownkickoff.