Knoxville, TN (WOKI) – Metro Drug Coalition will hold an International Overdose Awareness Day event on August 29, 2025, from 2:00-7:00 p.m. at Marble Hall in Lakeshore Park. The event will include a performance by artist Tess Henry, speakers, Free HIV/Hep C testing, and a scavenger hunt, as well as a resource fair with over seventy-five vendors. The evening will also feature both a butterfly release and a ride-through memorial to remember those lives lost to overdose in our community.

Locally, Knox County lost 334 lives to overdose in 2024, a 36 percent decrease from 2023. Efforts to educate the community about substances, provide harm reduction resources, and help individuals find recovery have been successful in slowing the growth of overdose deaths. Events such as International Overdose Awareness Day provide the community with the critical knowledge and tools to continue the slowing of overdose deaths. So far, there have been over 190 suspected overdose deaths in the county for 2025, indicating that this decrease may continue.

“Overdose awareness is something we need to continue to collaborate on. We need to find ways to support our community in healing, whether they have personally experienced an overdose or not,” said Jessica Stanley, Metro Drug Coalition’s Regional Overdose Prevention Specialist. “Education and awareness are the keys to preventing overdoses.” 

International Overdose Awareness Day is globally recognized on August 31st of each year with the goal of ending overdose. Metro Drug Coalition’s International Overdose Awareness Day event will aid in preventing overdoses by providing resources and information, honoring those lost to overdose, and reducing stigma surrounding overdose in our community. For more information about the event, visit https://metrodrug.org/ioad2025.