Guest
$250 per seat
The full experience.
- All four movements of the evening
- Seated dinner at the long table
- Open bar, all night
- After hours
Knoxville · Friday, October 16, 2026 · Black tie
One night. Never repeated.
And every dollar gives back.
Unshattered is a black-tie evening for 120 people — four movements, a seated dinner at one long table, an original score performed once — where every dollar beyond the cost of the night goes directly to Knoxville nonprofits.
120 seats — no second night All proceeds to Knoxville nonprofits One night only
– days · – hrs · – min until the doors open
Underwriting the night instead? Explore sponsorship
Why this night You’ve been to galas.
You’ve been to galas.
This is something else.
No ballroom, no slideshow, no rubber chicken. For two years Preston Garland has been building one-night worlds in Knoxville that don’t repeat. This is the next one — and the first built to give everything away. Here’s the whole night, movement by movement.
Movement I of IV
Welcome
6:30 – 7:30 PMThe door opens once.
The Standard, transformed past recognition. You step through the Doorway into a world that did not exist yesterday and will not exist tomorrow — and within your first minute there’s a signature cocktail in your hand. Around you: 119 other guests in black tie, the room revealing itself, the rules of the evening being made known.
A signature cocktail menu, poured from the moment you arrive The room revealed — built for this night only No ballroom, no name tags, no check-in line
Movement II of IV
Weight
7:30 – 9:00 PMWhat the night is carrying.
You take your seat at the long table — one table, all 120 of you — for a three-course dinner plated with intention. Between courses, the host speaks. The work of the beneficiary nonprofits is told the way it deserves to be told: as story, not slideshow. And local artists stand with works they’ve created for this night — each piece made to tell a survivor’s story, and the story of the nonprofit that stood beside them. By the last course you know exactly what this night is for, and exactly who it’s for.
- One long table, three courses, plated with intention
- Artists presenting works that tell survivors’ stories
- The stories behind the cause — told properly
Movement III of IV
Commitment
9:00 – 10:00 PMThe moment it becomes real.
The live auction and the fund-a-need. On the block: one-of-a-kind experiences money can’t normally buy, donated by the night’s partners — and the art you met at dinner, each piece carrying a survivor’s story. Paddles go up, and the room decides together what the night is worth. This is the center of the evening — and every dollar the paddles raise goes straight to the cause.
- A live auction of one-of-a-kind experiences and the night’s art
- The fund-a-need — give at any level, together
- Every paddle raised goes to the nonprofits
Movement IV of IV
Joy
10:00 PM – LateWhat’s left when the glass holds.
A score composed for this evening — for this room, on this night — is performed once, and then never again. And then: after hours. The bar stays open, the music turns, and the night becomes the part nobody plans to remember and everybody does.
An original score, performed once and never again After hours — the bar stays open The celebration the night has earned
The dinner One long table.
One long table.
All 120 of you.
The centerpiece of the night is dinner the way it almost never happens anymore: one continuous table, set for 120, in a room built around it.
Three courses, composed for this evening and plated with intention. An open bar from the moment you arrive until the last of after hours, with a signature cocktail menu created for the night. The shape of the menu is below — the final plates keep a few surprises for the table.
And between courses, the artists speak. Local artists present works they’ve created to tell the stories of survivors and the nonprofits this night serves — the same pieces that go to the block during Commitment.
Coming with a date or a group? You’ll be seated together — the table is arranged by party.
- Three courses composed for the evening
- One long table seated by party, no islands, no head table
- Open bar, all night with a signature cocktail menu
- Every diet welcome accommodated with advance notice
$0 kept by anyone — no profit, no fee, no cut
How the money works The night pays its bills.
The night pays its bills.
Everything else gives back.
Nobody makes money from Unshattered — not the host, not the producers. Tickets pay for the room, the dinner, the score, and every dollar beyond those costs goes directly to the nonprofits. Paddles and sponsorships go further still: given directly to the organizations, never touching our hands.
- All proceeds beyond costs go directly to the nonprofits
- Auction and sponsorship gifts made directly to the organizations
- Beneficiary nonprofits announced before the evening
Tickets
120 seats. Three ways to take one.
When they’re gone, they’re gone — there is no second night.
Patron
$500 per seat
Closer to the center of it.
- Everything in Guest
- Priority seating at the table
- A signature keepsake from the night
- Recognized in the program
Benefactor
$1,000 per seat
The night’s inner circle.
- Everything in Patron
- Premier placement at the table
- A private moment during the evening
- First word on next year’s night
Coming as a pair? Reserve two seats and you’ll be seated together.
Nobody profits from this night — all proceeds go to the beneficiary nonprofits.
Want your name on a moment of the night instead? Explore sponsorship →
The host
He builds worlds
He builds worlds
that last one evening.
Preston Garland is a three-time founder who spends his days building companies — and his nights building the evenings Knoxville talks about all year. Three worlds so far. Each opened once.
№ 01 The Masked Dance Circus
A Knoxville landmark, transformed past recognition for a single night. Guests still ask when it returns. It doesn’t.
№ 02 The Murder Mystery
Eighty strangers wrote their own characters into the plot — then spent the evening living them out.
№ 03 The Surprise Wedding
Guests arrived for a party. It was a wedding — planned in secret, revealed as it happened, celebrated all night.
Unshattered is the first time those worlds have been built to give everything away.
Questions Everything else
Everything else
you’d want to know.
What exactly am I buying?
A seat at a one-night, black-tie evening for 120 people: all four movements, a seated three-course dinner at the long table, open bar from doors through after hours, and an original score performed once. And a promise: nobody makes a dime from this night. Your ticket produces the evening, and all proceeds beyond its costs go directly to the beneficiary nonprofits.
Can my date and I sit together?
Yes. Reserve your seats together and you’ll be seated together — the long table is arranged by party. Most guests come in pairs; just note who you’re with when you reserve.
Where does the money actually go?
To Knoxville. Ticket revenue pays for the evening itself — the venue, the dinner, the music — and every dollar beyond those costs goes directly to local nonprofit organizations. Gifts made during the evening and sponsorships go further still: they’re given directly to the nonprofits and never pass through our hands. Nobody — not the host, not the producers — makes any money from this night.
What about dietary restrictions?
The three-course menu is composed for the evening, and the kitchen accommodates dietary needs with advance notice — vegetarian, gluten-free, and allergies included. You’ll be asked when you reserve.
Who are the beneficiary nonprofits?
They’ll be announced as the evening approaches. Conversations with Knoxville organizations are underway now, and sponsors hear first.
What should I wear?
Black tie. Take it seriously — the room will.
Is my ticket tax-deductible?
Tickets are not tax-deductible — you’re receiving a seat at the dinner and the evening itself. Sponsorships and gifts made directly to our nonprofit partners are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, because they go straight to the 501(c)(3) organizations without passing through us. Consult your tax advisor for your situation.
What if the 120 seats sell out?
They will, and there is no second night. Email us to join the waitlist — seats occasionally open, and waitlist members hear about next year’s evening first.
When the 120 seats are gone,
they’re gone.
Friday, October 16, 2026 · The Standard, Knoxville · Doors 6:30 PM
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