If you are planning a night on Lower Broadway, the timing question comes up fast. Here is the straight answer, plus what actually happens earlier and later than most visitors expect.
The short answer
Most bars on Lower Broadway close at 3 in the morning. Tennessee law allows alcohol service until 3am, and the honky-tonks use all of it. Last call usually lands between 2:30 and 2:45am. A few smaller rooms wind down closer to 2am, so if you are chasing the very last set, the bigger and busier bars are the safer bet.
When the music actually stops
Broadway bands play in shifts through the day and night, and the final shift at most honky-tonks runs right up to close. Live music going strong at 2 in the morning is completely normal here. The band on stage at last call is playing for tips with no cover charge behind them, so keep a few dollars back for them. You can see who is playing and when on the Broadway schedule.
What time does Broadway open?
Earlier than most visitors assume. The majority of honky-tonks open between 10 and 11 in the morning, and live music often starts by late morning. It is entirely possible to walk into the same bar and catch a band at 11am and a different band at 1am. Daytime Broadway is the same free live music with far smaller crowds.
Kitchens close before the bar
If a venue serves food, the kitchen almost always shuts down well before last call, often by 10 or 11pm. If a real meal is part of your plan, eat earlier in the night rather than counting on a 1am kitchen. The bars with full restaurants are noted across the venue directory.
Plan around the close, not just the open
The practical takeaway: the strip runs roughly from late morning to 3am, every day of the week. If you want music without the crush, come in the daytime. If you want the full late-night honky-tonk energy, the hours between about 9pm and last call are the peak. Either way, the music does not stop early on Broadway.