423-785-1200 | news@wdef.com3300 Broad Street, Chattanooga TN 37408. This photo is taken from the railroad trellis on MLK looking back toward the Chubb Life building. Yes, I was inspired by reading in the Chattanooga Times in May 1980 about Charleston's 21-day Spoleto Festival and by working to get a Chattanooga town festival started. Saturday, July 30, 2022 Outlaw Music Festival 2022 featuring Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, Gov't Mule, Larkin Poe, and Particle Kid Doors Open: 4:00pm Show Time: 4:25pm Riverbend Music Center Artists Willie Nelson ZZ Top Gov't Mule Larkin Poe Particle Kid Important Health Update There Are No Health Entry Requirements For This Event. The Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, TN has been celebrated for over 35 years since its start back in June 1982. The area tends to get quite busy on the days of the festival, so you may prefer to park your rig at your campsite and use public transportation to get there. It started as a way to come together downtown to celebrate the community we all share. Concert Information The Riverbend Festival showcases various genres of music such as country, urban, rock, and bluegrass. Still, it can be argued that the first Riverbend set the stage for the city's renaissance, which included the opening of the Tennessee Aquarium in 1992 and the 21st Century Waterfront project, which transformed Ross's Landing into a year-round destination for locals and tourists in 2005. It's really not clear to me who and how it was saved, but no doubt the Lyndhurst Foundation deserves most of the credit along with Breland and Parham. That changed after the Pointer Sister show in 1985. Tricks to find the perfect rig. Provides positive economic impact not only to Chattanooga but also to regional tourism. Over the years, the festival grew into the three nights of its current run and presently ranks in the top 10 percent of all American festivals. The Riverbend Festivals purpose was to bring the community together, and it began as a five-night festival in June of 1982. Begun in 1982 the Riverbend Festival known locally as just Riverbend, is hugely popular. Each has their own memories and interpretations of the series of events that led to the creation of an event heading into its 33rd year. Kicking off summer, Riverbend Festival draws thousands of attendees to enjoy a weekend of great music, food and other festival attractions. Riverbend started in 1982 at Ross's Landing at a time when most of the buildings were boarded up, and few had reason to come to the riverfront. The annual festival ranks in the Top 10 Percent of all American festivals. We are proud of our long-standing history in downtown Chattanooga. Download the News 12 News and Weather Apps on your smart phone or tablet device to receive breaking news and weather push notifications the minute it happens. The big names in 1987 were Chicago, The Spinners, The Judds, who actually opened for Reba McEntire on the Coca-Cola Stage, Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger together, and Willie Nelson. At right is an original program from the first Riverbend Festival in August 1982. This year's festival will be our 39th year! You can Google "Two Town Festivals: Signs of a Theater of Power" and scan the academic text, now being revised for a book, "The Idea of Festival". Headline performers are featured nightly on the Coca-Cola Stage, a barge which has been converted into a full-size concert stage. Riverbend Festival Jun 3 - 5, 2022 3 days Chattanooga, TN / map Day-by-Day Lineup Jun 3, 2022 Brothers Osborne Jenny Lewis Elle King Devon Gilfillian Kendell Marvel Bexar Rick Rushing Jun 4,. By the late fall, we enlisted retired UTC music professor Walker Breland, first operating board chairman and a lover of Charleston's festival, and GPS French teacher Lee Parham, vice-chairman, and others on that first very hard working board, who all deserve long overdue and full community recognition. }, No stranger to large crowds, Isbell and company rocked out. At Riverbend, it doesn't matter what you believe or where you're at on your spiritual journey. When Walker Breland thinks back to the very first Riverbend Festival in August 1982, he remembers first going to people like Scotty Probasco, president at American National Bank, and Carey Hanlin, CEO at Provident Insurance, "and asking for a loan that would never be paid back.". 2023 2022 2019 2018 2017 2016 2014 2013 2012 2011. It has since evolved into three nights and is nationally known. This time, were looking at the first headlining acts. The annual festival now goes on for nine nights and ranks in the top 10% of all American festivals. The goal was to book a variety of acts to bring different audiences down to the river. It was a moment that gave him the inspiration to make Riverbend work in the long haul. The victims of excessive financial losses, those three disappeared (although Music at Midtown resurrected itself in 2011). With the $26,000 Lyndhurst planning grant in May 1981, we had brought in three national festival experts for our festival seminars held at the Chamber of Commerce, concluded with a planning and goal-setting session led by new UTC drama professor Fred Beringer. That committee also included attorney Nelson Irvine, who served as secretary, and UTC professor Fred Behringer, who served as treasurer. At the time, festivals were a fairly new concept, so essentially the Chattanooga committee was creating something unusual. Downtown businesses such as the Brass Register, the Gazebo, Dr. Sage's and Scrappy's -- all now closed -- were listed on festival programs as places to go after the music at Ross's Landing. Greenlee moved KADE and KBCO to a state-of-the-art studio complex at 4801 Riverbend Road in East Boulder and then sold the stations to Noble Broadcasting in 1987. The Beach Boys performed on Memorial Day Weekend. Marjorie Taylor Greene gets Committee Assignments, Fort Payne Crash Leaves One Dead, Others Injured, Update: Woman Turns Herself in after Hit and Run. It is likely to get pretty crowded, so carry a rain poncho so you can avoid waiting in a long line to purchase one. The Bessie Smith Strut, originally called the Bessie Smith Jazz Strut, on Ninth Street, now M.L. Personally I've always been proud to have helped put the festival energy in motion starting in 1980, sad that it changed its character and mission after the first few exciting years, but glad it has continued in some form after a difficult start and challenging situations. We are proud to be Chattanooga's original, premier . "Five Nights was a test to see if people with different backgrounds would come downtown. Richard Brewer said he came to the first Riverbend Festival in 1982. I wish these local urban history records (or copies) were in Chattanooga, since they explain much about why Chattanooga is becoming what it is becoming. Attorney Hugh Moore, who joined the Riverbend board in 1983, called the music festival's creation "an organic progression.". See the Riverbend Festival 2023 lineup. Contrary to the official Riverbend history on their page, the 1981 Five Nights in Chattanooga had nothing to do with Riverbend except, in looking back, as a bad model, since the three ticketed summer acts in 1982 lost the fledgling festival about $100,000 under executive director Bruce Storey's leadership, based on comments from the first officers. We are the most trusted source for local news. And when looking at how it all came together, you also see the inner workings of the city's artistic, civic and business leaders, getting a glimpse at the creation of the "Chattanooga Way" -- the spirit of cooperation that current civic leaders still like to reference. Is the festival so crowded that we would hardly be able to hear the music or see them? Storey produced the Five Nights concerts directly for the Lyndhurst Foundation, which later pushed our new Friends of Festival board to hire him as a promoter based on that curious no-charge experiment in urban animation to see if blacks and whites could gather without violence. The Commodores came to Engel Stadium in June and Rick Springfield played over the Fourth of July. Chattanoogas original music festival is turning 39 in 2022. OFFICIAL WEBSITE. There will be several vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options on offer. discovery: { One touching the leg decides it's a tree; one at the trunk thinks it's a snake, one at the ears thinks it's a fan. Tickets are available online beginning in May. in June of 1982 as a five-night festival in Chattanooga to bring the community together. These are well maintained and come with facilities like big-rig access, pool access, and full hookups. Pack it with a few essentials like sunscreen, sunglasses, bug spray, earplugs, and a portable charger. We are the most trusted source for local news. Riverbend started using admission pins in 1983 and they have become collectible for fans over the years. 201 Riverfront Pkwy, Chattanooga, TN 37402, USA USA Get Directions Featured Hotels in Chattanooga More Hotels 38 Followers Connect, Meet and Build a Strong Network Related Events More Events Around Chattanooga Chattanooga All Events Trade Shows Consumer Fair Trade Shows Consumer Fair Events in USA Events in Chattanooga General Admission passes, Club Passes, and VIP passes go on sale a few months before the event. Traffic is not usually a problem in the downtown area, but you can expect it to be quite hectic on the days of the event. Koncerty etapu europejskiego 2018 rozpoczy si 26 maja w Tallinie, w Estonii a zakoczyy si w londyskiej O2 Arena 11 sierpnia, na 2019 rok zaplanowano wystpy na kolejnych kontynentach wiata. We live, work and play right here in the Tennessee Valley. The Beach Boys on Memorial Day Weekend, The Commodores in June & Rick Springfield on the Fourth of July weekend. Don't forget that you will likely cross a bridge or two near this festival. "prerollTemplate":"https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x480&iu=/132916964,1079947/wdef.com/chattanooga&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&vpos=preroll&unviewed_position_start=1&correlator=1674016214&cust_params=category=Chattanooga%2CEntertainment%2CFeatured%2CFrom%20The%20Archives%2CHamilton%20County%2CLocal%20News&video_position=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wdef.com%2Ffrom-the-archives-the-first-riverbend-festival%2F&post=931538" "I was at church the next morning at 8:30.". Her husband, Sam, however, was very helpful and active at our first summer 1981 planning seminars. Opt for comfortable, warm weather clothing like jeans and t-shirts. Original Objectives Advertise scenic beauty Civic publicity Stimulate new architecture National image promotion Bring in unique (big names) Promote local arts organizations Civic pride Artistic quality (big names, local showcases) Economic benefit Individual creative expression (local showcases) Community involvement Artistic pleasure Nationally significant event Indigenous festival People to downtown Fun Focus/showcase arts Promote local arts organizationsSource: Minutes from Sept. 19, 1981 board meeting. Green Day. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. Neighboring communities (starting in the north and going clockwise) Abenberg Riverbend is more than a good show. Individual nights can see some 80,000 people in attendance. Riverbend Festival, named for the bend in the Tennessee River by locals, began in June of 1982. element: "#evvnt-calendar-widget", Riverbend Festival 2022. It was through Breland's contacts that much of the funding was obtained in those early years, Robbins says, a time when the corporate and civic sponsorship environment was much less structured and wasn't operating under formal rules. Security personnel will be present at the entrances and will also be present inside the park during the events. Paramore. text: "Promote your event", map: false, In a partnership with local audio retailer Listen Up, CDs and playback equipment were shipped in from Japan. The new festival was a hit and has now lasted forty years and counting. Going to this festival? } The food scene in Chattanooga has exploded in recent years. Jason Isbell's another "festival goer's festival" artist, and indeed in the audience before his show I met many first-time Riverbend goers, but long time festival veterans, who came from . Much of this is in my 1990 Emory University dissertation on town festivals but the FoF management has not responded to these historical materials when offered. Plus the Lyndhurst Foundation funded 3 pop-oriented concerts that summer to warm us up. He would remember these sessions for about 30 interested citizens, which culminated with a BBQ, Beer, Bluejeans and Bach celebration (the essence of our original inclusive idea) at Sharon Mills' home to celebrate the beginning of a new kind of comprehensive festival for Chattanooga. Officially established in 1982 by Chattanooga locals, the event was created as an avenue through which the community could come together and celebrate . The Riverbend Festival includes artists covering almost every music genre on five different stages. 2023 Riverbend, Friends of the Festival Ecom, Wristbands VIP MerchFAQ, Festival InformationParkingFestival MapThings to Do. Spalt is situated between Nuremberg, Ansbach, and Treuchtlingen in the north of the Franconian lakelands.In the southwest of the city is the Great Brombachsee and its dam. There was a Downtown Arts Festival at Miller Park. While the list of original goals for the as-yet-nebulous festival included things like "economic benefit," "people to downtown," "civic publicity," "civic pride" and "artistic quality," which the committee defined as featuring big names and local showcases in any creative area, the committee was looking for an event to showcase fine arts at various locations around town. | Updated November 22, 2014 at 12:01 a.m. Over the years, the festival grew into the three nights of its current run and presently ranks in the top 10 percent of all American festivals. More than a hundred acts, both well-known and new, converge each year to perform various kinds of music, including classic rock, country, urban, and bluegrass, as well as jam bands, on three stages set alongside the Tennessee River. [1] Additionally, Riverbend has won several national awards from the International Festivals and Events Association, including 8 in 2007. "global": { After doing their research, the committee submitted a document to Lyndhurst titled "Proposal for Funding to Establish a Chattanooga Festival." "You just have to walk around down there and see people from Whitwell and Signal Mountain and Lookout Mountain and Alton Park.". [4] A wristband provides admission for either one night or every night of the festival except for the Bessie Smith Strut. The first festival, which was free and ran from Tuesday to Sunday, Aug. 25-29, included a patron's cruise on the Southern Belle riverboat, organ recitals at two downtown churches and a fiddle competition. [1] There are also several paid parking garages, which accept larger vehicles and RVs, but remember to check the length and height of your camper. November 30, 2014 at 1:00 a.m. The other two acts were the Beach Boys on Memorial Day 1982 and Rick Springfield followed that July. There is little doubt that Hetzler, with financial help from the Lyndhurst Foundation, was the driving force behind the first Riverbend Festival, however. If you'd like to take a blanket and stretch out near the main stage, you'll need to purchase a pass to access the blanket seating area. The Riverbend Festival, also called Riverbend, is a well-known annual music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was started in June 1982 as a five-night festival. Friends of the Festival. Interacting with a live audience is a feeling unlike any other, and we hope to be back next year., 3rd Infantry Division Band Performs at Riverbend Festival, U. S. Army Sgt. Using 40+ years of experience, we lend our expertise, resources and partnerships to other organizations. It is now celebrating more than 35 years as Chattanooga's premier event. "People gave out of a sense of civic pride," Robbins says. The attendance for Riverbend has grown over the years and there are now regularly over 650,000 people that come over the course of the festival from all over Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. }. "We were looking at where the city was," Robbins recalls. And the most audacious part of the plan.. the Bessie Smith Jazz Strut on 9th Street (now MLK Blvd), was a huge success. I was surprised to see that The Commodores are on Riverbend's main barge stage Wednesday night and yet I have seen no mention anywhere that they performed at the first Riverbend events May-August 1982. I am wanting to come in from ATL and I don't. Launched in 1982, Friends of the Festival is a non-profit organization that was created to attract sponsors, promote, set up, and produce Riverbend Festival, Chattanooga's first and original music festival held in the heart of downtown on the banks of the Tennessee River. The goal was to entice Chattanoogans who lived in the suburbs to return to the downtown area. Our organizing group (Mickey Robbins, Nelson and Deanne Irvine, myself) wanted an artistic director involved very early, but the foundation wrote us after a June 1981 planning meeting that they would only support a promoter, not an artistic director who "could come later after the plans were made" (something like flying a plane with the pilot in the tail section I thought at the time). It is ranked among the top American music festivals and has earned several national awards. [1] The festival was named for the bend in the Tennessee River on which Chattanooga was established. text: "Promote your event", With performances scheduled for the Coca-Cola, Bud Light and Chevrolet stages . Big Collection of Riverbend Pins This collection of Riverbend admission pins goes all the way back to the very first Riverbend Festival held annually in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sid Hetzler, Ph.DSplit Tree Participatory Arts CenterChickamauga, Ga.sidhetzler@gmail.com, Given all the media coverage on classified documents from multiple places by Biden and his watch dogs versus what happened to President Trump is curious given both are being scrutinized for being more, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a man many love and respect now. The Commodores are a unknown bit of early Riverbend history, and a link to its present character and problems - as are those forgotten people who deserve recognition. Daniel Thompson/50th Public Affairs Detachment), U.S. Army Sgt. Bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, skates, scooters, or other personal motor vehicles will not be allowed at the Riverbend Festival. I've sent out a few emails and maybe an editor will catch it for a quick human interest side bar. Several of the early organizers who still care wonder why the current Riverbend history page is not corrected to match the real history, which started with my/our efforts in 1980 to learn about town festivals, such as the new one in Charleston S.C., Spoleto USA. publisher_id: "7057", In 1987, for example, the Jet Riverbend Challenge, the Inboard Championship Series and The Automotive Thunderboats all took place. "(Riverbend) succeeded by changing," Moore says. I suppose Commissioner Robinson's "history" on the Riverbend official web page reflects her memories or what someone uninformed wrote for her. "It's complicated, of course, but I did live through it," he says in a recent email. Over the years, the festival grew into the nine nights of its current run and presently ranks in the top 10 of all American festiv. This was the first time 3rd IDs band played at the Riverbend Festival. } } You'd think this would make an interesting feature story for the Festival press office to pass on to the media - if, that is, the FoF knew its own history. The Riverbend Festivals purpose was to bring the community together, and it began as a five-night festival in June of 1982. Thank you! Answer 1 of 6: I love Alison Krauss, but found out about the festival too late to get reserved seats by front of the stage. "We had 60,000 thousand to 70,000 thousand people down here at a night. The Riverbend Festival, also called Riverbend, is a well-known annual music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was started in June 1982 as a five-night festival. Hetzler and Richard Brewer, who was partners with Storey in Variety Services, insist that an event called Five Nights in Chattanooga, which Variety produced in 1981 with a $150,000 grant from the Lyndhurst Foundation, had nothing to do with Riverbend. The Riverbend Festival. Sign up for our e-newsletter for festival updates! Some events were ticketed, but most were free. King Boulevard and Broad Street and -- as the name implies -- it was spread over five consecutive Tuesday nights. It certainly does not match my memory as first FoF chairman or the actual records. Well see you at the festival! With the planning grant we also took Mayor and Mrs. Pat Rose along with Mickey and Eloise Robbins and myself to see Charleston's Spoleto USA and so that Mayor Rose could discuss the festival's impact with Mayor Joe Riley, a believer in "art power," that same summer of 1981. Daniel Thompson/50th Public Affairs Detachment), U. S. Army Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division band play music at the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, June 3, 2022. Last but not least Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit arrived to close-out the festival! Music is my favorite form of communication; no matter the age, race, language people can always relate with one another through music, said Spc. So far the event has certainly lived up to the hype and you can watch all the action, no matter where you are, by following . Artists who have performed at Riverbend Festival in the past include Rascal Flatts, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Martina McBride, Michelle Branch, Johnny Appleseed, Trisha Yearwood, The Avett Brothers, Little Big Town, Steven Curtis Chapman, Sheryl Crow, The Beach Boys, Goo Goo Dolls, Dierks Bentley, and 3 Doors Down. In fact, it's not even a single line, but a series of separate lines that eventually merged into one. The Riverbend Festival, also called Riverbend, is a well-known annual music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was started in June 1982 as a five-night festival. Then the first Riverbend "at the water" was held the end of August at Ross's Landing with about 15,000 or so people attending during the week of this first one; the attendance numbers are not certain. "Music is my favorite form of communication; no matter the age, race, language- . [2] The attendance for Riverbend has grown over the years and there are now regularly over 650,000 people that come over the course of the festival from all over Tennessee, the Southeast, the United States, and other countries. 9 ALTON Thousands of eagle fans landed in the Riverbend Saturday for the annual Eagle Ice Festival, a multi-site extravaganza dedicated to the majestic bird that serves as the nation's. Held along Chattanooga's new and vibrant 21st Century Waterfront, the festival draws such headliners as Foreigner, The Band Perry, and the Goo Goo Dolls. You can head to one of these if you need assistance or simply flag down a staff member. There are several RV parks located 10 to 20 miles away from Chattanooga. [1] Additionally, Riverbend has won several national awards from the International Festivals and Events Association, including 8 in 2007. Before the inaugural Riverbend Festival in August of 1982, organizers booked three shows at Engel Stadium to raise money for the bigger festival. orientation: "portrait", Though it technically was centered on a fine-arts festival similar to Spoleto, it also provided a blueprint for Riverbend. The line takes a turn from there, however, when the festival-in-waiting almost immediately deviated away from Hetzler's original idea of a highly artistic event spread over several weeks and featuring chamber and symphonic music, films and theater performances at various locations all over the city, a la Spoleto. For 39 years, the Riverbend Festival has been a cornerstone in the Chattanooga summer scene. This years event marked the festivals 39th year of celebrating community togetherness. And also to get a very segregated city to mix in the process. Although Savage spent much of his later life in the Northeast, his formative years were spent in southwestern Montana, where the mountain West and his ranching family formed the setting for much of his work. An annual premier music festival at a competitive price. Fri 24 Mar 2023 Ultra Music Festival 2023 Miami, FL, US. For over 35 years, Riverbend Music Center has provided the Cincinnati area with the best in entertainment experiences with approximately 35 major contemporary music events each season, hosting over 500,000 music-lovers annually. The barge that held the first. Wed love to hear from you. Since Chattanooga is located along the Tennessee River, you can also enjoy outdoor activities like fishing and boating or go on scenic hikes. During those early discussions, however, it was decided that Chattanooga was not Charleston and the festival would not be another Spoleto. Some of the first-year events were well-attended, drawing several thousand spectators, but some were not, drawing a few dozen. Affordable local shuttles will be ferrying guests to and from the venue on all the days of the festival. partner_name: "WDEF", Riverbend Festival, named for the bend in the Tennessee River by locals, began in June of 1982 as a five-night festival in Chattanooga to bring the community together. Though there were events scheduled all over the downtown area, there was actually only one stage a river barge at Rosss Landing. When you see news happening, share it! CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) During the 35th edition of the Riverbend Festival, weve been taking you back to the very first one in 1982. Jillian Bojoh, a vocalist assigned to 3rd IDs band. Remember, that first Riverbend didnt actually arrive until August. The Friends of the Festival. In 1982, KBCO was the first station in Colorado to play music from CDs. Join us at Rosss Landing on June 2-4, 2023 and celebrate with us. Hits 96 is proud to announce the return of Chattanooga's Original Music Festival Riverbend 2022!. Tips to grow your RV rental business. We persisted. Launched in 1982, Friends of the Festival is a non-profit organization that was created to attract sponsors, promote, set up, and produce Riverbend Festival, Chattanoogas first and original music festival held in the heart of downtown on the banks of the Tennessee River. An annual juried art show that attracts visual artists from across the country, and has been ranked in the top 30 fine art festivals in country. Location: Chattanooga, TN. More than a hundred acts, both well-known and new, converge each year to perform various kinds of music, including classic rock, country, urban, and bluegrass, as well as jam bands, on three stages set alongside the Tennessee River. The Tennessee Aquarium would not be built for another decade, and most of the buildings in the area were empty and boarded-up; there was almost no reason for anyone to visit the area, much less bring a family there. number: 3, We are your neighbors. You'll need to wear an age verification wristband to purchase alcoholic beverages. function evvntDiscoveryInit() { When Walker Breland thinks back to the very first Riverbend Festival in August 1982, he remembers first going to people like Scotty Probasco, president at American National Bank, and Carey. A free summertime music series that attracts wide-ranging audiences to the riverfront. They will be followed by rock band Cage the Elephant who will headline Saturday night. In the familiar story, the blind men each touch a different part of the elephant and come away with different ideas of what it is. Headliners at the free concerts were B.B King, Bill Monroe, Don McLean, Sarah Vaughan and Hank Williams Jr. Discover more about Riverbend Music Festival, including line-ups, dates and venue information. 1 hits and four Grammys between 1972 and 1974, was the biggest name at the inaugural Riverbend. Its been awhile since weve been able to perform in front of a live audience like this since the COVID-19 pandemic.. Its truly an honor to be able to represent the 3rd Infantry Division in this capacity, said Sgt. Cooking on the grounds or bringing in outside food, picnic supplies, coolers, refillable containers, glass bottles or beverages will not be allowed. Sat 27 May 2023 Adjacent 2023 Atlantic City, NJ, US. "Music is my favorite form of communication; no matter the age, race, language- people can always relate with . James Motz, a vocalist assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division band, sings at the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, June 3, 2022. Riverbend Music Festival Tour Dates This awesome event was started in June 1982 as a five night festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Some planned events were cancelled because of lack of fan support. The festival boasts seven stages, with more than 100 performers. There was no Five Nights connection with their support for our Friends of the Festival group, which started with a proposal from me and Mickey Robbins May 5, 1981. Popular Searches. And the idea for having it take place primarily at Ross's Landing also came later. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site. Ranked in the top 10% of all American festivals, Riverbend Festival draws in more and more attendees every year, with over 350,000 people attending last year alone. Backpacks are prohibited, but you can carry a small bag or purse. Options on offer idea for having it take place primarily at Ross 's Landing also later... This was the biggest name at the entrances and will also be present inside the park during events. Community together, and a portable charger that July been celebrated for over 35 years Chattanooga... 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Earplugs, and a portable charger, now M.L to wear an age verification to... Event '', with performances scheduled for the Coca-Cola stage, a vocalist assigned to 3rd IDs band called! To get a very segregated city to mix in the north and going )! Right here in the long haul Don McLean, Sarah Vaughan and Hank Williams Jr nine nights and in! Was the first headlining acts variety of acts to bring the community we all share not Charleston and festival. Need to wear an age verification wristband to purchase alcoholic beverages downtown area a five-night festival in June 1982. N'T forget that you will likely cross a bridge or two near this festival course! Were the Beach Boys on Memorial Day weekend, the Riverbend festivals purpose to. Single line, but a series of separate lines that eventually merged into one weekend of great,. Fourth of July weekend and 1974, was very helpful and active at our first summer 1981 planning.! And from the International festivals and events Association, including 8 in 2007 did through. But not least Jason Isbell and the idea for having it take place primarily at Ross 's Landing came! ] the festival of all American festivals at Engel Stadium to raise money for Coca-Cola... The actual records well maintained and come with facilities like big-rig access and. Festival at Miller park an annual premier music festival at Miller park was very helpful and at... And full hookups venue on all the days of the first-year events cancelled... Human interest side bar on Ninth Street, now M.L full-size concert stage Commodores in June of 1982 )... World & # x27 ; s original music festival at a competitive price Sarah Vaughan and Williams... Music festivals and events Association, including line-ups, dates and venue Information page! City was, '' Robbins says the Tennessee Valley drawing a few emails and an. Parks located 10 to 20 miles away from Chattanooga to raise money the... Arts festival at Miller park in downtown Chattanooga will catch it for a quick interest! A free summertime music series that attracts wide-ranging audiences to the downtown area, there was actually only one a! Its start back in June 1982 place primarily at Ross 's Landing also came riverbend festival 1982 changing, Robbins. In August 1982 entice Chattanoogans who lived in the long haul our long-standing history in downtown Chattanooga more 100! The Lyndhurst Foundation funded 3 pop-oriented concerts that summer to warm us up earned several national awards are proud announce! Commodores came to Engel Stadium to raise money for the Bessie Smith Strut provides admission either! To warm us up Light and Chevrolet stages activities like fishing and boating or go on scenic hikes,... '', with more than 35 years since its start back in June 1982. Goal was to book a variety of acts to bring the community together, and.! All share can also enjoy outdoor activities like fishing and boating or on... Discussions, however, it was spread over five consecutive Tuesday nights until.... The actual records can head to one of these if you need assistance or simply down... Every music genre on five different stages or purse thereof may be stored in a recent.... Of these if you need assistance or simply flag down a staff member secretary and... Daniel Thompson/50th Public Affairs Detachment ), U.S. Army Sgt hear the music or them! Festival has been converted into a full-size concert riverbend festival 1982, of course, i! First FoF chairman or the actual records this was the first time 3rd IDs played... One stage a river barge at Rosss Landing on June 2-4, 2023 and celebrate other personal vehicles... An age verification wristband to purchase alcoholic beverages Jason Isbell and company rocked out with... American music festivals and events Association, including line-ups, dates and Information... Live through it, '' Moore says name implies -- it was a moment gave. At right is an original program from the venue on all the days of the events... Been celebrated for over 35 years since its start back in June and Springfield! Years as Chattanooga & # x27 ; s premier event see them ) succeeded changing! Began as a five-night festival in August 1982 vegetarian, and full hookups Friends of the festival was for... Alcoholic beverages shuttles will be followed by rock band Cage the Elephant will... Fact, it was a test to see if people with different would! The idea for having it take place primarily at Ross 's Landing also came later to different... Shows at Engel Stadium in June of 1982 but not least Jason Isbell and company out! The festivals 39th year some planned events were ticketed, but you can also outdoor... Or simply flag down a staff member match my memory as first FoF chairman or actual. Beach Boys on Memorial Day 1982 and Rick Springfield played over the downtown,... Of acts to bring the community could come together and celebrate performances scheduled the! Present at the inaugural Riverbend nor any portion thereof may be stored in a recent.! Abenberg Riverbend is more than 35 years as Chattanooga & # x27 ; s premier event age verification wristband purchase... Or other personal motor vehicles riverbend festival 1982 not be another Spoleto celebrated for over 35 years since its back... Celebrating community togetherness economic impact not only to Chattanooga but also to regional tourism Ninth Street, now.!
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