The Friends of the Festival. This photo is taken from the railroad trellis on MLK looking back toward the Chubb Life building. They will be staffed with trained professionals and festival volunteers. That changed after the Pointer Sister show in 1985. evvnt_require("evvnt/discovery_plugin").init({ Riverbend's line-up is so stacked that to write about Jenny Lewis and not get to say "headliner Jenny Lewis" really says something about the music bench they're pulling from for this festival! That committee also included attorney Nelson Irvine, who served as secretary, and UTC professor Fred Behringer, who served as treasurer. It was a moment that gave him the inspiration to make Riverbend work in the long haul. Tricks to find the perfect rig. Beginning as a five-night festival, the Riverbend Music Festival has garnered quite a reputation since its debut in June 1982, ranking in the top ten percent of American festivals. Chattanooga, TN's long-running Riverbend Festival has announced the music lineup for its 2022 event, set to return to Ross's Landing on June 3rd-5th. In the rare event of severe weather, you can look for direction from festival staff at that time. For me, the band's reappearance brings back good memories of Riverbend's beginnings. The investment our audience makes in our festival increases the Chattanooga-Hamilton County tax collections by $800,000 and provides $30 million in economic impact. widget: true, Using 40+ years of experience, we lend our expertise, resources and partnerships to other organizations. var field59 = field59 || {}; But the now unknown tough work was done by the early full boards that followed our planning efforts, especially after the financial losses of the Engel Stadium concerts when the whole thing almost ended. The Beach Boys performed on Memorial Day Weekend. Sat 25 Feb 2023 Innings Festival 2023 Tempe, AZ, US. 1 hits and four Grammys between 1972 and 1974, was the biggest name at the inaugural Riverbend. Her husband, Sam, however, was very helpful and active at our first summer 1981 planning seminars. Though there were events scheduled all over the downtown area, there was actually only one stage a river barge at Rosss Landing. The food scene in Chattanooga has exploded in recent years. We live, work and play right here in the Tennessee Valley. Neighboring communities (starting in the north and going clockwise) Abenberg It started as a way to come together downtown to celebrate the community we all share. November 30, 2014 at 1:00 a.m. Alejandro Bertorelli, a bass guitarist from the 3rd Infantry Division band, performs at the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, June 3, 2022. Friends of The Festival Inc. Friends of the Festival - Inc. Revenue. publisher_id: "7057", 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. 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. 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. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. Riverbend Festival, Chattanooga's original music festival, announced their entire lineup for this year's festival. 12. In subsequent early years, the festival included boat/ski/jet ski races on the river during the day. [4] A wristband provides admission for either one night or every night of the festival except for the Bessie Smith Strut. 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. Wed love to hear from you. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. map: false, When Riverbend began, it was not the same Ross's Landing that's now part of the multi-million dollar 21st Century Waterfront. Music truly enriches the human experience.. In some ways, figuring out who started Riverbend is like trying to definitively pinpoint who invented rock 'n' roll; you can name dozens of artists that could claim part of the title, yet each of those had their own influences in the past. Tickets are available online beginning in May. There are several RV parks located 10 to 20 miles away from Chattanooga. With performances scheduled for the Coca-Cola, Bud Light and Chevrolet stages . Sunday, June 20, 1993 Ross's Landing, Chattanooga, TN Little Richard Add Setlist Monday, June 21, 1993 Ross's Landing, Chattanooga, TN Deanna Bogart Begun in 1982, to celebrate the beginning of summer, the Riverbend Festival is a musical event that takes place each . Riverbend has announced its artist lineup for the 2022 iteration of the beloved music festival. No stranger to large crowds, Isbell and company rocked out. Several local acts, including Overland and the Chattanooga Choo Choo Barbershop Chorus took the stage. Breland says "it is a miracle the thing got started and has continued.". Back then, few visited the riverfront, home to boarded-up buildings. We celebrate community and we tell your stories. Sat 27 May 2023 Adjacent Music Festival 2-day Pass (May 27-28, 2023 Atlantic City, NJ, US. Five Nights was held at the intersection of what is now M.L. 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. Each first aid station will also have accessible restrooms, which are reserved for patrons with disabilities. When you see news happening, share it! "People gave out of a sense of civic pride," Robbins says. Festival Info. Nashville's Summer Lights began the same year as Riverbend. As of June 1982, "Riverbend", affectionately named after the curve in the Tennessee River, has been a riveting music event ranking in the top 10% of festivals in the country. Crowds were so large for the concert, the fence was removed for safety reasons and the entire Riverbend site has been closed to vehicle traffic since. $75.00 - $115.00. 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. submission: { The Krystal sponsored these three events as part of its 50th anniversary, building on Lyndhurst support, and I believe co-organizers Nelson Irvine and Mickey Robbins have copies of that poster; mine burned in my August 07 home fire with other original founding records. The victims of excessive financial losses, those three disappeared (although Music at Midtown resurrected itself in 2011). The Riverbend Festival, or called Riverbend (named for the bend in the Tennessee River) by locals, was started in June 1982 as a five night festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A free summertime music series that attracts wide-ranging audiences to the riverfront. For 39 years, the Riverbend Festival has been a cornerstone in the Chattanooga summer scene. While our history is rich with performers Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit 6/5/2022 at Riverbend Festival | Dylan Basden Photography Alabama native Jason Isbell closed out the festival with his band The 400 Unit. "dfpConfig": { (U.S. Army photo by Spc. 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. At the time of Five Nights, Robbins was director of the Chattanooga Arts Council, which merged in 1982 with Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga, now called ArtsBuild. category_id: null, Our efforts provide nearly 250 area residents with full-time, ongoing employment and an amount approaching $1 million in net public sector revenues. Later that summer I visited Salzburg Festival and was amazed at the range of all the arts and other activities and the enormous economic and cultural impact of these huge town festivals, which were our guiding examples for the early Riverbend festivals. Youre covered with our custom protection packages. And anyone can read through the Lyndhurst archives at UNC at Chapel Hill NC and get the full story from the original documents. King Blvd downtown), 2007 also debuted Riverbend's first ever classical recital featuring pianist, This page was last edited on 6 June 2022, at 11:58. OFFICIAL WEBSITE. evvnt_require("evvnt/discovery_plugin").init({ None of the shows made money, and even had some drama of their own. You'll need to wear an age verification wristband to purchase alcoholic beverages. 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 Staff Sgt. The Commodores came to Engel Stadium in June and Rick Springfield played over the Fourth of July. And the most audacious part of the plan.. the Bessie Smith Jazz Strut on 9th Street (now MLK Blvd), was a huge success. Established in 1982, the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a grandiose summer kick-off celebration with music, family-friendly attractions and delicious fried foods. The first ever Riverbend Festival took place in 1982 as a five-day event. "On the day of the show, the Commodores' manager said they would have to be paid in cash," Breland says, something that was not readily on hand. element: "#evvnt-calendar-widget", Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Friends of the Festival Board of Directors met Monday and decided to put the community's largest festival first produced in 1982 on hold for another year. [4] A wristband provides admission for either one night or every night of the festival except for the Bessie Smith Strut. There is a bend in the Tennessee River on which the City of Chattanooga was built, and the inspiration for the name of the event comes from this. The annual festival ranks in the Top 10 Percent of all American festivals. }); Since Chattanooga is located along the Tennessee River, you can also enjoy outdoor activities like fishing and boating or go on scenic hikes. Some events were ticketed, but most were free. 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. 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. Talk to News 12 anchors, reporters and meteorologists. Well see you at the festival! The Frnkische Rezat flows through Georgensgmnd into the Rednitz.. The other two acts were the Beach Boys on Memorial Day 1982 and Rick Springfield followed that July. Wed love to hear from you. There are convenience stores in the vicinity, where you can pick up any essentials you need. Cooking on the grounds or bringing in outside food, picnic supplies, coolers, refillable containers, glass bottles or beverages will not be allowed. Friends of the Festival is experienced in event production in the greater Chattanooga area with expertise in planning, implementation and management. Today, Riverbend ranks in the top 10% of all music festivals, increases Chattanooga-Hamilton County tax collections by $800,000, and it provides over $20 million in economic impact. Your email address will not be published. During the multiple-day engagement, revelers can enjoy performances by over 80 regional and nationally touring musical acts in the realms of country, rock, pop and soul. 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. But even in their heyday of the 1990s and early 2000s, most of the music festivals that arose in other cities were three- or four-day events, unlike Riverbend's week-or-more schedule. But the birth of Riverbend had plenty of labor pains. Riverbend Festival is Chattanooga's longest running, award winning music festival celebrating 39 years as the Scenic City's premier event. text: "Promote your event", 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. The entrances are accessible, and select viewing areas at ground level are reserved for patrons with disabilities. 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). Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. orientation: "portrait", The 3rd IDs band was one of a wide variety of performers covering almost every musical genre across three stages set along the riverbank of the Tennessee River at Rosss Landing, also known as the Scenic Citys front porch. The annual festival now goes on for eight nights and ranks in the top 10% of all American festivals. }. 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 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. "There was a definite progression there," says Robbins. But the details of where, when and how the long-running festival actually got started depends on whom you ask. Security personnel will be present at the entrances and will also be present inside the park during the events. You can see from the first Riverbend poster that they promoted five headliners that year. "Five Nights was a test to see if people with different backgrounds would come downtown. 423-785-1200 | news@wdef.com3300 Broad Street, Chattanooga TN 37408. 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. 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