The board of Friends of the Festival met recently for their regularly scheduled meeting and discussed the timing of the 39th anniversary of the region’s much-loved music festival. The organization explored a fall date for the festival; however, for several reasons, the Board made the decision to return to its traditional date of June 2-5, 2022.
Festival Executive Director Mickey McCamish said, “We are extremely grateful for the continued support of our sponsors who are making it possible to move forward with our plans to the City for working with us to make sure the 2022 festival is supported. We have so much for which to be thankful.”
Riverbend is in good company with the decision to move the festival to 2022. Last week, Coachella announced a fourth postponement of the desert festival to April as did the Stagecoach country music festival. Both cited uncertainty and ongoing concerns about the pandemic.
Friends of the Festival Board President Becky Browder said, “For anyone who attended last weekend’s Riverfront Nights, it was clear that Chattanooga is ready to move forward from the pandemic. As a business, Riverbend must do so thoughtfully and with a strong plan in place to position the festival for a milestone anniversary in 2023. With today’s announcement, we’re excited about the path we’re on and those joining us on it.”
Music fans wanting to get their taste of Riverbend are invited to come to Ross’s Landing every Saturday evening at 7 p.m. throughout June the last two weeks of July and all of August. The traditional summer music series is in its 13th year and features well-known bands, local foods and beverages from throughout the area.
About the Riverbend Festival
The Riverbend Festival started as a way to bring people downtown to the edge of the Tennessee River to enjoy music and entertainment. Over its three plus decades of experiences, the festival has been a multi-winner of awards from the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA). Riverbend is also event producer for multiple festivals across the region but is best known for the free summer concert series, Riverfront Nights.