For the third year, Rock the Riverfront will take over the Chattanooga Green in the Riverfront district for 32 days, filling the space with interactive art, music, entertainment and community sharing.
The featured interactive art installation for 2024 will make the Chattanooga Green shimmer with the mechanical poetry of Loop’s 12 giant zoetropes. Loop will be open for play daily from 8:30am – 8:30pm.
Started in 2022 in response to community feedback from the ONE Riverfront planning process, Rock the Riverfront has grown to become a signature spring festival in downtown Chattanooga with tens of thousands of people attending over the month.
Loop is an interactive work that plays short flipbook-style movies inspired by Quebec literature. At the center of each giant wheel is a music box to provide accompaniment for the hand-drawn animations. The work is inspired by the zoetrope, an optical toy invented in the 19th Century. Loop is a hybrid of the music box, zoetrope and railway handcar. Attendees will be able to sit down inside the zoetrope, pump the bar and make the image cylinder turn, springing the pictures into motion.
The images, tinted by a strobe, are reminiscent of the earliest movies. The speed of the whirring pictures, the frequency at which the light flickers and the tempo of the music are all determined by how fast the attendee moves the bar. Loop, by EKUMEN, a co-production of Quartier des spectacles Partnership and Ekumen, and distributed by QDSinternational.
In addition to the interactive art, each weekend will feature DJs every Friday night, fun-filled Saturdays with a variety of family-friendly activities along with food, beverage and art vendors. A full list of times and details can be found at www.rivercitycompany.com/rock
Weekend One Theme: “Get In the Loop”
Thursday March 14:
- Opening Day – Hamilton County Spring Breakers will be welcomed with open play. Food trucks and art vendors will be onsite from 4pm - 8pm.
Friday March 15:
- 5:00pm – 7:00pm: Featuring DJ Nippy F from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since her childhood, she has displayed her talents on the basketball court playing professionally, and she will entertain all at Rock the Riverfront with Top 40 hits.
Saturday March 16:
- 11:30am – 2:30pm: Join the Chattanooga Fire Cabaret & Friends with a wide variety of acrobatic and circus style performances with Miss Tangles Flow Art, Circus Acro and Bubbletopia.
- 6:00pm – 7:00pm: World Leaders rock band will be combining a wide collection of musical genres on the main stage. Alongside the band, experience an ambient fire show with performances by the Chattanooga Fire Cabaret.
Sunday March 17:
- 2:00pm – 3:00pm: Weather the Weather is a family-focused entertainment group and will be performing an exploration of what happens during storm conditions and inclement weather using visual art, sound, music, movement & poetry.
Weekend Two Theme: “Magic of Cinema”
Friday March 22:
- 5:00pm – 7:00pm: Featuring Queen B from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Music is her happy place and she will be sharing it with those at Rock the Riverfront by playing a mix of music from your favorite tv shows and movies.
- The weekend entertainment is hosted in conjunction with Garrell Woods, founder and executive director of Black Rainbow Movement.
Saturday March 23:
- 2:00pm – 4:00pm: Learn The Dance – moving with the theme of “Magic of Cinema”, join dancers featuring Damien Chaney to learn steps found in Jazz, Hip-Hop and Modern Dance.
- 5:30pm – 7:30pm: Experience the images of cinema transformed via dance with Kyle’s Concepts & Damien Chaney performing a wide variety of types of movements.
- 6:00pm – 7:30pm: The 3rf Annual Light Up Chatt Parade will make their way from Renaissance Park to the Chattanooga Green with lighted lanterns and giant puppets. Registration is now open for the parade and lantern making workshops here: www.rivercitycompany.com/light-up-chatt
Sunday March 24:
- 3:00pm – 5:00pm: Gospel & Jazz on the Chattanooga Green with Neshawn Calloway & Friends. A versatile performer, Neshawn is a singer of such genres as jazz, blues, classical gospel and rhythm & blues.
Weekend Three Theme: “Hip N Hop”
Friday March 29:
- 5:00pm – 7:00pm: Featuring DJ Flow Eazy from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her charisma and unflinching go-getter attitude have garnered her a promising career. She will be making people move at Rock the Riverfront with her wide mixes.
Saturday March 30:
- 10:00am – 11:00am: Easter Egg Hunt – over 1000 eggs with be spread across the Chattanooga Green for family hunting fun.
- 1:00pm – 2:00pm: Best Bunny Dog Costume Contest – hosted in partnership with the Humane Educational Society, the community is encouraged to come by with their favorite pup dressed in the best bunny outfit. Registration is now open for the costume contest on the River City Company website.
- 5:00pm – 7:00pm: Rhyme N Chatt will be on the main stage performing a mix of spoken word, jazz and hip-hop.
Sunday March 31
- All Day “Picnic in the Park” – families are encouraged to bring a picnic and blanket or find the perfect lunch and dinner from one of the many local food trucks at the event.
Weekend Four Theme: Retro Rewind
Friday April 5:
- 5:00pm – 7:00pm: Featuring DJ Smooth K from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He says he is “not your average zillenial DJ” because of his eclectic taste in music that bridges generations. He will be spinning classic oldies to current hits.
Saturday April 6:
- 10:00am – 11:00am: Tai Chi is one of the most popular and effective mind & body healing arts for people of all ages and health conditions. Join Beth Herring for this free all abilities class.
- 2:00pm – 3:00pm: Join Soul Aerobic Line Dancers as they show off a few of their rehearsed dances. They will then invite everyone in on some classic dance moves that most people know. Lastly, they will teach a few steps to their dances so anyone who wants can join in!
- 5:00pm – 6:00pm: Bringing back fond memories of times of the past, the Choo Choo Chorus will be performing barbershop style harmonies for all to enjoy!
Weekend Five Theme: “Pure Imagination”
Friday April 12:
- 5:00pm – 7:00pm: Featuring Corleone Tone from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He has been practicing as DJ for over 7 years and voted twice as a BEC award nominee. He definitely knows how to rock a crowd and will be returning to Rock the Riverfront to do just so.
Saturday April 13:
- 9:00am – 12:00pm: Children’s Entrepreneurship Market will return to the Chattanooga Green with over 60 youth entrepreneurs ready to sell you their unique creations.
- 10:00am – 11:30am: Ensamble de Mexico promotes and celebrates culture and traditions through dances from the state of the Republic of Mexico. They will be onstage with performances and the audience is encouraged to join in the fun.
- 1:00pm – 2:00pm: Be the Change Youth Initiative will be on the main stage performing music and sharing their passion of making sure youth, especially those struggling with their mental health, feel seen, heard and loved.
- 6:00pm – 7:00pm: Interval will cap off the weekend with their upbeat indie sounds. They have been featured at Road to Nightfall as winners in 2023.
“The community shared with us their hopes and desires for the Riverfront District through the ONE Riverfront planning process. Events like Rock the Riverfront are in direct response to community feedback, and we look forward to making even more enhancements to the Riverfront through the community-led planning processes,” said Emily Mack, President & CEO of River City Company.
Rock the Riverfront will be free and open to the public from March 14 – April 14, 2024, from 8:30am – 8:30pm. The event is sponsored by the Benwood Foundation, Lyndhurst Foundation, EPB, Chattanooga Tourism Company, ArtsBuild, Tennessee Arts Commission, Coca-Cola, Elliott Davis, First Horizon, Miller & Martin, Tennessee Valley Authority, Council Fire, Downtown Chattanooga Alliance, City of Chattanooga, SVN Second Story Real Estate, G93 WMPZ, Power 94, TuRadio, Tennessee American Water, Food City, HK Architects and Chattanooga Land Company.