Jfest 2023's tier 1 tickets sold out in 16 minutes after going on sale at noon Wednesday, according to a festival official.
"That is definitely a record for our 23-year-old festival," Director Ted Gocke said. "The second tier is continuing to sell very quickly, too."
Gocke said previously that last year's Christian music festival sold more than 12,500 wristbands for the Tennessee Riverpark on Amnicola Highway. The festival previously had been held at Camp Jordan in East Ridge.
"Our goal this year is 15,001, which would make it (we believe) the biggest outdoor music event in the Tennessee Valley/Chattanooga area," Gocke said in an email.
The Riverbend Festival is capped at 15,000, and Moon River has a capacity of 12,000.
"Last year when the wristbands went on sale, it crashed our website and we sold out of the first tier in less than an hour," Gocke said. "From the excitement we've heard about our lineup so far, this year should be even bigger."
Jfest 2023 is set for May 20. More information and tickets can be found at Jfest.com.
The lineup for this year features Grammy-winning Crowder in his third appearance at Jfest; Cain, the most requested return artist according to 2022 exit surveys; and Mac Powell, the former frontman for group Third Day. Other artists include Jordan St. Cyr and Blessing Offor, who has written for Breland, Trevor Rosen and Natalie Hemby.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.