Riverbend, which will mark its 29th anniversary when the gates to the downtown festival open today, has an enviable reputation. Even so, it remains generally unspoiled by the widespread acclaim. It still is, at heart, an enormous hometown party where hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life gather for a good time. The nine-day festival has become a signature event for Chattanooga. Its success honors the city as well as the visionaries who ignored doomsayers to create Riverbend.
Over those decades, Riverbend has won a deserved reputation for showcasing top names in the entertainment world. That continues this year. The Coke main stage lineup includes Sheryl Crow, Alison Kraus, Darius Rucker, George Clinton, Third Day, Billy Currington and the Charlie Daniels Band. And that’s just the beginning.
Riverbend also offers more than 100 acts on four additional stages. Those performers — many well known and others with impressive talent who are just beginning to gain public attention — will appear on the Bud Light, UNUM, Tennessee Lottery and the Tennessee Valley Credit Union stages strategically located along the Tennessee River’s southern bank.
There’s more, of course, to Riverbend than the stage performances. There’s also food and drink galore, crowd-pleasing roving performers, and a stage where area kids showcase their talents.
A crowd pleaser comes on Monday night, when the festival leaves the river for what has become one of its iconic events — the Bessie Smith Strut. That, for the uninitiated, is a blocks-long party that features blues, barbecue and more along historic M.L. King Boulevard.
Tuesday is another evening with a special identity. It is designated as Family Night, a time when alcoholic beverages are not sold at the venue. And in keeping with tradition, Riverbend will conclude with a fireworks display on June 19.
Over the years, Riverbend has become more than a place to be entertained by performers. It is an event where thousands go to meet friends and acquaintances, for a date or simply to “people watch.” The latter is especially engaging, given the varied demographic of festival attendees.
There’s an added benefit to Riverbend as well. Those who take the time to do so can view almost the entirety of the sparkling riverfront and experience what is justifiably called the Chattanooga Renaissance. It’s an on-going project that has won acclaim and emulation across the nation. Indeed, the initial success of Riverbend is viewed by many — and properly so — as a catalyst for the subsequent commercial and residential revitalization of the riverfront and the areas around it.
Riverbend attendees get a lot for their money. Pin prices are a bargain. Festival-goers see high-priced talent for relatively little cost. Free parking is available at several locations and shuttle buses, at $1 a ride, make runs to the riverfront every evening except Monday from 6 p.m. until 12:15 a.m. The shuttles operate from bases at the Chattanooga Choo Choo and Finley Stadium.
Producing one of the Southeast’s and the nation’s top community festivals is not a simple task, but it is one that is accomplished each year with a small staff and a host of civic-minded volunteers. Their work is mostly done. Now, we can benefit from their labor. It is time to party on the banks of the Tennessee River.