Two vastly different celebrations. 100 miles apart. One common theme: a love, a passion and a reverence for the Southeast’s whitewater and the paddling lifestyle that has evolved around it.
The Nantahala and Ocoee rivers are two of the biggest names in the region for anything kayak related, so it’s fitting that each will be the backdrop for an upcoming larger-than-life paddling event- one a festival, the other a world-class competition. The whitewater gods are smiling down upon Chattanooga, as it’s within an easy drive of both Ocoee Fest and this year’s ICF Freestyle World Championships.
So if you’re in the area next month, grab your gear, grab your friends and get ready to experience the water like never before.
Ocoee Fest
Local paddler Bra d McMillan waits in the staging eddy to take his run in the C1 class at the 2012 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Cup Final.That is indeed an accurate summary of the upcoming Ocoee Fest, put on by a group of paddlers who live by their mantra, “BBB” (you guessed it-boats, bands and beer, although Budweiser, babes, boofing and brothers are also valid options). The extravaganza is posed to be a merry yet sincere salute to the river, giving attendees an entire summer’s worth of the whitewater culture we know and love in the span of a single weekend.