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Thursday, October 29, 2026Oct 29

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Mind Coffee: Changes at Riverbend seem like good ideas

Black coffee in cup mug isolated on a white background
Black coffee in cup mug isolated on a white background Black coffee in cup mug isolated on a white background

So Riverbend is being cut to four days.

Good idea.

A music festival that stretches over nine days has always seemed excessive. It can be hard to find enough quality acts to fill a weekend-long event, but drag it out more than a week and you can end up scraping the bottom of the barrel. With AC Entertainment booking Riverbend – they’re the guys who book Bonnaroo – it should be no trouble to find good acts for a four-day festival.

photo Shawn Ryan

Other changes are coming to the 36-year-old festival, too. The Unum Stage, located at the top of the hill near the Bluff View Arts District, is going away, leaving the Coca-Cola Stage on the Riverfront, the Bud Light Stage, the Chevy Stage and the Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union Stage.

Faith and Family Night, which featured Christian acts and no alcohol on Tuesday nights, will no longer be held. And the Bessie Smith Strut, held on Mondays on M.L. King Boulevard, won’t be affiliated with Riverbend, either.