Memorial Day weekend serves as the kickoff for several events around the Chattanooga area, including Nightfall, Soak Ya, Nooga Splash and Summer Music Weekends at Rock City. Here's a look around town.
SPECTATOR SPORTS
- Chattanooga Lookouts, a Class AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, are in a home series against the Birmingham Barons at AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley. Remaining promotions include Thirsty Thursday drink specials; Negro League appreciation and fireworks Friday; Negro League appreciation, with a seat cushion giveaway to the first 1,000 fans, and a used car giveaway Saturday; and a free general-admission ticket with the donation of a canned good to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank on Sunday. Military Appreciation Day is also Sunday, granting free admission to veterans, active-duty personnel and their families. Tuesday will start a series against the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Early promotions include a buy-one, get-one general-admission ticket with a Food City ValuCard on Tuesday, and a Chick-fil-A discount, delivered by app, on Wednesday. Game time is 7:15 p.m., except for Sunday's 2:15 p.m. start. Tickets are $6-$11. lookouts.com
- Chattanooga Football Club, a National Independent Soccer Association men's professional team, will play Bay Cities FC at 7:30 pm. Saturday at Finley Stadium, 1826 Carter St. Tickets are $7-$16. chattanoogafc.com
- Chattanooga Red Wolves, a USL League One men's professional soccer team, will play Greenville Triumph SC at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CHI Memorial Stadium, 1 Stadium Way. Fireworks are scheduled after the game. Tickets are $15-$52. chattanoogaredwolves-sc.com
MUSIC
- Bigfoot Electro, a second-year festival celebrating bass music and visual arts, is Thursday-Sunday at Bigfoot Adventure, a park and campground at 518 Brawley Road, Tracy City, Tenn. More than 100 musical acts are scheduled; Truth Yhetti and Mr. Bill and The Widdler are headliners. Two- to four-day passes are $149-$199; VIP passes are $269-$349. bigfootelectro.com/2022
- Songbirds, 35 Station St., has two shows this weekend. Thursday features Southern rockers Them Dirty Roses, with Chase Baker opening, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15. Saturday has bluesy rock band The Weeks, with Lenox Hills opening, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. songbirdsfoundation.org
- Nightfall, a free summer concert series celebrating 35 years, kicks off Friday at Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. Cha Wa, a Grammy-nominated, New Orleans-based Mardi Gras Indian funk band, will headline at 8 p.m. Chattanooga's Killer Keys will open the show at 7 p.m. Artists, games and food vendors are set up across M.L. King Boulevard at Miller Park. The series continues weekly through Labor Day weekend. nightfallchattanooga.com
- Taylor Swift Night: Swifties, unite! The Signal, 1810 Chestnut St., will host Club 90's dance party to the Grammy Award winner's biggest hits at 9 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $18. thesignaltn.com
- The Caverns, 555 Charlie Roberts Road, Pelham, Tenn., will welcome a pop-music phenomenon and three Grammy-winning bands trailed by a PBS film crew in separate events over the holiday weekend. "Weird Al" Yankovic brings his Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour to the underground venue at 8 p.m. CDT Friday and Saturday. Emo Philips supports. On his website, Yankovic says this scaled-down tour will be composed almost entirely of his original, nonparody songs, with a different set list each night. Tickets start at $89. At 4 p.m. CDT Monday, Latin rock bands Los Lobos and Ozomatli, and all-female mariachi band Flor de Toloache, will perform for a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration that will premiere nationally on PBS stations on Oct. 28. Tickets are $35 (standing room only). thecaverns.com
- Peacock Alley Gospel Festival, featuring the Troy Burns Family, LeFevre Quartet, Fields of Grace and Anthony Patton, is 1-6 p.m. Saturday at Heritage Point Regional Park, 1275 Cross Plains Trail, Dalton, Ga. troyburnsfamily.com
- Chattanooga Bach Choir will offer a festive concert featuring "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Christ Church Episcopal, 663 Douglas St. Admission is $20. chattanoogabachchoir.org
FILM
-"Top Gun: Maverick": The Tennessee Aquarium's Imax Theater, 201 Chestnut St., will show Tom Cruise's return to the sky as a hotshot naval aviator on the six-story movie screen Thursday through June 4. Show times vary. Tickets are $15. tnaqua.org/imax
- Music & Movies in Miller, a free summer series in Miller Park, 928 Market St., starts Saturday with music by Chattanooga Parking Authority and a screening of the 2019 animated film "The Secret Life of Pets 2." SoundCorps buskers will start the music at 6:30 p.m., and oversize games, artist vendors and food trucks will be set up in the park. Guests should bring their own seating for the movie at dusk (about 8:30 p.m.). rivercitycompany.com
- "Songbirds: A Documentary Film": Songbirds, 35 Station St., will host a screening of a film that tells the story of the world's largest collection of vintage guitars at 7 p.m. Sunday. The Emmy-winning film features music by and interviews with performers, including Joe Bonamassa, Doyle Dykes, John Schneider, Eric Johnson, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill and John 5. Tickets are $20. songbirdsfoundation.org
- "Smokey and the Bandit": Three area theaters are signed on for 45th anniversary screenings of 1977's second-highest-grossing film worldwide (after "Star Wars"). Catch the chase film, which stars Burt Reynolds, Jerry Reed, Sally Field and a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, in various showtimes Sunday and June 1-2 at AMC Chattanooga 18, 5080 South Terrace, Chattanooga; UEC Theatres 14, 137 Pleasant Grove Road, McDonald, Tenn.; and Hollywood 10 Cinema, 3519 S. Broad St., Scottsboro, Ala. Screening dates and ticket prices vary by theater. fathomevents.com
OUT & ABOUT
- The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St., will host an Improv Chattanooga showcase at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $7. The featured comic over the weekend is Aaron Weber, a regular at the Grand Ole Opry. His shows start at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $17-$19. thecomedycatch.com
- Late Skate, an outing presented by the city of Chattanooga and Moonlight Roller, is 7-11 p.m. Friday at Chattown Skatepark, 1801 Reggie White Blvd. Music and costume contests will follow a "Y2K" theme. An introduction to skating session for newbies starts at 6 p.m. Bring your own wheels or rent a pair for $10. Admission is free. A mobile bar and food vendors will be available. Eventbrite.com
- Veterans appreciation: Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 203, is holding an appreciation day for Vietnam veterans and their spouses 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the parking lot of the Hixson Walmart, 5764 Highway 153. The Tennessee Memorial Wall and Memory Plaque will be on display. Early WFLI radio DJs will play the music of the era, and local singer/songwriter James Rogers and Freedom Sings USA performers will provide additional entertainment. Information: 423-991-5858
- 1890s Day Jamboree, a street festival, is this weekend in downtown Ringgold, Ga. Friday hours are 6-10 p.m., featuring gospel music on multiple stages and The Ringgold Playhouse Comedy Club at 7:30 p.m. at the Ringgold Depot, 155 Depot St. Saturday hours are 9 a.m.-10 p.m., highlighted by a parade at 11 a.m., music starting at noon, vintage baseball games at 1 and 3 p.m. in Clark Park on Robin Road, a car cruise-in and a fireworks finale at 10 p.m. Arts, crafts and food vendors will be set up both days, along with activities for children. Admission is free. 1890sday.com
- Summer Music Weekends start this weekend at Rock City, 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain, Ga. The seasonal programming, which adds music and raptor shows to the entertainment roster, are scheduled Friday through Sunday plus holidays and the week of the Fourth of July, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. The extras are included in admission: $18-$28. seerockcity.com
- Nooga Splash, an inflatable aqua park newly purchased by professional event producer Chattanooga Presents, opens its new season Saturday at Chester Frost Park, 2389 N. Gold Point Circle. The attraction will be open daily (10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. all other days). Entry is $16-$38. noogasplash.com
- Family Day is 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at the Museum Center at Five Points, 200 E. Inman St., Cleveland, Tenn. The monthly event includes story time, a trunk presentation and children's activities. Admission is free for children; adults pay a child's admission ($3.50). museumcenter.org
- Chattanooga Beer Fest, a craft beer and spirits event presented by Tennessee Brew Works of Nashville and featuring 20 additional breweries, is noon-3 p.m. Saturday at First Horizon Pavilion, 1826 Carter St. The bands Troubadour Blue and Monday Night Social will entertain. Food trucks will have concessions for sale. The $48 ticket includes a tasting glass. Tickets must be purchased online. chattanoogabeerfest.com
- MainStreet Cruise-In, a monthly gathering of classic and special-interest cars, is 1-6 p.m. Saturday on the Bradley County Courthouse square, 155 N. Ocoee St. Admission is free. mainstreetcleveland.com
- Louder Together (Breaking the Silence), a fundraiser for Northwest Georgia's Family Crisis Center, starts at 2 p.m. Saturday in Burr Performing Arts Park, 101 S. Hamilton St., Dalton, Ga. Registration to play corn hole starts at 3 p.m. and games begin at 4 p.m. The Michael Jackson tribute band Who's Bad will perform at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25-$60. Eventbrite.com
- RK Gun Show, showcasing vendors with guns, hunting supplies, military surplus and outdoor gear, is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at Camp Jordan, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge. Admission is $6-$14. rkshows.com
- Soak Ya, the water park at Lake Winnepesaukah, 1730 Lakeview Drive in Rossville, opens for the season this weekend. Holiday weekend hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 1-7 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday. The "dry side" of the park opens one hour earlier and closes 30 minutes to one hour later than the water rides. Tickets granting entry to both parks are $40 for guests ages 3-59 ($30 for ages 1-2 and 60+). lakewinnie.com
- Chattanooga Market plans a Street Food Festival, with a wide variety of concessions from food trucks, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at First Horizon Pavilion, 1826 Carter St. The weekly market also includes local produce, arts and crafts. Admission is free. chattanoogamarket.com
- Rabbit Valley Farmers Market, 96 Depot St., Ringgold, Ga., will change dates this weekend, opening Monday (rather than Saturday) for Memorial Day. Music by Nick Crook at 4 p.m. and the Mandi Strachota Band at 6:30 p.m. The event will raise money for Ringgold's flag fund. rabbitvalleyfarmersmarket.com
- Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, 2 W. Aquarium Way, will open its newest exhibit, featuring the unveiling of a permanent installation honoring Medal of Honor recipient Alexander Bonnyman Jr., a Knoxville Marine who was killed in action in World War II, at a cocktail reception 5-7 p.m. Monday. Special guest will be the honoree's grandson, author Clay Bonnyman Evans. Tickets are $75 at the door. mohhc.org
ARTS
- WanderLinger Gallery, inside WanderLinger Brewing Co., 1208 King St., will host a show of works by Victoria Sauer, Julius Hubbard, Michael Woods, Emily Boyd and Lisa Houser 6-8 p.m. Saturday. Artist talks are scheduled at 7:15 p.m. Rik@WanderLinger.com
THEATER
- "Gruesome Playground Injuries": Obvious Dad theater company continues the run of this atypical love story by playwright Rajiv Joseph at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday (same days and times June 3-5). Tickets are $15. obviousdad.com
- "Hairspray," an all-new touring production of the Tony Award-winning musical based on John Waters' 1988 film, arrives next week in the Broadway series at Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave. Set in 1962 Baltimore, the plot follows "pleasantly plump" teenager Tracy Turnblad as she pursues stardom as a dancer on a local television show and rallies against racial segregation. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets are $38-$83. tivolichattanooga.com