Note: This story was updated on Oct. 15 to remove a reference to a ticketing level that has not been finalized.
After this year's return after a pandemic gap, featuring a new stage layout and limited capacity, the Riverbend Festival is ready to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2023 and to introduce a new pre-registration ticketing option.
The festival will run June 2-4 at Ross's Landing and will once again feature local, regional and national acts on its three stages.
Friends of the Festival, which organizes the show, will offer for the first time a pre-registration option so guests can reserve one of the 15,000 wristbands being offered for the three-day event. Pre-registration will open at 10 a.m. Monday at a discounted $115 for Tier 1, general admission pricing. Fans can also pre-register for VIP tickets.
(READ MORE: New Riverbend is 'crazy different' from past years, organizers say)
Payment is not due at the time of registration, and Robin Derryberry, Friends of the Festival marketing director, said the Tier 1 pricing is an "early bird incentive," and future tier prices for wristbands -- and exactly what the VIP offerings will entail -- will be announced later.
"Some of those details are still being worked out," she said by telephone.
Last year, Tier 1 tickets sold for $75 while wristbands purchased just prior to and during the event were $115.
The 2022 event featured three stages instead of five and capped the number of attendees at 15,000 unlimited wristband sales. It sold out after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
"(This) year's success proved that our audience appreciated up-close experiences with performers and the enjoyment of a venue that was designed with them in mind," Festival Executive Director Mickey McCamish said in a news release. "More seating areas, restrooms, water stations and a smaller crowd offered a great experience. Our VIP wristbands sold out within days of going on sale, and those experiences are still being talked about and appreciated by our guests. We plan to provide several hundred VIP wristbands for exclusive access into various sites at the festival. Due to their success, we anticipate they will once again sell out quickly."
(READ MORE: Retooled Riverbend was a hit with fans, avoided trouble)
The festival will also provide a limited number of VIP wristbands providing access to other amenities throughout the festival. Those experiences, which will be announced later, will go on sale Dec. 2.
"(This) year was a test to see how well the new festival would be received," Friends board chair Becky Browder said, in the release. "We were thrilled with the response and look forward to a very special anniversary for Chattanooga's original music festival."
– Compiled by Barry Courter