Looking for something to do with the family Friday nights this summer?
Nightfall, one of Chattanooga's oldest and most-loved music series, is returning this Friday, June 5, with a combination of online concerts and live performances.
For the past 32 years, Nightfall has taken place downtown each Friday from May to September. The coronavirus pandemic put a halt to that streak this year, but the organizers will be streaming virtual shows through the Nightfall Facebook page and on Youtube for the Fridays of June 5, 12, 19 and 26. They will likely continue into July, too. Organizers said live shows could begin in August.
The virtual shows, which will be webcast at 7 p.m., will include the traditional Nightfall format with a local opening act followed by a headliner, who will perform from wherever they are around the country.
Typically, the openers perform for about 50 minutes and the headliners for 90. These shows will be shortened to one hour, including a 20-minute opening set and a 40-minute headline show, with a little fun in between sets led by Nightfall's longtime stage manager John Rawlston.
The first virtual show, June 5 at 7 p.m., will feature an opening set by the Cookeville band The Smoky Nights, a Road to Nightfall finalist, and a headline performance by Cajun fiddler Waylon Thibodeaux and his band from the bayou.
Tune in during the live webcast each week to also participate in a Nightfall trivia question between sets for
a chance to win some Nightfall prizes such a commemorative t-shirt, sponsor swag, a case of Michelob Ultra and hand sanitizer from vodka distillery Lass & Lions.
Nightfall funding is provided by Kelly Subaru, Fletcher Bright Realty, Michelob Ultra, Warehouse Row, Southern Honda Powersports and Chattanooga Coca-Cola, with media support from EPB, WUTC 88.1 and the Chattanooga Times Free Press.