The Riverbend Festival , or called Riverbend by locals, is an annual music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was started in June of 1981 as a five night festival. Over the years, the festival grew into the nine nights that it currently runs for and presently ranks in the top 10% of all American festivals. [1] Additionally, Riverbend has won several national awards from the International Festivals and Events Association, including 8 in 2007. [2] The attendance for Riverbend has grown over the years and there are now regularly over 600,000 people that come over the course of the festival. Individual nights can see some 80,000 people in attendance. [1] Named for the bend in the Tennessee River on which Chattanooga was established, the festival features a wide array of performers representing different musical genres on various stages set up around the downtown area. More than a hundred acts converge each year to perform on multiple stages. Headline performers are featured on the Coca-cola stage, a barge which has been converted into a full concert stage. The barge floats just off the shore against a large collection of amphitheater seats built into a hillside at the water's edge. Major companies, such as Covista Communications, Unum, and Budweiser, sponsor other stages throughout the riverfront area. Admission is given to people with "Riverbend Pins", which can be purchased around town in the weeks leading up to the festival, or purchased at the gate for an escalated price. One pin provides admission to every night of the festival. Concessions are purchased using a token system and many street vendors set up food and souvenir stands.

RIVERBEND FESTIVAL TICKETS BTS Tickets Rush Tickets Journey Tickets Shakira Tickets Bryson Tiller Tickets Earth, Wind and Fire Tickets

Notable past performers

2009

• Willie Nelson
• Train
• Three Dog Night
• Bessie Smith Strut
• Steven Curtis Chapman
• Commodores
• The B-52's
• Montgomery Gentry
• Little Richard

2008

• ZZ Top
• The Black Crowes
• MercyMe
• Little Big Town
• Rodney Atkins
• Josh Turner
• Bachman-Cummings Band
• Anthony Hamilton
• Mark Farner (of Grand Funk Railroad)
• The Ohio Players
• America

2007

• The Alan Parsons Project
• Blake Shelton
• Craig Morgan
• Daughtry
• Earth, Wind & Fire
• Jars of Clay
• moe.
• Ricky Skaggs
• Steve Miller Band
• Vince Gill
• Col. Bruce Hampton & The Quark Alliance
• 2007 also debuted Riverbend's first ever classical recital featuring pianist Ning An.

2006

• The Allman Brothers Band
• Kenny Rogers
• Los Lonely Boys
• Angie Stone
• Hank Williams, Jr.
• Sugarland
• Trisha Yearwood
• Audio Adrenaline
• The Derek Trucks Band
• Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay (of The Grateful Dead)
• The Dempseys

2005

• Kid Rock
• Boyz II Men
• Michael McDonald
• Newsboys
• Cheap Trick
• Big and Rich
• Pat Benatar
• Apologetix

2004

• LL Cool J
• Keith Urban
• Michelle Branch
• Michael W. Smith
• Styx
• Hayseed Dixie
• Randy Newman

2003

• Joe Cocker
• Martina McBride
• The Temptations
• Rebecca St. James
• Everclear

2002

• Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Blues Traveler
• Lonestar
• Nickel Creek
• Art Garfunkel

2001

• Al Jarreau
• Rascal Flatts
• Collective Soul
• Carman
• Travis Tritt
• Jo Dee Messina

Official site

Other sites

References

1. [1]
2. [1]
3. [1]