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Tennessee’s Riverbend Festival

Celebrating 30 years of making music in Chattanooga and ranked among the top 10% of festivals in the country, the 9-day Riverbend Festival is held along the 21st Century Waterfront in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn. Riverbend is a family-oriented music festival held along one mile of the scenic Tennessee River. The Festival features five stages of world class music, fabulous fireworks, a 5K & 10K Run and a fun-filled Children's Village.

Riverbend began in 1981 with the intention of revitalizing Chattanooga and bringing diverse elements of the community together, through the common language of music. Originally known as Five Nights in Chattanooga, Riverbend has grown to nine nights, with more than 100 performing artists each year. Festival attendance measures Riverbend's success, with capacity crowds in excess of 650, 000 people annually. Many individual evenings see over 100, 000 people in attendance.

RIVERBEND 2010 ARTISTS INCLUDE: Sheryl Crow, Alison Krauss, The Waybacks, George Clinton and P-Funk, Darius Rucker, Billy Currington, The Charlie Daniels Band, Drivin' n Cryin', Dan Baird, Uriah Heep, Third Day and many more!

Festival admission pins, which allow Riverbend entrance all 9 days, are available at area Kangaroo convenience stores from May 1- June 10 at a discounted advance price of $30. Pins will be available beginning June 11 at the festival gates for a general admission price of $40. One-day wristbands, which can only be purchased at the gates, are $24. Seniors 60+ and active military get ½ price on one-day wristbands. Children 10 and under are admitted FREE, children 11 or older require admission.

The brand new RIVERBEND REWARDS program will launch April 1. This program is absolutely free with an online pin purchase during the month of April only, however, patrons will enjoy a variety of year-long benefits with the Riverbend Rewards community partners. By purchasing through this program, you'll receive the discounted admission price of $28 – that's 30% off gate price. Mark your calendars for April to take advantage of the new elite program.

The CHILDREN'S VILLAGE offers educational and interactive exhibits for kids. Booths include: Adoptable puppies & kittens from the Humane Society, The Chattanooga Zoo educational exhibit, Face painting and "Kid Safe" information.

Riverbend and MLK Blvd merchants work together to host the BESSIE SMITH STRUT. This is a one-day, FREE blues festival on Monday, June 14 beginning at 4:30 pm. The Strut hails three stages featuring an encore of R&B and blues artists. Previous Bessie Smith Strut artists include: Walter Wolfman Washington, DuWayne Burnside, Jimbo Mathus, Dr. Vibe and R.A. Blues Band. The event is located on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in downtown Chattanooga and is a non-gated event open to the public.

Riverbend will host the tenth annual evening of FAITH AND FAMILY NIGHT on Tuesday, June 15. This special night has featured: Michael W. Smith, Carman, Rebecca St. James, Toby Mac, Audio Adrenaline, FFH, Steven Curtis Chapman and many more. 2010 ARTIST IS grammy-winning band, Third Day. Admission is with a Riverbend pin or a $5, one-night wristband.

RIVERBEND TOKENS, which are used for food & beverage purchases at the festival, are valued at 50 cents each. They may be purchased in advance for a 10% discount at Chattanooga area BI-LO Stores beginning May 1, or at the festival BI-LO token booths at face value.

The MARKET PLACE at Riverbend features art, craft items and cool merchandise from the creative community. The Riverbend Festival has more than 40 food concessionaires with culinary choices like smoked turkey legs, kettle corn, foot-long corn dogs, funnel cakes, crab cakes, barbeque and much more.





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