Downtown Events

Downtown Chattanooga hosts numerous national, regional and locally renowned festivals, concerts, entertainers and events every year. For example:

The Riverbend Festival is one of the largest annual music events in the southeast. Attracting approximately 650,000 people to downtown Chattanooga over nine days in June, the Riverbend Festival brings world class entertainment to the city every year.

Downtown Chattanooga has hosted the NCAA FCS (Formally NCAA Division I-AA) National Championship game since 1997 at Finley Stadium. The game is almost always very well attended and draws fans and alumni nationwide.

The Head of the Hooch Regatta moved from Atlanta to Chattanooga when the race became too big for Atlanta to handle. With 1,357 boats entered in 2008, the Head of the Hooch is now the second largest regatta in the country and one of the best venues for both rowers and spectators.

These three annual events are just an example of the year-round activity in downtown Chattanooga. In addition to these events, the Chattanooga Downtown Partnership enhances the quality and viability of the downtown area by producing, coordinating and/or encouraging events and activities designed to animate and enliven the public spaces, and by providing the promotion and marketing necessary to attract people downtown.

These events bring a steady stream of customers directly to the doorstep of retail establishments.