Riverbend Festival

Friends of the Festival say they are still planning for a Riverbend, later in the year.

Here is where they stand now.

Today.

Expanding vaccine eligibility in tennessee is good news for friends of the festival.

The group puts on the riverbend festival every year.

Last year they had to cancel because of the pandemic, but as news 12's dorothy sherman tells us, this year they're planning to make it happen.

Friends of the festival is in the planning stages.

Friends of the festival executive director mickey mccamish: "we haven't contracted with any artists yet, but we have to start planning."

They've put in requests to the city of chattanooga to approve permits that would allow them to have on city-owned property riverfront nights starting june 5th and riverbend oct.

8th-10th.

Friends of the festival executive director mickey mccamish: "it will be a different festival in that it will be smaller in size looking at three stages versus four stages and in a smaller area."

Last year, riverbend was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Friends of the festival has since downsized and has changed their business model.

Friends of the festival executive director mickey mccamish: "we've gone from one business model where one riverbend festival funded the next year's riverbend festival to now doing on a contract basis funding the riverbend entirely and riverfront nights."

Last year, the county did permit friends of the festival to run a summer music series and drive-in movie at the riverfront park.

Friends of the festival executive director mickey mccamish: "i might also add that the covid-19 testing, none of those come back to any of those attending those concerts and the drive-in movie and we had several thousands of people attending those."

Mccamish says that it will likely be a new mayor that will sign off on the permits and is confident they'll get approved this year.

In chattanooga, dorothy sherman, news 12