A full lineup of more than 100 events is slated to attract thousands of spectators and participants during RiverRocks, a 10-day festival celebrating Chattanooga outdoors. RiverRocks runs Oct. 5-14 in and around the Chattanooga area and has attracted tens of thousands since its founding in 2010.
The festival is designed to bring people together to celebrate the area’s natural beauty through sports, music and family fun -- and to help raise funds for eight local land conservancies in order to retain the natural beauty and outdoor recreational resources of the area.
RiverRocks celebrates Chattanooga’s outdoors, the city’s renaissance and its heritage. The festival offers something for everyone – young and old, from elite athletes to weekend warriors, casual observers, music aficionados and outdoor enthusiasts of all kind, officials said.
With the aid of dozens of outdoor groups and sponsors, the festival includes music, rappelling, bouldering, trail running, kayaking, rowing, cycling, open water endurance swimming, mountain and road biking, guided hikes, paddle boarding, hot air ballooning and more.
Athletes from almost every state and several countries will be participating. Events are taking place daily with guided hikes, trail runs and more. Rock/Creek’s Stump Jump with 900 participants and the Swim the Suck long distance swimming event scheduled on Oct. 6 are both at capacity.
Other events slated for this coming week include:
Oct. 5
Over The Edge – rappellers descend 280 feet of the SunTrust Building (9 a.m.)
Kudzu Ball and Festival (5 p.m.)
3 Sisters Music Festival (6 p.m.)
Plus hiking, demos and more
Oct. 6
Sequatchie Valley Century Bicycle Race (8 a.m. CST)
Hot Air Balloon Flight (7:30 a.m.)
Tennessee River Rescue (9 a.m.)
SUP Yoga (9 a.m.)
Take a Kid Mountain Biking (9:30 a.m.)
TN Aquarium Big Backyard Clean-up (12 p.m.)
RiverRocks Canoe and Kayak Race (10:30 a.m.)
3 Sisters Music Festival (12 p.m.)
SUP Splash Stand Up Paddle Board Race (3 p.m.)
Wine Over Water (6 p.m.)
Hot Air Balloon Glow (8 p.m.)
Plus hiking at Lula Lake and the Lookout Mountain Conservancy, guided canoe trip, historical walking tour, climbing and more
Oct. 7
Hot Air Balloon Flight (7:30 a.m.)
Civil War &Native American History (10 a.m.) and Lula Lake Historic Walk (1 p.m.)
SUP Clinic, Demo Day (10 a.m.) and Kid’s Paddle SUP (11 a.m.)
AEC Culture Fest (12 p.m.)
Stringers Ridge Time Trial Mountain Biking Race (12 p.m.)
CCT Equestrian Trail Ride (1 p.m.)
Plus kid’s trekking and Stand Up Paddle Board Racing (2 p.m.)
The week of Oct. 8 is filled with even more outdoor activities; river and terrain events will be taking place daily. Visit www.riverrockschattanooga for details. The festival will hold its finale celebration on Saturday, Oct. 13, with a full day of fun in Coolidge Park including Adventure Kids activities, The Big Picnic, a groundbreaking free concert and the spectacular sculpture burn.
The RiverRocks mission is to help save the abundant land and watersheds set aside through conservancies and land trusts for future generations. RiverRocks has contributed more than $70,000 to local conservation organizations in the last two years. Beneficiaries include the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, the Trust for Public Land, Lula Lake Land Trust, North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, Cumberland Trail, Lookout Mountain Conservancy, Friends of Moccasin Bend and the Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center.