Nightfall on Friday, July 3, will be an IndepenDANCE Day Street Party, taking place between Miller Plaza and the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. Martin Luther King Boulevard will close at 5 p.m. between Broad Street and Bessie Smith, with special entertainment on the front lawn of Bessie Smith, an antique car show in the street, with kids activities and additional food vendors tying the two venues together to celebrate the holiday weekend.
The schedule will begin at 5 p.m. on the Bessie Smith lawn with DJ music, followed by a dance performance by Eclectic Movement at 5:30 p.m., then music by Sound Advice at 6 p.m. and Gerald Massengale at 7 p.m. The Shriner Clowns and games such as ladder golf and corn hole will also be set up on the Bessie Smith lawn.
Musical entertainment will kick off as usual at 7 p.m. at Miller Plaza for Nightfall, starting with an opening set by local R&B band, Xsklusive, and followed by a headline performance by bluesman Tinsley Ellis at 8 p.m. (Ellis replaces the Hypnotic Brass Band, originally scheduled). Ellis’ 40-year relationship with the blues was highlighted in 2014 with an induction into the New York Blues Hall of Fame, and his 18th and most recent album Tough Love has been nominated for a “Blues Blast Music Award” in the Rock Blues category.
Other additional fun from 5-8 p.m. will include:
Creative Discovery Museum’s Discovery Mobile, which will engage kids aged K-5 with creative play and craft projects on site.
A public “community paint day” where the public is invited to join world-renowned mural artist Meg Saligman to create a monumental mural located on the AT&T building next to the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. Coordinated through Public Art Chattanooga, the community will be invited to help with a large-scale pain-by-numbers on the sheets of cloth which will later be permanently adhered to the wall of the AT&T building.
An Art Bike “Rodeo” in the street, where kids and adults can ride crazy and artful bikes from Art 120.
Car show including entries from the Chattanooga Antique Car Club as well as other area car clubs
Climbing wall
Water sprinkler in the street for the young at heart to cool off
Children’s activities will also include a fire truck for kids to climb on, balloon animals and face painting. Additional food venders and street performances will also be offered at the Independence DAY Street Party.
Food trucks and non-alcoholic drink concessions are also available on site. No outside food or beverages are allowed to be brought in to Nightfall.
For more information on this free community concert series, call 265-0771 or visit NightfallChattanooga.com for a complete, interactive website that includes music samples by each headliner, as well as other important information for first-time attendees.