After the success of Rock the Riverfront featuring the interactive seesaw art installation, Impulse, in Spring 2022, River City Company is announcing the return of the event for March 17-April 16. Held on the Chattanooga Green, over 33,000 people attended the inaugural festival which provided interactive play on the giant seesaws, live music and art experiences, along with food, artist and cultural vendors.
The event contributed over $1.5 million to the surrounding downtown businesses, along with generating an additional $100,000 in sales for local vendors.
“Rock the Riverfront is in direct response to the desires outlined by our community during the ONE Riverfront planning process," said Emily Mack, president and CEO of River City Company. "The return of the event this coming Spring will allow us to continue to test concepts outlined during the planning process and assist with creating permanent changes to the area."
For 2023, Rock the Riverfront will feature a new interactive art installation called Los Trompos. Trompos, meaning “Spinning Tops” in Spanish, draws its inspiration from a toy that has been popular with children around the world since the dawn of time. The eight larger-than-life, three-dimensional spinning tops are in a variety of colors and shapes. Functioning as both artwork and rotating platform, each sculpture acts as a gathering place for relaxation, social interaction and entertainment. By working together to create momentum, visitors can spin the tops on their bases. Los Trompos was created by Esrawe + Cadena, a Mexican design firm, is owned by DTE Energy Beacon Park Foundation and presented in collaboration with Creos.
A full schedule of events will be unveiled in early 2023, but participants can expect each weekend to be filled with music, entertainment and cultural education opportunities. Events like “Light Up Chatt” lantern parade by Playful Evolving Monsters and Follow Lady Bug, will return on April 1. There will be opportunities for the community to create their own lantern to be a part of the parade starting in January.
"Rock the Riverfront featuring Los Trompos is a celebration of our diverse cultures and communities found in Chattanooga," said Ms. Mack. "We will be highlighting our growing Latino community and all of the wonderful traditions, art and food they provide to our city. We are working with A Medida Communication to ensure we are connecting with a wide variety of organizations, local artists and musicians to feature at the event."
To learn more about the event, to apply to be a vendor or to connect for sponsorship information, please visit www.rivercitycompany.com/trompos.