Despite Sunday’s cancelation, Moon River packs a punch

Inclement weather, flooding halt festival but don’t dampen stellar Saturday

 By Amanda Fox

This is not Drew Holcomb’s first rodeo – or second or third, even. In fact, the second weekend in September was his fourth time hosting Moon River Music Festival in downtown Chattanooga. Every year since 2018 (minus COVID-ruined 2020), Holcomb and friends have provided a much-desired oasis of community, music and safe fun for all ages. This year was no exception.

Nestled in Coolidge Park by the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga, Moon River brings together both well-known artists and up-and-comers. Most festivals require patrons to pick and choose which shows to attend, but Moon River alternates performances so that patrons can enjoy both stages without missing a set. The festival retains the same blueprint each year, with the larger Poplar Stage on one side of the Walnut Street Bridge and the smaller Iris Stage on the other. The locations of the merchandise tent, bars, food court, sports area, hydration station, portable restrooms and first-aid tent remain consistent year in and year out, making it easy for festivalgoers to navigate the venue.

Despite the strong structure of the festival, this year was different than in years past due to the unprecedented weather conditions. Heavy rain late on Friday night led to wet grounds on Saturday, and although the rain held off all that day, festivalgoers were forced to deal with ample mud. Some people went shoeless standing in a mud pit while enjoying Greensky Bluegrass, while others apparently received the notice the production team put out Saturday morning about wearing rain boots and came prepared. For everyone else stuck in the middle, the crew layered plywood over the worst sections to decrease exposure to the muck.

As Sunday morning approached, however, so, too, did the storms. Patrons arrived wearing rain boots and waterproof jackets, ready to hear their favorite artists including Leon Bridges, Charley Crockett, Band of Horses, JP Saxe, Local Natives, Hiss Golden Messenger, Keb’ Mo’, Wilderado, Sammy Rae & The Friends, Abraham Alexander and Maggie Rose. Unfortunately, at 2:25 p.m., festivalgoers received a text requesting that everyone evacuate the site.

“Moon River Festival: ATTENTION: Coolidge Park is being evacuated due to severe weather approaching. Please exit the park via the closest emergency exit and seek shelter. We are monitoring the forecast and we will keep you updated here.”

While some attendees headed home, some went back to their cars to hang out and tailgate or to surrounding restaurants and businesses to hunker down until they received the next update. Not even an hour later, at 3:15, staff sent out the next text informing everyone that they were closely monitoring the weather, and they would continue to remain in contact about the future of the 2022 festival. As the faithful few remained downtown, the sun continued to set on Coolidge Park. Finally, at 6:35 that evening, another notification was released cancelling the festival.

“Moon River Festival: Due to flooding in Coolidge Park and additional severe weather conditions forecasted for this evening, organizers have made the difficult decisions to cancel the remainder of Moon River Festival today. We are disappointed to share this news, however the safety of our fans, artists and staff is our top priority. We have spoken with City of Chattanooga officials who fully support this decision.”

Moon River organizers pride themselves on creating a safe, happy environment for their guests, which is why they offered a full refund on Sunday passes and a 50 percent refund for weekend ticketholders. Although disappointed, festivalgoers remained grateful for feeling prioritized. Many people threw in the towel and called it a night, but for those who stuck around, something great was in store.

At 7:45, an hour after the last notification, the last text of the evening was released, inviting ticketholders to join Holcomb and a few of the bands on Sunday’s bill at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium. Entry into the auditorium, which was free to all ticketholders, was on a first come, first served basis.

Participating artists included Holcomb and wife Ellie, Alexander, Saxe, Local Natives and Rae and her band, but the performances weren’t complete until surprise guests Crockett and Bridges joined the stage. Almost 3,000 people attended the event, which closed with Bridges, Crockett, Alexander and the Holcombs singing an a cappella rendition of the festival’s namesake song.

At the end of the day there are circumstances outside of our control, but we did our best to create a memorable evening out of a disappointing situation. The venue and the staff pulled everything together quickly to make lemonade out of lemons and create a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the fans.” – Drew Holcomb

Despite dealing with a muddy site and the fact that the festival didn’t go as originally planned, Moon River organizers were able to maintain their values of providing fun and safety and were even able to offer a shock experience for a few thousand lucky individuals. Make sure to check out www.moonriverfestival.com to learn more about the festival and to stay up to date about next year’s event. No matter the scenario, you can trust they’ll make it worth your while.

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