Preparations underway for Moon River Music Festival

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Fences are up and inside at Coolidge Park Thursday people were getting the venue ready for the Moon River Music Festival.

And, while planning started over a year ago, preparations on site started Sunday.

“Tuesday really kind of kicked it into full gear and I would say by the end of day Tuesday we had a good 60 percent of the site kind of up and ready to go,” Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for AC Entertainment Jeff Cuellar said.

This is the first year the festival has been in Chattanooga.

Cuellar said that when they were looking for a spot in the Scenic City, they found Coolidge Park and fell in love.

“The quirks and just kind of the character of the North Shore side, it offered everything that we were kind of looking for the vibe and soul of Moon River,” Cuellar said.

The festival lineup of 22 acts includes The Avett Brothers and The Head and The Heart.

They will play on one of the two stages.

Between the music and location it may be no surprise that when tickets went on sale they sold out in 8 hours.

In total, 10,000 tickets were sold.

“I think that the fans, even as early on as when we put tickets on sell the first time knew we would be putting together something special and they were gobbled up. 44 percent are from outside the state of Tennessee, so you’ve got a lot of people coming in from out of town, out of state and it gives Tennessee and Chattanooga a chance to shine and showcase what’s special about being here,” Cuellar said.

River Street from Tremont Street to the SunTrust Bank will be closed from 3 Saturday morning to 11 Sunday night.

Despite the closure, people that live in the area should still be able to get to their apartments.

As for festival goers, Cuellar said be prepared for the heat and know what you can and can’t bring to the festival.

He is also encouraging folks to park downtown and walk over using the pedestrian bridge.

The festival is on Saturday and Sunday.

The gates open at noon on Saturday.