Pro high divers, wakesurfers and highliners take over the Tennessee River at Ross's Landing every August, with free electronic music each night. Here's when the River Games happens, what VIP costs and where to park.
For one weekend every August, the stretch of the Tennessee River in front of Ross's Landing turns into an arena. Pro divers launch off a 65-foot platform, wakesurfers carve behind boats, highliners walk a line strung over the water, and when the light fades the riverbank becomes a free outdoor dance floor. That's the Chattanooga River Games, which calls itself the largest action sports festival in the South, and the best part for spectators is that walking in costs nothing.
What the River Games Is
The River Games mixes three things: extreme sports competitions on and over the river, three nights of free electronic music, and a cleanup mission that the organizers treat as the point of the whole event. The festival bills itself as the first electronic music festival in Chattanooga, and the stated goal is to use extreme sports as a catalyst for environmental action.
It's run by founder and CEO Travis Sims, a professional cliff diver who started the production company Extreme Vertigo Events and The Cliff Cruise, a traveling cliff-jumping and waterway-cleanup project. The City of Chattanooga is a partner, alongside Chattanooga Parks & Outdoors, Outdoor Chattanooga and the Chattanooga Tourism Co. The event is still young: local TV coverage called the 2025 edition the third annual River Games, and organizers told that station attendance grew from roughly 5,000 to 7,000 people the first year to about 25,000 the second.
When It Happens
The River Games runs Friday through Sunday in mid-August. The 2025 festival was August 15 to 17, and 2026 was August 14 to 16. Organizers announce each year's dates themselves, and they open volunteer, vendor, media and nonprofit applications for the following year shortly after the festival ends. The dates box at the top of this page updates as soon as the next edition is on the calendar.
Where It Is
Everything centers on Ross's Landing, the riverfront park in downtown Chattanooga next to the Tennessee Aquarium. The water events happen on the river itself, so the riverbank, the plaza steps and the docks are where the crowd settles in. If you want to make a longer day of the riverfront, our Tennessee Riverwalk guide covers the paved path that runs right past the park.
What to Expect
The festival lists ten sports and more than 100 athletes. Recent lineups have included:
- High diving: USA Diving sanctioned dives from a 65-foot platform into the river, with finals on Sunday evening that crown men's and women's champions.
- Freestyle diving: freestyle high diving, døds and mini-tramp acrobatics off the riverfront.
- Wakesurf: ChattaWake, a sanctioned qualifier with daytime heats from morning to mid-afternoon.
- Highlining and slacklining: athletes walking and tricking on lines rigged over the riverfront.
- Skate Ramp Jam: skate, BMX and inline sessions on a ramp at the park, with open tryouts and a competition.
- Kayaking, freestyle trampoline and deep-water solo climbing, with Red Bull bringing a climbing competition to the river.
In 2026 the wakesurf ran most of each day, the high diving took the early-evening slot from about 6 to 8 p.m., and the free riverfront music, billed as Rave on the River, ran from 8 to 11 p.m. each night. Official afterparties are separate, ticketed events at other venues, and one recent Saturday afterparty was a 21-and-up cruise on the Southern Belle Riverboat.
Tickets and VIP
General admission is free. The festival sells optional VIP upgrades through Eventbrite. 2026 VIP pricing: regular VIP was $20 a day for prime viewing of the diving and the stage, and VIP+ was $100 a day or $250 for the weekend, adding shaded dock seating right alongside the athletes, misting fans, a tote bag and a VIP bar with shorter lines. Friday VIP sold out ahead of the weekend in 2026, so buy early if the upgrade matters to you.
Getting There and Parking
Expect downtown to be busy, especially in the evening when the diving and music overlap. CARTA, which runs much of the public parking downtown, operates Shuttle Park North at 215 Broad Street across from the Aquarium, a 600-space garage that's the obvious first choice. CARTA also runs a 333-space surface lot on Riverfront Parkway. The River Pier Landing Garage at 201 W Aquarium Way is closer still but fills quickly on big riverfront weekends. CARTA's North and South garages give you the first hour free, and street meters take payment through the ParkMobile app.
If you're staying downtown, walk. Biking in on the Riverwalk works too, and the festival asks people to bike or walk when they can.
Festival Rules Worth Knowing
- Swim only in designated areas, and don't jump from walls, docks or barriers.
- Competition and athlete areas are for registered participants only.
- Dogs are allowed on a leash, and owners clean up after them.
- You need a valid ID to buy alcohol.
- Keep kids supervised, especially near the river and the sports areas.
Tips for a Good Day
- Come for the evening. The high diving into the music is the peak of each day, so plan to arrive by late afternoon.
- Stake out shade early. Mid-August on an open riverbank is hot. Bring a refillable bottle, since the festival pushes refill stations over single-use plastic.
- Sunday is the big finish. The diving finals happen Sunday evening.
- Pack out what you bring. Cleanup is the festival's whole reason for being, and recent editions have included a Sunday morning cleanup on the river.
- Eat nearby. Food trucks and vendors set up on site, and our list of restaurants near the Tennessee Aquarium covers sit-down options a short walk away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Chattanooga River Games free?
Yes. General admission to the festival, the competitions and the nightly riverfront music is free. VIP viewing areas and the official afterparties cost extra.
When is the River Games?
It's held over a Friday-to-Sunday weekend in mid-August at Ross's Landing. Check the dates box at the top of this page for the next edition.
Can I swim in the river during the festival?
Only in areas the festival marks for swimming. Jumping from walls, docks and structures is not allowed.
How do I volunteer or become a vendor?
The River Games opens applications for volunteers, food vendors, craft and service vendors, media and nonprofits on its official site, usually right after the previous festival wraps up.
Looking for more to do on the water? Our guide to kayaking and paddleboarding in Chattanooga covers the best put-ins, and the events calendar is updated every week.
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