Authored By Sean Phipps

Tickets to the inaugural Moon River Music Festival in Coolidge Park this weekend sold out in just a few minutes, but that doesn't mean you can't get involved in the fun. Several North Chattanooga restaurants and businesses are hosting parties during and after the festival. The Northshore Merchants Collective hosts the Moon River Northshore Bash on Saturday and Sunday. Beginning at 11 a.m. each day, visitors can take advantage of the closed River Street parking lot behind several businesses on Frazier Avenue. Nooga Paws will offer lawn games and music while Chattanooga Presents offers craft beer and cocktails. Participating restaurants include Sushi Nabe, Cashew and River Street Deli who will extend seating into the empty parking lot during the weekend. Other participants include Clumpies and Blue Skies. Brewhaus will host their own parking lot party throughout the weekend. Guests can enjoy music, a reduced menu and a bunch of delicious craft beers from local and national distributors. In addition, Old Dominick Vodka will feature a trailer with craft cocktails. The Brewhaus party is for adults 21 and up only. Moon Gate Entertainment and Stone Cup Café present a late-night, post-festival event on Saturday night. The AfterMoon Gathering is from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Stone Cup. It features a "slew of local visual, musical, and performance artists" all under the same roof for a night. Performers include The Chattanooga All-Stars, The Nim Nims, Mountain Cove Bluegrass, The Joel Beaver Band and Ashley and the X's. DJs from Nashville will perform and multiple visual artists will be represented. Special beers from Hutton & Smith and Oddstory Brewing were created specifically for this event. Admission is $15. More information is here.  