Earlier this year, the Chattanooga Tourism Co. teamed up with Conventions, Sports & Leisure International (CSL) to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the city’s music venues. The study was focused on evaluating the venues’ current state + identifying opportunities for growth.

Now, you can read through all the key findings online, but we’re going to focus on one point in particular — the recommendation to develop a new outdoor amphitheater.

Initial insights highlight the Scenic City as an attractive destination for cultural offerings, for residents + visitors alike. However, through the study, a significant gap in outdoor, music-specific venues was identified.

Although there are sports venues and public parks that can be re-purposed for music as needed, there are no concert-specific outdoor spaces in Chattanooga. Notably, the study found that AT&T Field on Hawk Hill is not a recommended venue for hosting live music events.

The study aims to guide efforts in enhancing existing venues, exploring growth opportunities, addressing gaps in offerings + recommending new developments to support Chattanooga's music scene. | Photo by J. Adams via Chattanooga Tourism Co.

In order to fill this market void and provide a versatile space for a variety of events, the study recommends developing a new outdoor amphitheater with a capacity of 6,000 (3,000 fixed seats + 3,000 in lawn capacity).

CSL estimated the proposed venue could host 85 total events (comprised of ticketed events, concerts, and non-ticketed community events) on an annual basis that could attract 154,000 visitors.

Would a new venue impact Chattanooga’s current venue attendance rates?

90% of survey respondents indicated their attendance at a new venue would not affect their attendance at Chattanooga’s current existing venues.
50% of respondents also said they would attend fewer events outside of Chattanooga if a new venue were available locally.

With the conclusion of the assessment, the Chattanooga Tourism Co. will use the findings to inform the advancement of the city’s local music scene. Follow the organization on Facebook + Instagram to keep up to date.