Hey Chatt!! Here is your July 24th to July 26th, 2026 weekend guide!

The Lookouts are turning Erlanger Park into Hogwarts on Saturday night. The Harry Potter Night ticket package includes a house hat, and Benjamin Van Winkle warms up the crowd with a spell-tacular pre-game set from 5 to 6 PM near the Rock City Bar. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw: pick your side and go.

Nightfall's 39th season keeps rolling with two acts pulling from very different traditions. Chattanooga's own Lon Eldridge opens with the Sheiks at 7 PM (ragtime, blues, jug band), and New Orleans brass group Sweet Magnolia headlines at 8 PM. Bring a chair. Food trucks and a maker market fill Miller Park.

The museum turns into a full island escape for one night. Karaoke, a mechanical shark ride, a relay race, and hands-on museum activities with an adult twist. Tiki bar with Orange Dreamsicle frozen daiquiris and Shark Bite cocktails, plus treats from Clumpies Ice Cream Co. Feel like a kid again, drink like an adult.

The American Idol Season 9 runner-up is at Songbirds with the kind of bluesy, road-tested Americana that plays great in a small room. Doors at 6, show at 7.

Santa in summer, plus post-game fireworks. If Saturday's Harry Potter game feels a little too magical for the family, Friday is your night at Erlanger Park.

Independent heavy fest Heavy Valley Chattanooga takes over The Boneyard for two nights in the Southside. Night 1 has Faerie Ring in support.

Nationally touring, officially licensed Bon Jovi tribute Slippery When Wet plays the Riverfront, with local indie-rock four-piece Dock Party opening. The tribute leans into Bon Jovi's Crush and Have a Nice Day eras, so expect the arena-sized hits. Food trucks include Backroad Cheesesteaks, Cha Thai, El Taco Boss, and Kona Ice. Doggie pools and yard games return. Outside food and drinks not allowed.

Thousands of glowing lanterns released onto the water at sunset. Your ticket includes a lantern kit, an LED candle, markers, and a wristband. Personalize your lantern with a message or memory and set it afloat with everyone else. Live music, food trucks, and lawn games fill the hours before the launch. Voted the #1 festival by USA Today Readers' Choice. Bring a friend, bring your family, bring someone you love.

CFC wraps its Summer of Soccer with maybe the best deal of the summer: ride to the match, get in for $7.25. Complimentary bike valet on Reggie White Boulevard between the stadium and First Horizon Pavilion. Bike Walk Chattanooga waives its $1 release fee citywide for the evening. First official meeting point is Velo Coffee. Bicycle donations go to White Oak Bicycle Co-Op, on-site at the match.

Dozens of makers, artists, food trucks, and live music along the plaza with the Tennessee River in the background. A great Saturday morning if you're already headed downtown.

Coppola's 1983 adaptation of the S.E. Hinton novel on the big screen at the Walker. Stay late for Raiders of the Lost Ark at 9:30 PM.

Night 2 of Heavy Valley Chattanooga with Blessed Black in support.

The Market's first-ever Singer-Songwriter Sunday, hosted by local singer-songwriter Maria Jordania. Open mic on the Sunday Funday Stage, sign-ups start on-site at 11 AM (first-come, first-served). Bring your own instruments; mic and speakers provided. Family-friendly. Plus the usual vendors, farm-fresh produce, and food trucks.

The 2006 German drama that won the Best Foreign Language Oscar. East Berlin, 1984, a Stasi surveillance officer, and one of the great films of that decade. Rated R.

Series finale at Erlanger Park with a family-friendly slate: post-game Kids Run the Bases, a canned food drive (bring a can, get BOGO concourse passes), and a backpack drive.

Christopher Nolan's mythic action epic is still running at the Aquarium's IMAX Theater, one of only 25 sites in the U.S. showing it on true IMAX 70mm film. The Aquarium reinstalled its IMAX GT 70mm projector specifically for this release, and screenings run in 2D at the full 1.43:1 aspect ratio, meaning you're seeing about 40 percent more of the image than at a regular widescreen theater. Rated R, 2 hours 52 minutes. Runs through August 13.

After the ballgame or before the lantern launch, Clumpies is running some genuinely fun local collabs on their summer menu. OMG Whiskey Corn Flake pairs sweet cream with whiskey caramel from Chattanooga Whiskey and buttery cornflake crunch. The Lavender Blueberry is a team-up with Lookout Lavender Farm. Their fresh peach uses every part of the fruit, skins and pits included. Both locations open late Friday and Saturday.