The Head of the Hooch is staying in Chattanooga. The Friends of the Hooch board has dropped the idea of moving the regatta to Columbus, Georgia, after city leaders and riverfront planners responded to the organisers' concerns about the downtown redevelopment that will close Ross's Landing for 18 months.
"After thoughtful discussion, the Friends of the Hooch Board has decided to remain in Chattanooga," the board said, adding that it had "received assurances we needed from the city's leadership, along with meaningful commitments regarding the waterfront's development".
The 2026 regatta takes place as usual at Ross's Landing on 7–8 November. Construction begins once the boats are packed away. In 2027 the regatta will cross the Tennessee River to the North Shore, with a return to Ross's Landing planned for 2028. River City Co. expects the project to be substantially complete by late spring that year.
The North Shore problem
Organisers have warned that capacity may be reduced and have put the additional cost at around $145,000. They will need to build a new ramp down to the water, work out how many trailers the site can take and find ways to fit more boats on each trailer. Kerry Brown, Friends of the Hooch president, told WFLI that a private landowner had identified extra land that could help the site host a regatta of roughly the same size.
The regatta listed more than 2,200 boats in 2025. In June, the board said its analysis showed the North Shore alone could not accommodate the regatta. It also said the south-shore reconstruction plans needed changes to ensure the event could continue successfully.
A proposed sports court under the Olgiati Bridge remains in the redevelopment plans and would occupy part of a parking lot at Ross's Landing. Organisers have raised concerns about losing parking space to redevelopment and the impact on the regatta's footprint. Brown said planners had committed to no further development of the parking lots for three years. Water access and the event's footprint on the south shore after construction are still under discussion.
"We provided the opportunity for Chattanooga to present to us why we should stay and how they would address the outstanding considerations around design and development plans," Brown told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "And they showed up in full force."
Richard Hardin, owner of the Stone Cup Cafe, has offered some money towards the extra costs and is working to raise the rest. "The city as a whole won today!" he told Local3News.
Chattanooga Holds On
Columbus was named as the fallback in August and carried some historical pull. The Atlanta Rowing Club started the regatta on the Chattahoochee in 1982 with just over 200 boats. It moved to Lake Lanier in 1997 and then to Chattanooga in 2005, where it became the Head of the Hooch.
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly welcomed the decision. "Head of the Hooch belongs on the Tennessee River, and we are thrilled that the organizers have once again chosen Chattanooga," he said.
