three tennessee festivals make the american bus top 100 events list

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge, River and Spires Festival in Clarksville and the Pigeon Forge Winterfest in Pigeon Forge were all honorees in the American Bus Association’s Top 100 Events of North America.

Each year the American Bus Association, a supplement to Destinations Magazine, creates a list of North America’s top 100 events. The list is released each fall to promote tourism to these sites for the following year.

“The Top 100 Events offer excellent entertainment value to tour groups and individual travelers,” said Peter Pantuso, ABA’s president and CEO.

Hundreds of events across the U.S. and Canada are nominated by state and provincial tourism offices as well as convention and visitors bureaus. Judges consider each event’s broad appeal, accessibility to motor coaches and skill in handling large groups among other criteria.
Tennessee has over 800 annual events and festivals, ranging from unique small town festivals such as Bell Buckles RC and Moonpie Festival and Jonesborough's International Storytelling Festival to Memphis in May, Chattanooga's Riverbend Festival, Knoxville's  Boomsday Festival and CMA Festival in Nashville.

For more information, contact Tara Leurs, asst. manager of communications at the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development at (615) 532-7822, or by e-mail at Tara.Leurs@state.tn.us.