Yorkville River Fest

Friday, July 12 & Saturday, July 13
Riverfront Park (131 E Hydraulic Ave, Yorkville)

Join the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department and the Yorkville Area Chamber of Commerce for a weekend filled with food, live country music, family activities, and more!  Yorkville River Fest is a family-friendly festival providing fun all weekend long! For live updates on River Fest check out the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Facebook Page.

Friday, July 12 (5-10pm)

Families will enjoy Cardboard Canoe Races, various family activities and live entertainment by Back Country Roads (7-10pm).  

Cardboard Canoe Race

The 5th Annual Cardboard Canoe Race is back and ready to crown it's newest winner as they battle to stay afloat and race down the Marge Cline Whitewater Course!  Three races are scheduled including:

Build Off-Site ($10/Boat)

Launch Time:  6pm

Gather your supplies, create your boat at home, and get ready to race the rapids in your very own cardboard canoe!

Build On-Site ($15/Boat)

Launch Time:  6:30pm

Participants will build their boat onsite at the festival from 4:00-5:30pm using the limited supplied materials.  

Float-Off

The top three of the first two races will paddle it out to see who really can stay afloat!

Life vests, helmets, and paddles will be supplied and kids are welcome to participate with parental permission.  For more information and to register, click here!  

Black Dog Distillery Rum & Vodka Tasting (5:30-8:30pm)

Black Dog Distillery will be hosting a rum and vodka tasting on Friday, July 12 from 5:30-8:30pm at River Fest!  For $10/person, participants will enjoy three 1/4oz tastes as well as one craft cocktail!  Registration and payments are made in cash the day of the event at the beer tent.  All participants must be 21 years or older and able to provide a valid ID.

Family Activities

This festival is designed for the entire family to have fun with several activities for kids of every age to enjoy including:  

"Apple Shots" Giant Slingshot

Use a giant slingshot and attempt to aim your apple into the canoe on the river!

Dancing Like the Stars Demo

Performance on Family Area Stage 2

Lip Sync Performance by YACCson Five

Performance on Family Area Stage 2

Face Painting by SB Face Painting (5-8pm)

Touch-A-Truck (5-9pm)

Vehicles will be provided by Yorkville Police Department, Septran and Jen's Limo Service Plus

Free Kids' Games (5-9pm)

Includes:  Giant Lite Brite, Tic-Tac-Toe, Paper Boat Races, Giant Jenga, Recycling Activity & More!

Hosted by Green Connect

Balloon Animals and Wet & Dry Felting for Kids

Hosted by Grace Holistic Center for Education

*Please note times and activities are subject to change.*  

Saturday, July 13 (Noon-10pm)

Join us for a day filled with family activities, delicious food, Craft Beer Tasting and LIVE COUNTRY MUSIC!

Country Band Line-Up

Grab your boots and get ready to sing along to all of your favorite country hits as we have an amazing lineup of country music throughout the day including:

Memphis Honey (Noon-2:00pm)

Nashville Electric Company (3:00-6:00pm)

Whiskey Romance (7:00-10:00pm)

Heartland Beverage Craft Beer Tasting

Heartland Beverage is ready for you to try some of the best brews around on Saturday, July 13 from 1-5pm at the Yorkville River Fest!  For $15/person or $25/couple, participants will taste a variety of six local craft beers with a souvenir glass and walk away with a full 14oz glass of your favorite!  Registration and payments are made in cash the day of the event at the Beer Tent.  All participants must be 21 years or older and provide a valid ID.  

FEATURED BEERS
Tandem Ciders Smackintosh (Cider, 4.5 ABV)
Handcrafted from Northern Michigan apples, this mostly-Mcintosh blend packs a sip just sweet enough to keep that pucker off your mouth.  It's like biting into a real apple!

Sketchbook Brewing Snowy Owl (Red Ale; 5.6 ABV)

Featuring a combination of caramel malts with spicy notes from the rye, balanced with the citrus falvor of American Cascade and Amarillo hops.

Hubbard's Cave Fresh IIPA (Double IPA; 8.5 ABV)

Fresh IIPA is an American Imperial IPA style featuring a rotating hop bill.

Central State Garden Lemon Gose (Gose; 3.6 ABV)
Leipziger-Style Gose with lemon peel.  Garden Gose is our tribute to lightly tart and slightly salty beers of Leipzig, Germany updated a bit with the addition of lemon peel and a touch of cascade hops.

2nd Shift Hibiscus Wit (Witbier; 5.2 ABV)
A witbier with a bunch of hibiscus flowers to make it even better, tart and refreshing.

WellBeing Brewing Hellraiser Amber (Nonalcoholic Amber) 

This hop-forward amber has the perfect balance of floral aroma and spicy hops to delight the palette of craft beer enthusiasts everywhere.

Adult Bags Tournament

Grab a partner and compete in the bags tournament for your chance to win CASH PRIZES at River Fest!  Registration is $40 per team and includes two drink tickets to use during the festival.  Registration will be accepted the day of starting at 12:15pm with the tournament starting at 1pm.  Top three teams will receive cash prizes.

Family Activities

This festival is designed for the entire family to have fun with several activities for kids of every age to enjoy including:   

"Apple Shots" Giant Slingshot

Use a giant slingshot and attempt to aim your apple into the canoe on the river!

Local Group Performances

Family Area Stage 2

Face Painting by Freaky Fun Faces (2-7pm)

Art Projects (Noon-5pm)

Hosted by Fox River Academy of Music & Art

Touch-A-Truck(Noon-9pm)

Vehicles provided by Yorkville Police Department, Septran (Noon-6pm) and Jen's Limo Service Plus

Free Kids' Games (Noon-9pm)

Includes:  Giant Lite Brite, Tic-Tac-Toe, Paper Boat Races, Giant Jenga, Recycling Activities & More!

Hosted by Green Connect

Balloon Animals and Wet & Dry Felting for Kids

Hosted by Grace Holistic Center for Education

*Please note times and activities are subject to change.*

Don't Forget About The Food!

The smell of BBQ Ribs will fill the park all weekend long as the Knights of Columbus provide their award winning ribs!  If you're not a fan of ribs, additional local food vendors including Rosati's, Pepe's and Trinity Church will be serving their fan favorites.

RIB MEALS INCLUDE:
1/2 Slab of Ribs, Corn & Cole Slaw ($15/Meal)

Full Slab of Ribs, Corn & Cole Slaw ($20/Meal)

Additional Ear of Corn is available for purchase for $3 and bottles of water for $1.

Event Parking & Transportation

Parking is available throughout downtown Yorkville for the festival and indicated in the shaded blue areas on the map.  Please remember that parking is not allowed on Mill Street (both sides) or on the West side of Heustis Street.  

For your convenience, shuttles are available and provided by Kendall Area Transit on Friday, July 12 from 7:00-10:30pm and Saturday, July 13 from 5:00-11:00pm.  If downtown parking is unavailable, festival goers are encouraged to park at the Yorkville Intermediate School (103 E Schoolhouse Rd, Yorkville) and take the shuttle down to River Fest located at Riverfront Park (131 E Hydraulic Ave, Yorkville).  

SHUTTLE TIMES
Friday, July 12 (7-10:30pm)
Yorkville Intermediate School Pick Up (On the Hour):  7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm

Riverfront Park Pick Up (On the Half Hour):  7:30pm, 8:30pm, 9:30pm, 10:30pm

Saturday, July 13 (5-10:30pm)
Yorkville Intermediate School Pick Up (On the Hour):  5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm

Riverfront Park Pick Up (On the Half Hour):  5:30pm, 6:30pm, 7:30pm, 8:30pm, 9:30pm, 10:30pm

For more info and event updates, visit: https://www.yorkville.il.us/579/Yorkville-River-Fest