Yorkville River Fest

River Fest Logo 2023

Yorkville River Fest

Friday, July 14 & Saturday, July 15
Riverfront Park (131 E Hydraulic Ave, Yorkville)
Join the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department 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!  See below for a complete list of events.

Premier Sponsor - Mosquito Joe of Aurora-Yorkville

schedule of events - friday, july 14 

Live Music 6-10pm

Whiskey Romance Band

Cardboard Boat Race 6:30pm

Registration opens at 5pm
Best in Show Competition Judging 5:30pm

LIVE COUNTRY MUSIC 

Friday, July 14 (6-10pm)
Whiskey Romance
That's right, you read that correctly! Whiskey Romance will be performing ALL NIGHT from 6:00-10:00pm.  Don't miss out on this incredible 4-hour performance by local favorite, Whiskey Romance!

Whiskey Romance Band

CARDBOARD BOAT RACE

Friday, July 14 (6:30pm)

Gather the cardboard, make your design and pick a Captain for this splashtastic event!  Come on down to Yorkville River Fest at Riverfront Park (131 E Hydraulic Ave, Yorkville) and find out what is takes to stay afloat!  Prizes will be awarded to the fastest boat and the boat voted Best In Show!

Registration is accepted the day-of (Friday, July 14) starting at 5:00pm and is $10/boat to participate (cash only).  Race begins at 6:30pm with voting for Best In Show starting at 5:30!  Life vests, helmets and paddles will be supplied.  Families and kids (10+) are welcome and encouraged to participate!  For more information or questions, contact Stephanie Roskopf.

All boats must arrive to the park fully assembled and ready to race.  

Please note, the following materials are allowed and not allowed for the construction of your boat:

APPROVED CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
UNAPPROVED CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
Corrugated Cardboard
(available at appliance and grocery stores)		WoodStyrofoam
Cardboard Blocks
(available at furniture stores)		MetalFiberglass
Cardboard Tubes
(available at carpet/linoleum stores)		SheathingCoated Sona Tubes
Duct & Masking TapeSilicon, Wax & TarCaulking Compounds
Latex Paint MaterialsStaples, Clamps & Screws

schedule of events - saturday, july 15

Live Music (Noon-10pm)

Tim Gleason (Noon-2pm)
The Country Night (3-6pm)
Fletcher Rockwell (7-10pm)

Family Activities (Noon-5pm)

Life Size Super Mario Course (Noon-5pm)
Adventures in Never Never Land (Noon-5pm)
Character Meet & Greets (1-4pm)

Valley Chimney Sweep & Restoration Craft Beer Tasting (2-6pm)

LIVE COUNTRY MUSIC

Saturday, July 15 (Noon-10pm)
Join us for a day filled with family activities, delicious food and LIVE COUNTRY MUSIC! 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:

Tim Gleason (Noon-2pm)
The Country Night (3-6pm)
Fletcher Rockwell (7-10pm)

2023 Music Sponsors

2023 Media Sponsors

w_riverfest719-2510

FAMILY ACTIVITIES 

Saturday, July 15 (Noon-5pm)
The day will be filled with fun for the entire family as kids enjoy a life-size Super Mario Course, Character Meet & Greets including Tinkerbelle and Captain Hook, Adventures in Never Never Land, and so much more! All family events are free to participate!

2023 Family Activities Sponsors

LIFE-SIZE SUPER MARIO COURSE

Saturday, July 15 (Noon-5pm)

Player One, enter! Jump into your favorite video game in the immersive LIFE SIZE Super Mario Course. Compete for the highest score in a variety of interactive activity levels including Mario Kart Racetrack, Coin Grab, Mushroom Kingdom obstacle course, and more! Can you defeat King Bowser in the boss battle at the end of the course with enough coins to take the high score? 

Save those coins! Throughout the course, kids will earn coins as they go that can be used to redeem for prizes from the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department “Arcade Store”! Don’t like your score? No problem! You can turn all earned coins for an extra life and try again!

Don't forget to refresh and recharge with a delicious Power-Up Punch after your boss battle with King Bowser! Be one of the first 250 to snag a Power-Up Punch and receive a Super Mario souvenir straw (noon-5pm, while supplies last)!

**Please note that some of the activities for the Life Size Super Mario Course do require participants to wear helmets. Helmets will be provided for use during these activities by the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department, and sanitized in between use by participants. Families wishing to bring their own helmets for use during the course are welcome to do so.

VALLEY CHIMNEY SWEEP & RESTORATION CRAFT BEER TASTING

Saturday, July 15 (2-6pm)
Get ready to try some of the best brews around on Saturday, July 15 from 2-6pm!  For $20/person or $35/couple (includes wristband), participants will taste a variety of six local craft beers with a souvenir glass and walk away with a 14oz glass of your favorite!  Participants must be 21 years or older and able to provide a valid form of ID. For more details about each featured beer, click here.

*Registration is accepted the day-of with cash only. Featured beers are subject to change without notice.

Featured Craft Beer List:

  • 5 Cities Bikini Bottom (5.2% ABV, Wheat)
  • Cali Squeeze (5% ABV, Hefeweizen)
  • Brickstone APA (6025% ABV, Traditional American Pale Ale)
  • Revolution Sun Crusher (5.3% ABV, American Pale Wheat)
  • Noon Whistle Radical New Therapy (7.5% ABV, Double Hazy IPA)
  • Tangled Roots Sunkissed Blonde (5.2% ABV, Ale)

Beer and Beverage Tent will be cash-only throughout the weekend. ATMs will be on-site for your convenience. All patrons (21+) wishing to purchase alcohol will be required to provide a valid ID and purchase a wristband each day. Wristbands are $3/person or $5/couple. Alcohol will not be served or sold to patrons under 21 or patrons without a wristband. No outside alcohol may be brought in to this event. No wristband is needed for patrons purchasing non-alcoholic beverages.

River Fest is a cash-only event. There will be ATMs on site for the convenience of our patrons.

2023 Beer Tent Sponsor

2023 Summer Sponsor

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE FOOD!

All of your local favorites will be in attendance, ready to fill your stomach with delicious foods! Please note that River Fest is a cash-only event, and ATMs will be on site for your convenience.

2023 Participating Food Vendors

Vendor Food Selection
Pepe's Mexican Restaurant Tacos, tamales, quesadillas, nachos, elotes (Mexican-style corn), soda & water
Rosati's  
Knights of Columbus Chicago-style hotdogs & Maxwell Polish Sausage
Trinity Church Hamburgers, hotdogs & fries
Grandma Rosie's Ice Cream Ice Cream

POWER-UP PUNCH! SPECIAL LIMITED AVAILABILITY KIDS' DRINK

Saturday, July 15 (Noon-5pm)
Looking for a fun and refreshing treat for your little ones at River Fest? Look no further than Power-Up Punch, available from noon-5pm as supplies last on Saturday, July 15 during the family activities! This delicious drink is the perfect way for kids to cool off and recharge after they battle Bowser or search for Captain Hook's Treasure! Your child will feel like a true hero while sipping on their Power-Up Punch (non-alcoholic) with our limited edition Super Mario-themed souvenir straws! But hurry – there are only 250 straws available, so make sure to come by from noon-5pm to snag one before they're all gone!

2023 EVENT & PARKING MAPS

Parking downtown Yorkville is free and available at any of the lots marked on the map. Click on the images to view the maps for River Fest Family Activities and River Fest Event Parking.

2023 Family Activities Map

Family Activities Map (River Fest 2023)

2023 River Fest Parking Map

River Fest Map 2023

Click Image for Sponsorship Form

River Fest Sponsorship materials photo 2023

BECOME A SPONSOR

The Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department is excited to offer you a great marketing opportunity during River Fest. We would like to invite you to be a part of this long-standing Yorkville Festival and become a sponsor! For more information please download the sponsorship form. Please contact Katelyn Gregory by email at Kgregory@yorkville.il.us or by phone at 630-553-4357 with any questions.