Honor Wilkes-Barre's waterways at Riverfest 2024

Jun. 21—WILKES-BARRE — Riverfest celebrates 30 years in Wilkes-Barre starting Friday, June 21 at 5:00 p.m. and carrying through Sunday, June 23, with family-friendly events and fun at Nesbitt Park — with an environmental twist!

The annual celebration of fun, food, vendors, and activities on the river is brought to the community annually by The Wilkes-Barre Riverfront Parks Committee. The environmental education organization covers Nesbitt Park, the Natural Area of Kirby Park, and the River Common park in Wilkes-Barre.

"Every event we hold teaches about the environment, said John Maday of the Riverfront Parks Committee. "How do you get someone in your classroom? You make it fun."

Riverfest 2024 will see a documentary screening, live bands, food trucks, and three kayak/canoe trips on the water. Learn more about these trips with Susquehanna Kayak & Canoe Rentals.

To align with their environmental mission, tents will also be set up with educational activities and information for the community.

This all-volunteer production has been taking place since 1994 to bring a weekend of outdoor fun to Wilkes-Barre with a special focus on environmental education for both children and adults. Riverfest started back then with just a couple tables and one local musician on acoustic guitar...and it's been growing ever since.

Last year, they introduced the kids' environmental scavenger hunt with a checklist that leads through 20 animal models set up in the park. This year, Riverfest will hold kid's yoga that comes with a free yoga mat. Another popular activity for the kids is the YMCA's imagination playground that includes foam objects for kid's to use their imagination and engineering to build creative structures.

Riverfest is free and open to the public. Come out to celebrate along our cherished waterways and support protecting our environment...and have a little fun while you do it too.

UPDATE 6/21/24:

The critically acclaimed documentary, "Anges," that chronicles the Agnes Flood of 1972 and its impact on the Wyoming Valley, was planned to be scheduled outside at the Millennium Circle at the River Common but will now be scheduled.

"We were looking forward to showing this film, as a part of Riverfest, right alongside of the Susquehanna, on the anniversary weekend of Agnes," said John Maday, executive director of the Riverfront Parks Committee. "But the forecast calls for the possibility of severe thunderstorms right around the time we planned to show the documentary, and thus because of both safety concerns and practical reasons, we have decided to postpone. We'd planned to rent a large 40-ft video screen and special projection equipment for this showing, and it would not even be possible to set up such equipment in severe weather. The hot weather is not the issue. This decision was made because of possible thunderstorms."

Maday said the Riverfront Parks Committee will reschedule the screening of "Agnes" in August or September. A new date will be announced soon. All other Riverfest activities scheduled for Saturday and Sunday will go on as planned.