LITTLE ROCK, AR (News release) – Riverfest 2015, presented by Verizon/Nokia for the seventh consecutive year, will be held May 22-24 along the Arkansas River in downtown Little Rock. The state’s largest festival will feature top headline musical acts and many exciting extras at no additional cost.
Previously announced headline acts include Sheryl Crow, 311, Jake Owen, Girl Talk, Halestorm, Big K.R.I.T, Sam Hunt, Galactic featuring Macy Gray, Kip Moore, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, The Pretty Reckless, Robert Earl Keen, Sister Hazel, Starset, Ben Rector and Kris Allen. The Stickyz Music Stage acts will feature headline acts Gaelic Storm, Mansions on the Moon, George Porter Jr. & His Runnin’ Pardners, along with other local and regional musical acts. A complete lineup of musical acts (including times and locations) is available at http://www.riverfestarkansas.com/.
“For the 38th year, Riverfest 2015 has filled a three-day weekend with outstanding musical acts, fun activities for the whole family, and lots of popular festival food options – all while giving back to the community,” said DeAnna Korte, Riverfest executive director. “Nearly 235,000 people attended the state’s largest family festival last year, and we look forward to another great crowd celebrating this incredible, family-affordable entertainment value that sponsors and festival-goers alike appreciate.”
Visit http://www.riverfestarkansas.com/ now to get half-off three-day passes for just $20. Unlike previous years, ADVANCE DISCOUNTED TICKETS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE. After Friday, May 15, the three-day pass price will increase to $25 and be available through Thursday, May 21. Three-day passes sold at the gate will be $40 for individuals age seven and up. Children six and under will be admitted for free with an adult all weekend long.
Shuttle service to Riverfest from both Little Rock and North Little Rock locations will be available again this year. A $4 round-trip shuttle ride (or $3 with a non-perishable food item) will take festivalgoers to Riverfest from the east side of War Memorial Stadium at the corner of West Markham and Fair Park and the Lakewood Middle School parking lot on 2300 Lakeview Road. The Riverfest shuttles drop riders within feet of the main gates and run continuously throughout the festival and for at least an hour after the festival closes. This is the safest and most convenient way to travel to the festival.
Riverfest festivities will kick-off early on Thursday,May 21 with “Flowing on the River” presented by the TRG Foundation. The wine and craft beer tasting will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the River Market pavilions in downtown Little Rock. Natural State Distributing has selected an array of boutique wines, and Arkansas Craft Distributors will provide an offering of craft beers. Representatives will be available from the vineyards and breweries to discuss and educate attendees on their products. Local Little Rock and North Little Rock restaurants will provide accompanying hors d’oeuvres. This event is open to the public, and $25 tickets are available online at http://www.riverfestarkansas.com/. Proceeds from Flowing on the River will benefit Argenta Community Theaters “ACTing Up” summer camp.
During the three-day event, Riverfest will again partner with Walmart to collect non-perishable food items as part of the Food Drive at Riverfest. All food collected will benefit the Arkansas Foodbank and be distributed throughout the state of Arkansas. Festivalgoers are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to a festival gateway and receive a coupon for a Coca-Cola product on-site and/or also bring food items to either shuttle stop and receive $1 off their shuttle ride.
For the seventh consecutive year, the Riverfest Recycles program will encourage festivalgoers to keep recyclable plastic bottles and aluminum cans out of landfills by collecting them from the festival grounds. Attendees are encouraged to fill their collection bags with recyclable items for a chance to win a prize. This year a mobile can crusher called “The Can Van” will be traveling through the festival collecting cans on the ground and in recycling barrels.
The KidZone Playtime Promenade presented by Deltic Timber is located along the banks of the Arkansas River near the Peabody Playground and Water Park in the central area of Julius Brecking Riverfront Park. Kids will have a great time strolling along the Riverwalk Promenade, which will feature lots of free hands-on activities, exciting games, creative crafts and more. Activities and entertainment in KidZone Area will include International Village, the Super Retriever Crown Championship Series, the Arkansas Arts Center Artmobile, an 80’ obstacle course and other interactive activities.
The Yarnell’s Ice Cream KidZone Stage, also located in the KidZone area boasts a variety of family-friendly acts – including The Kazoobie Kazoo Show with Rick Hubbard, Break Shop Bump’n, a Little Rock Zoo Creature Feature, and Kenya Safari Acrobats – as well as FreezeFest, several outrageous ice cream eating competitions help throughout the festival where contestants are selected on a first-come, first-served basis for a chance to win a year’s supply of delicious Yarnell’s Ice Cream.
Saturday, May 23 will feature several special events starting at 8:00 a.m. with the Rock-N-Stroll 5K Fun Run and Walk, in which participants are encouraged to dress up as their favorite rock’n roll star or cartoon character; immediately following the run is the always-popular Ruff on the River Pooch Parade and Weenie Dog Derby, which benefits C.A.R.E., the Little Rock Animal Village and All About Labs rescue organizations; then at 1:00 p.m. you won’t want to miss the Oaklawn Gaming BAGGO National Championship. More information about these fun events and registration is located on the riverfest website.
While on-site, stop by the Verizon Karaoke Stage to show off your musical talents and meet legendary Arkansas football players. The Arkansas Razorbacks are headed to Riverfest as well handing out promotional items at their booth and Tusk will make an appearance on Saturday between 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Also, watch as festival-goers go “Over the Edge” by rappelling off the 14-story First Security Bank Building. Visit our website for all the other special attractions on-site this year. Then, to close the festival with a bang, the First Security Bank Fireworks – Arkansas’ biggest and best display – will launch at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 24.
Riverfest, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has contributed more than $1 million dollars back to the community from proceeds of the event, including the latest pledge of $150,000 towards a new roof on the First Security Amphitheater/Riverfest Stage. Riverfest is proud to support many other non-profits in the community monetarily, as well as through volunteer support and on-site exposure for their organizations. Riverfest is planned and executed with the assistance and support of more than 3,000 volunteers each year.
For more information on the festival, entertainment acts and activities, visit