"All Events FREE and Open to the Public"

     With entertainment for all ages, St. Charles annual Pride of the Fox RiverFest, Downtown and along the riverside, combines unique experiences with festival favorites.

     Unique among Chicagoland festivals, RiverFest presents the annual running of the 2,000-year-old sport of dragon boat racing, the 40-ton Fantasy Sand Sculpture, water ski shows, separate juried craft and fine art shows, carnival and programs a wide variety of events and entertainment on two free stages at six activity sites from Pottawatomie Park on the north to First Ave. on the south and Lincoln Park on the west.

     The Riverside Stage, at E. Main St. and First Avenue (across from City Hall, along the east bank of the Fox River), will present continuous music amid a fun, food and spirits atmosphere Friday evening and all day and evening Saturday and Sunday. (Click Riverside Stage button at left for complete schedule.)

     The Gazebo Stage in Lincoln Park, at W. Main St. and Fourth St., adds a variety of band performances to that site’s emphasis on family activities and RiverFest’s “Taste of the Festival” – 10 food booths open day and night. Lincoln Park also is home to free children’s activities -- KidsFun Tent, Children’s Theater (magic shows, puppets, storyteller, etc.), and Do-It-Yourself Picasso art activity. Not free, but still great fun, are the pony rides, petting zoo and inflatables also located in Lincoln Park.

     Visually appealing for its unusually large scale is the Fantasy Sand Sculpture that begins as a 40-ton pile of sand on the Municipal Building parking lot on Wednesday, and is transformed through the week into a spectacular work of art under the hands of a World Champion Sand Sculptor.

     Dragon Boat Racing, begun as a commemorative event 2,000 years ago in China, is a growing international competition, with the American Dragon Boat Association sanctioning the RiverFest races Saturday and Sunday on the east bank of the river along Pottawatomie Park. Teams of 20 people paddle the ornately decorated 40-foot-long, 1,900-pound boats down a 328-yard course in head-to-head races, with the time for two successive heats combined to determine the winners. (Click Dragon Boat button at left for information about entering a team.)

     Midday between races Saturday and Sunday, RiverFest hosts performances by a nationally competitive water ski team – graceful adagio passes, speeding barefooters and multi-man helicopter jumps, culminating in a four-tiered pyramid.

     The dragon boats and water ski shows are best viewed from Pottawatomie Park where there also will be CanineCapers entertaining shows every hour by highly trained dogs and their handlers, miniature golf, paddlewheel boat rides and Corvettes on display (Sunday).

     Along the Riverwalk is the juried Fine Art Show (painting, drawing, pottery, jewelry, photography and sculpture), and the juried Craft Show fills Pottawatomie Park with crafters tented among the meadows and trees Saturday and Sunday. The Business (commercial) Showcase also is located in the park.

     Old St. Charles is the location for the Riverside Carnival’s thrill rides and games and a special section of rides for little people.

     RiverFest free shuttle bus serves major sites and off-site parking at Thompson Junior High School (W. Main and 7th St.) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Official Hotel of Pride of the Fox RiverFest

     For Visitor Guide, contact the St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau at (630) 377-6161.

Special thank you to the St. Charles Park District for use of their beautiful parks, and to the City of St. Charles for their cooperation in the production of this event.