With Airheads mascot Oscar the Balloon looking on in approval, leaders from around Northern Kentucky gathered at Ovation to kick off the America’s River Roots festival.
America’s River Roots is a four-day cultural festival taking place from Oct. 8 through 12th, centered around the Ohio Riverfronts of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The event is a nod to the popular Tall Stacks festivals held intermittently from 1988 to 2009 on the Ohio River. Like Tall Stacks, America’s River Roots heavily features riverboats as part of its marketing efforts.
While most of the festival will take place on the Cincinnati side of the Ohio River, Northern Kentucky will also participate by hosting several events at the city’s riverfront Ovation development and Newport on the Levee. The festival is free to attend, but attendees have the option to pay for upgraded experiences.
To commemorate the festival and the United States’ 250th anniversary, speakers included Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr., meetNKY CEO Julie Kirkpatrick, OneNKY Alliance Executive Director Karen Finan, Perfetti Van Melle North America CEO Sylvia Buxtom, Corporex President Brett Blackwell and BB Riverboats Captain Alan Bernstein, who highlighted the festival and its potential impact on the community.
In his remarks, Guidugli emphasized the importance of connection, collaboration, and teamwork among different organizers and communities in hosting the festival.
“We’re really proud of the work that we do together,” he said. “I want to thank everyone, every single person that was a part of making this event happen, as we enjoy the boats, the music, the food and this incredible, incredible view and the river. Let’s remember that our river roots run deep and they run together. The Ohio River gave rise to our shared history, and together, we are shaping its next chapter.”
Behind the speakers were the riverboats at the center of the festival, which had arrived on the shores of Cincinnati over the past few days.
Overall, the festival features nine boats from across the United States, including the Belle of Memphis from Memphis; NATCHEZ from New Orleans; the Belle of Louisville and Mary M. Miller from Louisville; the Celebration Belle from Moline, Illinois; the Three Rivers Queen from Pittsburgh; the Anson & Betsey Northrup from Minneapolis–St. Paul; and Cincinnati’s own Belle of Cincinnati and River Queen
Two of the boats—The Belle of Cincinnati and River Queen—are operated by Newport-based BB Riverboats. Bernstein, the longtime operator of BB Riverboats, said people traveling down the Ohio River via boat led to the settlement of Cincinnati.
“River Roots is about to start with boats going up and down the river,” he said. “I don’t need to remind all of you, but I will, that Cincinnati was settled by people who got onto a log–they cut down trees and tied some logs together–and they floated down this magnificent river and discovered Cincinnati and thought this was a great place to settle.”
Over the past month, the festival has experienced reported setbacks, including the cancellation of the headlining music acts, such as Maren Morris, Mt. Joy, Janelle Monae and Weezer, among others. Ticket buyers for the concerts have already been refunded. In the absence of the headliners, the festival has shifted its focus to smaller musical acts.
Moreover, LINK nky media partner WCPO reported that the festival removed late-night river cruises from its itinerary due to low ticket sales.
Despite some setbacks, organizers are continuing to push forward with the festival, which they say is to honor Greater Cincinnati’s riverboat heritage and commemorate the United States’ semiquincentennial.