Rivanna Riverfest celebrates Charlottesville’s river with community activities

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Rivanna Riverfest brought people to the banks of the Rivanna to celebrate their river.

“They love just being able to come and have a chance to be outside and see the river,” said Sophie Elliott, Operations Coordinator for Rivanna Conservation Alliance. “A lot of people actually don’t even know that the river is so accessible and it’s right here in the middle of Charlottesville.”

Riverfest brings people near and far to Charlottesville’s stretch of the Rivanna. One of the initiative’s goals is educating people about the river and its importance. This year, there were about 20 organizations with tables set up.

“Folks can walk around, check out all the tables with organizations who care about our environment as much as RCA does,” Elliott said.

Riverfest is held at the Rivanna River Company. The company’s co-owner Gabe Silver said the event is a dream come true.

“It really sort of sums up all of our inspiration for starting the company in the first place and running it, which is bringing the community to the riverfront and to the river,” Silver said.

Riverfest offers a wide variety of activities. From tubing down the river, nature walks, wildlife presentations and even live music and salsa lessons.

“I’ve had people come up to me and say, we look forward to this every year, which is really exciting,” Elliott said. “It’s fun to see kids come back year after year, get a little bit older and get to do the bigger kid activities is a lot of fun.”

The festivities are all made to celebrate the river and what it does for the people in the area.

“The event just tells that story about how many people care about the river, how cool it is, how we can take care of it, and how we can enjoy it,” Silver said.

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