Full details of the rescheduled Smoky Hill River Festival were unveiled at a media event Tuesday morning.
The 45th Smoky Hill River Festival will be Labor Day Weekend, Thursday to Sunday, September 2-5 .
The festival of the arts will feature 4 stages,158 artists,151 performances, and 35 food vendors.
The headliner acts set to debut on the Eric Stein Stage at the 45th-anniversary River Festival are:
*Friday night: Cowboy Mouth, a rowdy alternative-rock band from New Orleans that last mesmerized audiences at the 2001 River Festival. Cowboy Mouth is back with their high-energy performance and unique blend of pop, big-easy blues, soul, punk, and redemptive rock ‘n’ roll. The band takes the stage on Friday, September 3 at 8:30 p.m. https://www.cowboymouth.com/
*Saturday night: Phantom Blues Band, an internationally renowned, two-time Grammy Award-winning group. This Los Angeles-based band explores everything from Texas blues to Memphis soul, with an injection of reggae for good measure. Phantom Blues Band will headline on Saturday, September 4 at 8:30 p.m. https://www.thephantombluesband.com/
*Sunday afternoon: Sunset Sinners, a collection of four of the region’s finest musicians, playing whisky-barrel rock and a fusion of Southern and ‘70’s rock with red dirt country. The Sinners have a high-energy show, performing originals along with Sinnerized classics. They will perform on Sunday, September 5 at 3:30 p.m. https://www.facebook.com/Sunsetsinnerssalina/
Among returning stage acts for 2021 is popular duo Joe Scott and Hannah Alkire, as Acoustic Eidolon. Among returning roving or Arty’s Stage acts are the rhythmic Drum Safari, Richard Renner, balloon artists Up, Up & Away, and Dennis Porter of Happy Faces Entertainment.
New this year will be the Riverside Stage, taking the place of the Bravo Stage. The tented, staged, area will offer a variety of entertainment, everything from a live mic to an audience game show.
The Thursday night Festival Jam will again be they first official opening event, and the Big Band Dance will be back on Friday night.
On the food front, along with traditional favorites, new items on the menu this year include:
- Crawfish Boil
- Soft Pretzels
- Frog Legs
- Meatball Sliders
- Coconut Shrimp
- Bacon-wrapped sausage on-a-stick
- Deep-Fried Lasagna Sandwich
For the kids, the Artyopolis area will be back, featuring the Game Street activities which are free this year.
At its core the Smoky Hill River Festival is a festival of the arts and will feature more than 130 artists from 19 states. Art, small and large, will be visible throughout the festival grounds.
The popular Medallion Quest will be held once again in the days leading up to the festival.
Visit riverfestival.com or Facebook.com/SHRiverFestival for more details.
