The 13th annual RiverFest is set for July 22-26, 2025, in Hudson. This family-friendly, community event celebrates the Lower St. Croix River while taking action to preserve its water quality and scenic beauty to benefit our lifestyles and our tourism businesses. RiverFest is excited that the Hudson Daybreak Rotary Club will again be a major partner for the event.
Hudson’s St. Croix RiverFest offers several activities during the five-day celebration. The event starts on Tuesday, July 22 with a day packed full activities, starting with the annual Riverfront Cleanup from 10 to 11:30am. The cleanup is the purpose behind RiverFest, emphasizing the importance of protecting the river. Participates will meet at Lakefront Park’s bandshell. There will be a free lunch available for the volunteers participating in the cleanup event.
The trash collected during the clean-up will be used to create a new “skin” for Scrappy the Splashing Bass. Scrappy, the RiverFest mascot, will make appearances throughout the summer at many lower St. Croix River celebrations that have environmental themes.
After lunch join Carpenter Nature Center staff to learn about some of the amazing animals that call the St. Croix River Valley. Area environmental agencies will have display booths with information and activities.
There is an Invasive Species Control on the St. Croix River Demonstration at 1 and 2 pm at the Lakefront Park, Beach House. The Minnesota DNR and Wisconsin DNR are teaming up to stop invasive fish species. See the Minnesota DNR’s Electrofishing Boat demo (water conditions permitting), meet the aquatics and fisheries biologists. Visit agency display booths and learn about controlling invasive species.
The Toonies ENVIRO-FUN Puppet Show is a popular event on Tuesday, evening at 6:30pm at the Hudson Bandshell. This entertaining show for families with younger children focuses on environmental awareness.
Also on Tuesday, families can enjoy an evening at the park with kid activities and at dusk there will be a Family Movie Night at the bandshell. This year’s movie will be Moana 2.
On Wednesday, July 23 the Hudson Daybreak Rotary will host a morning speaker on The State of the St. Croix Watershed following their regular meeting. Carpenter Nature Center will host a Family Fun Open House on Wednesday from 9am- noon at their Wisconsin Campus in Hudson. The Hudson Area Public Library will host an Outdoor Storytime at Weitkamp Park at 9:30am.
Come see the Stuart Stott's Music Program and enjoy and Library Ice Cream Social at the Hudson Area Public Library on Thursday, July 24th from 6 - 7pm.
The St. Croix Valley Community Band Concert at the Hudson Bandshell is on Thursday at 7pm is one of the highlights of RiverFest. Partner organizations will have booths with information and demonstrations before the concert starting at 6pm.
For those who are interested in getting out on the water, on Friday, July 25th, at 10am sharp, Willow River State Park will host Let’s Go Paddling, a scenic kayaking trip up to the beautiful Willow Falls.
RiverFest wraps up on Saturday, July 26th, with a Native American Cultural Celebration at the Hudson Bandshell from 1-4pm. Gather by the river to learn about the Humble Horse Ojibwe Ponies. There will be Native American food and crafts available. From 1-2:30pm Michael “Laughing Fox” Charette will share stories and flute music with a focus on children’s programming. The St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin will perform pow-wow dancing, singing, drums and storytelling from 2:30-4pm.
RiverFest is made possible by the support of event sponsor Nor-Lake and many other local sponsors. A complete list to RiverFest partners and sponsors is available at stcroixriverfest.org/sponsors.
Make plans to get out and celebrate the St. Croix River during RiverFest. View detail about these events and more at stcroixriverfest.org/events.
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