CINCINNATI — America's River Roots has announced more of the musical acts who will take the stage during the festival to kick off America's 250th celebration, which happens in 2026.
Three new artists have been announced so far: Iconic rock band Weezer, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Maren Morris and indie-rock group Mt. Joy.
The lineup also features Kathy Wade, an award-winning jazz singer, officials announced in the spring.
The festival will be held from Oct. 8-12, 2025.
Similar to the blast-from-the-past festival Tall Stacks Music, Arts, and Heritage Festival, America's River Roots will have 12 steamboats take part in the festival to celebrate Cincinnati, which at one point was the steamboat capital of the world.
In November, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, Covington Mayor Joe Meyer and Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. joined festival organizers to introduce the riverboats that will be featured at the festival.
There will be nine riverboats featured along the banks of the Ohio River for the festival:
- Steamboat NATCHEZ from the port of New Orleans
- Belle of Louisville and the Mary M. Miller from the port of Louisville
- Celebration Belle from the port of Moline, Illinois
- Belle of Memphis from the port of Memphis
- Three Rivers Queen from the port of Pittsburgh
- Anson & Betsey Northrup from the port of Minneapolis/St. Paul
- Belle of Cincinnati and River Queen from the port of Cincinnati
Organizers said there will be roughly 200 experiences on the riverboats throughout the festival. Eight of the options include a brunch cruise, lunch cruise, dinner cruise, late night cruise, riverboat race cruise, parade cruise, sight-seeing cruise and a family sight-seeing cruise.
In September, organizers revealed more details, including three major themes of the festival: Cuisine, culture and music.
The cuisine section of the presentation highlights:
- Multicultural food and products
- Regional food truck and Restaurant Row
- Celebrity chef presentations
- Bourbon tasting sessions
- Craft beer tasting sessions
- Themed riverboat offerings
As for music, the presentation says the festival hopes to have:
- Nationally recognized and emerging artists on eight different stages along the Ohio River
- River Roots gospel revival
- Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame recognition
- Unplugged performances
The cultural events attendees can look forward to at the festival were listed as:
- Tall Stacks riverboat cruises
- River Cities Expo
- Sounds of the River education program
- Steamboat age and river industry exhibits
- Freedom Center speaker series
- Regional cultural tours intended to last beyond the festival, which include:
- Freedom Journey digital platform
- Riverwalk Heritage Tour
- Bourbon Trail
- UNESCO Earthworks
The presentation included a map of the riverfront, highlighting where many of the festival's attractions will be located.
The map breaks the whole festival down into eight different zones, each of which will have its own stage. The zones are spaced out along the Ohio River to stretch the festival from the Andrew J Brady Music Center to past the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge on the Cincinnati side.
In Northern Kentucky, the festival spans from a "yacht village" planned to the west of the Roebling Bridge near Covington to Newport on the Levee, where the bourbon-tasting events are slated to be held.
The aforementioned "yacht village" is also listed as a sponsorship opportunity; the presentation from organizers highlights "docking for yachts at Covington Landing during the four-day event with VIP river taxi service" as a possible funding source for the event. In addition, there will be opportunities for corporate or club reservations for riverboat cruises or tasting events.
Also highlighted on the map is a designated area for riverboats along Yeatman's Cove at the Serpentine Wall — and two river taxis that will ferry people back and forth between the Cincinnati side of the river and the Northern Kentucky side.
