Watertown Riverfest
to
Riverside Park, Watertown 812 Labaree St., Watertown, Wisconsin 53098
If you can name the river that runs through Watertown, you get free admission to the town’s Riverfest! Kidding, the fest is free even if you think the river is the Seine. (It’s actually the Rock River, which makes thematic sense for this music-filled celebration.) Thursday night is pop night with the “Pop 2000 Tour” featuring O-Town, Ryan Cabrera, David Cook, LFO and host Chris Kirkpatrick (8 p.m.); Friday night is country night with headliners Bootjack Road (7 p.m.); Saturday is rock 'n roll, headlined by Tommy DeCarlo (8:45 p.m.); and Sunday afternoon is capped by a performance by R&B/soul pioneers The Drifters (3:30 p.m.). Fireworks follow the music Friday and Saturday, and Riverside Park will also have food, carnival rides, games, a craft fair and a lot of chainsaw art. Full schedule below and updates at watertownriverfest.com.
Schedule:
Thursday, Aug. 10: 4-10pm A Taste of Watertown; 4-8pm Face Painting/Body Art; 4-8pm Chainsaw Art; 4-9pm Bernie Tennis/Caricature Artist; 4-10pm RVR Rides (wristband 5-9pm); 4-5PM Mariachi Voces de America; 5-7:30pm BIG SPOON; 8-10PM POP 2000 TOUR with O-Town, Ryan Cabrera, David Cook, LFO, host Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC.
Friday, Aug. 11: Noon-10pm RVR Rides (wristband noon-5pm); Noon-8pm Face Painting/Body Art; Noon-9pm Bernie Tennis/Caricature Artist; 4-8pm Chainsaw Art; 4-10pm A Taste of Watertown; 4-5pm Mariachi Voces de America; 5:15-6:30pm DAN LEPIEN; 7-10pm BOOTJACK ROAD BAND; 10pm Pyromusical Fireworks & Laser Light Show
Saturday, Aug. 12: 8am Kids Fun Run; 8:30am 5K Run; 9am-5pm Craft Fair; 9am-8pm Bernie Tennis/Caricature Artist; 10am Bean Bag Tournament; 11am-8pm Chainsaw Art; 11am-10pm A Taste of Watertown; Noon-8pm Face Painting/Body Art; 12n-10pm RVR Rides (wristband noon-5pm); 1-3pm Horsehoe Tournament; 1-3:30PM DJ SHAWNA plus 1:30 pm Milwaukee Bucks Rim Rockers Performance, 2 pm Milwaukee Bucks Bango Mingle and Dance Party, and 2:30 pm Milwaukee Bucks Rim Rockers Performance; 3:45-6PM PAT McCURDY; 6:30-8:15pm 33RPM; 8:45-10:15PM TOMMY DECARLO + members of the Dennis DeYoung Band; 10:15pm Pyromusical Fireworks & Laser Light Show
Sunday, Aug. 13: 9am Tennis Tournament; 9am-3pm Car Show; 9am-5pm Craft Fair; 11am-1:30pm Chainsaw Art; 11am-5pm A Taste of Watertown; Noon-5pm Face Painting/Body Art; Noon-6pm RVR Rides (wristband noon-5pm); NOON-3PM BIG AL & THE HI-FI's; 3pm Chainsaw Art Auction; 3:30-5PM THE DRIFTERS; 5pm Raffle Drawing; 5:30pm Festival Closes
media release: The Pop 2000 Tour, The Drifters, and Tommy DeCarlo, singer of Boston, are among the featured entertainers to perform at the 2023 Watertown Riverfest Celebration. The four-day band lineup includes a variety of music aimed at attracting a diverse crowd to the festival.
POP 2000 Tour will headline opening night, hosted by Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC, with O-Town, Ryan Cabrera, David Cook and LFO. Featuring performances of the decade's biggest songs “Bye Bye Bye,” “It’s Gonna Be Me,” “All or Nothing,” “On the Way Down,” "Summer Girls,” “Come Back to Me” and more, the Pop 2000 Tour reads like a who's who of chart-topping hit makers.
“When I heard booking this band was a possibility, I knew we had to make it happen,” stated Riverfest Marketing Director Robin Kaufmann. “What a way to kick-off the festival!”
The festival opens on Thursday with Mariachi Voces de America, a Mariachi Band Happy Hour, that includes drink specials. Big Spoon takes the stage at 5 p.m. with a high-energy performance covering several decades of your favorite rock hits, followed by the Pop 2000 tour at 8 p.m.
Friday’s evening entertainment starts with Mariachi Voces de America Happy Hour, followed by Wisconsin-native and Nashville recording artist Dan Lepien. Bootjack Road will headline the evening, playing country, rock and some surprise jams from today’s top artists. The evening concludes with the festival’s first ever PyroMusical Fireworks Show, a fireworks and laser light display that is choreographed to music.
DJ Shawna has made her presence felt on a national and international scale as DJ for major opening acts such as Lizzo, Ani DeFranco and Jonas Blue and is best known for being the Milwaukee Bucks Official DJ. Shawna will be bringing the hype to the Main Stage on Saturday afternoon along with the Milwaukee Bucks Rim Rockers. This team of daredevils perform all around the world with their innovative style and highflying trampoline dunking along with their beloved mascot, Bango.
“It’s a high-energy, family-focused Saturday afternoon,” stated Kaufmann. “If you have never seen the acrobatics of the Rim Rockers, prepare to be amazed!”
Saturday’s lineup continues with crowd-favorite Pat McCurdy, bringing his improvisational comedy, music and audience interaction to the park starting at 3:45 p.m. 33RPM hits the stage at 6:30 p.m., recreating the best classic rock ever recorded, from Aerosmith, Journey, Rush, Led Zeppelin and more.
The evening is headlined by Tommy DeCarlo + members of the Dennis DeYoung Band. Tommy is the singer of the band Boston, who has performed on every tour since 2008. He will be performing classic rock hits from the ’70s and ’80s with a top band of touring professionals featuring August Zadra and Jimmy Leahey of the Dennis DeYoung Band. Special guests August Zadra and Jimmy Leahey will open with a collection of Styx rock classics.
Festival favorite Big Al & The Hi-Fi’s will take us you back in time to surf boards and sock hops, when they kick-off the music at noon on Sunday. The festival concludes with The Drifters, one of Rock and Roll’s founding vocal groups and rated in Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Greatest Rock and Roll Performers,” performing some of the most recognizable classics such as “Under the Boardwalk”, “Stand by Me,” “There Goes My Baby” and “This Magic Moment.”
Watertown Riverfest runs August 10-13, 2023. In addition to musical acts, the event includes a carnival midway, craft fair, car show, roving entertainment, chainsaw carving demonstrations and auction, and a long list of area restaurants and food trucks onsite. Admission to the event is free, and free shuttle buses will be available at various locations throughout the city. The public can stay up to date with the full entertainment schedule on watertownriverfest.com, and by following Watertown Riverfest on Facebook and Instagram.