Attendees will notice some differences in the footprint of Three Rivers Festival as it begins today and runs through July 20.
Because of construction for the Lofts at Headwaters Park project, festival organizers needed to find a new home for Junk Food Alley, says Operations Director Keri Roby.
In recent years, the collection of food vendors has been set up south of the Headwaters Park East pavilion, which serves as the festival’s plaza and is home to the main entertainment stage. This year, the vendors and more than 500 seats will be located in the larger open space on the north side of the pavilion.
That space was previously home to the downtown midway. In turn, the midway will now be at Lawton Park near the corner of Fourth and North Clinton streets. That intersection is where festival parking is located.
Junk Food Alley is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. The midway will be open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. today, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and July 19; noon to 11 p.m. Saturday; 2 to 11 p.m. Sunday; and 1 to 11 p.m. Wednesday and July 17.
The Headwaters East pavilion will be open for seating at lunch, but in evenings it will be exclusively used for entertainment in the Fort Wayne Newspapers Concert Series. Some other events are being relocated, such as the Waiter & Waitress Contest, which is moving to Freimann Square.
Roby says it has posed a challenge in recent years to have an event at the festival plaza that ends shortly before the music starts. Festivalgoers had to leave the plaza so organizers could change over the space, creating a hassle for staff and attendees alike.
“We’re just trying something a little different and seeing how it goes,” Roby says.
Also on the move is Children’s Fest (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 19 and 20) and International Village (5 to 9 p.m. July 19 and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. July 20), which will be located at Purdue University Fort Wayne. One benefit in moving the events to PFW is the availability of parking on the campus at 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd., Roby says.
PFW previously hosted Children’s Fest for more than a decade before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Festival highlights
The concert series includes Sugarhill Gang tonight, Hinder for Rock Night on Saturday and Sanctus Real for Christian Night on Sunday. Monday is Ladies Night with headliner Lita Ford, Tuesday is Comedy Night with Kam “Snacks” Coleman, Wednesday is EDM Night with Slushii. Last Call headlines Heart & Soul Affair on Thursday. Bon Jovi cover band Crush leads the entertainment for 80s Night on July 19. Country Night on July 20 includes headliner Rodney Atkins. Entertainment begins at 7 p.m. each night; tickets vary by night from $10 to $30 at Etix.com.
The festival parade is from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, beginning at the intersection of Rockhill and West Wayne streets. It continues on Wayne and makes a left onto Fairfield Avenue. It turns right onto Berry Street, continues to South Calhoun Street where it turns left. It ends at Superior Street. The theme is “Celebrating 200 Years of Allen County.”
Art in the Park will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Freimann Square.
The Emporium market with art, craft, food and other vendors will be open 4 to 10 p.m. today, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and July 19, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday and July 20, and 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday at Headwaters Park West.
The annual Waiter & Waitress Contest is 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Freimann Square.
Young at Heart, an event featuring activities such as Bingo for people ages 60 and older, is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at Promenade Park.
The free Family Fun Day is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at Freimann Square with activities such as vendors, games, face painting, balloon animals.
Pedal, Paddle, Play, is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 20 at Promenade Park with a scavenger hunt featuring local history in honor of Allen County’s bicentennial.
The festival concludes with a fireworks show from 10 to 11 p.m. July 20. The fireworks will be launched from the top of Indiana Michigan Power Center downtown. In an affiliated event, Fort Wayne Community Band will perform from 8:30 to 11 p.m. at Freimann Square prior to the fireworks.
Other events
Other affiliated events include Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s Chalk Walk, which starts at 6 p.m. today after Main Street is closed between South Clinton and Lafayette streets. It will continue through the weekend.
The Runners on Parade 5K downtown begins at 8 a.m. Saturday. The start/finish line is on Calhoun Street north of Superior Street.
The History Center will have the annual T.R.A.I.N. model train show throughout the festival with regular museum admission. It is also offering a Gingerbread Art experience from 1 to 4 p.m. July 19 where attendees can decorate edible canvases. Registration is required for the gingerbread event by emailing [email protected]; it costs $10.
The History Center is also partnering with the American Guild of Organists for a tour of the city’s pipe organs Tuesday through Thursday. “Follow the Pipes” is free. It begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Concordia Theological Seminary’s Kramer Chapel, 6600 N. Clinton St. On Wednesday, organists can be heard at 1 p.m. at First Wayne Street United Methodist Church, 300 E. Wayne St.; 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 300 W. Wayne St.; and 3 p.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 917 W. Jefferson Blvd. Thursday’s stops are at 7 p.m. at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 1122 S. Clinton St. and 8 p.m. at Embassy Theater, 125 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Heartland Sings will perform free concerts of arias and small ensemble pieces for Opera in the Park from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and July 19 at Promenade Park, 202 W. Superior St.
For a map of festival locations and a full calendar of events, go to ThreeRiversFestival.org.