CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A popular riverfront festival is returning to West Virginia’s largest city next year after a decade–long absence.
The Charleston Sternwheel Regatta will take place over the Fourth of July weekend next year, Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said in a news release Friday night.
The Regatta was held as an end–of–summer festival from 1971 to 2009. It ran for as long as 10 days and included fireworks, concerts, carnival rides and food vendors.
Goodwin said people have asked her to bring the Regatta back since she took office in 2019.
“Regatta means so much to so many,” she said. “Because of the overwhelming amount of feedback we received, it was a priority for us to bring back this famed Charleston event.”
The statement said a full schedule of events will be announced in the coming months.