The 73rd annual White River Water Carnival takes place from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Aug. 27 at Riverside Park in Batesville. This family-friendly event features carnival rides, vendors, live entertainment, parade, kids’ activities, and more.
Check out this list of activities for the day:
Kidzone – The Kidzone is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Token packages are available to play all day.
River City Cruisers’ Car Show – Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the show opens at 10 a.m. Walk through and see the cars and which ones end up with the top awards.
“Boatin’ Down the White” Parade – A long standing tradition, this event takes place at 3 p.m. along Riverside Park. The theme of the White River Water Carnival Parade is Boatin’ Down the White. Parade entries will display their favorite way to navigate the White River (e.g. speed boat, barge, raft, fishing boat, pontoon, steamboat, canoe, sailboat, cruise ship…)
Backroad Anthem LIVE – The headline concert for the event is Backroad Anthem, a country and rock band based out of Fayetteville. The free show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the amphitheater main stage in Riverside Park.
Backroad Anthem began as a band of six talented singers, instrumentalists and writers who came together in 2012 out of a joint love for music – and a desire to make a sound that is fresh, rollicking and respectful of the past while steering full steam ahead into the future. The band has played all over the road behind acts like Jake Owen, Justin Moore, Sam Hunt, Little Big Town, Chris Young, Josh Turner, Gary Allan, Easton Corbin, Tyler Farr, Joe Nichols, Eli Young Band, and Dustin Lynch. At the beginning of 2016, this group decided to continue shows as a five-man band after front man and lead singer Craig Strickland died during a hunting trip in late December of 2015.
White River Water Carnival Fireworks Display – the grand finale to the event is a fireworks show following Backroad Anthem LIVE.
The park is located at 1830 Chaney Dr. For more information, call 870-793-2378 or email [email protected].