The Ridgway RiverFest is a family-friendly celebration of the Uncompahgre River, our watershed and river recreation with all-age river races, live music, local food and drink, kids’ activities, watershed educational and cultural programs. The highlight of the day is the infamous “Junk of the Unc” race in which boaters maneuver their craft, constructed from scrap materials not intended for river travel, through whitewater rapids and others’ junk, trying to keep it all intact until the finish line.
RiverFest is produced by the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership, a Ouray County nonprofit watershed group dedicated to helping protect the economic, natural, and scenic values of the Upper Uncompahgre River Watershed.
2026 Schedule – Saturday, June 27
The schedule below is from 2025. We will update the schedule for 2026 this spring.
Before the festival starts, join San Juan Mountain Runners for Trail Town Races, 10-mile run & 5-mile run/walk, at 7:30 a.m. on June 28! Proceeds to benefit the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership! More info: https://www.sanjuanmountainrunners.com/trailtownten
ROLLANS PARK | RIDGWAY, CO – Festival Map Coming Soon
6:45 a.m. Trail Town Race registration (or online in advance)
7:30 a.m. Trail Town Race by San Juan Mountain Runners
11:30 a.m. River race registration at UWP Information booth
11:30 a.m. TelluRides shuttle from Montrose Public Lands Center to Rollans Park
Noon Festival opens, including Silent Auction bidding, Scavenger Hunt, and Booths with giveaways, interactive learning, and more!
Food by Marchio’s Grill and Cedar’s Mediterranean Restaurant
Beer by Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery and Margaritas by The Liquor Store
12 p.m. Introduction of Emcee extraordinaire Colin Sullivan.
12:30 p.m. Boat/SUP Race registration ends. Safety briefing next to river.
12:45 p.m. Races start on river
1-1:30 p.m. Watershed talk by Dr. Jake Kurzweil on stage
2 p.m. Junk of the Unc competition on river. Grand Prize: Pontoon Boat Rental at Ridgway State Park (value $500!)
2:30 p.m. Live music by Joint Point on stage co-sponsored by Ouray County Performing Arts Guild
3:30 p.m. First Silent Auction Section closes, Band break
3:45 p.m. Announcement of winners of Savenger Hunt, the Boat/SUP Races and Junk of the Unc
4:00 p.m. Live music by Joint Point on stage co-sponsored by OCPAG
4:30 p.m Second Silent Auction wave closes
5 p.m. Festival closes and sales end for drinks, food, silent auction, etc.
See you soon!
2026 Ridgway RiverFest: Saturday, June 27, 2026
We are a food truck and are interested in participating in your 2020 festival. Can you please send information and the entry fee amount. We do baked potatoes, wraps, and sandwiches.
The information and fee for the 2020 festival should be same as 2019 festival so you can look at this sheet: https://ridgwayriverfestival.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/2019-ridgwayriverfest-food-vendors.pdf. Where are you located? Our festival is in Ridgway, Colorado (between Montrose and Ouray). You can contact me (Tanya) directly at ridgwayriverfest@gmail.com. Thank you!