FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Information Contact:

DeAnna Korte

Riverfest

(501) 255-3378

director@riverfestarkansas.com

Arkansas’ Largest Festival Set for Memorial Day Weekend

Riverfest 2013 will be May 24-26 along the banks of the Arkansas River

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (May 2, 2013) – Riverfest 2013, presented by Verizon/Nokia Siemens Networks for the fifth consecutive year, will be held May 24-26 along the Arkansas River in downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock. The state’s largest festival will feature top headline musical acts and many exciting extras at no additional cost.

Previously announced headline acts include Daughtry, Sugar Ray, Black Stone Cherry, Bush, Cody Belew, Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley, Rodney Atkins, Jana Kramer, Darius Rucker, Lupe Fiasco, Kelly Rowland, Drive-By Truckers and Peter Frampton. The Stickyz Music Stage acts will feature headline acts Lil Ed & the Blues Imperials, Ana Sia & Richie Spice, along with local and regional musical acts. Musical acts throughout the festival will include classic rock, hip-hop, country, modern rock, soul, reggae and more. A complete lineup of musical acts (including times and locations) is available at www.riverfestarkansas.com.

“For the 36th year, Riverfest 2013 has filled a three-day weekend with outstanding musical acts, fun activities for the whole family, and lots of popular festival food options — all while giving back to the community,” said DeAnna Korte, Riverfest executive director. “Nearly 250,000 people attended the state’s largest family festival last year, and we look forward to another great crowd celebrating this incredible, family-affordable entertainment value that sponsors and festivalgoers alike appreciate.”

A limited number of advance tickets for Riverfest 2013 are now on sale on a first-come, first-serve basis at Walgreens stores throughout Arkansas. Discounted tickets are $17.50 for three days’ admission – half the cost of the $35 gate admission – while supplies last. Walgreens charges a processing fee on all tickets sold at their locations. The half-price ticket will be exchanged at any gateway for an IBERIABANK wristband that can be used for admission into all three days of the festival. The wristband must be worn for the entire three days of the event for re-admittance. Children 6 and younger are free.

Quantities are limited for advance tickets, so the public is encouraged to act fast. Visithttp://riverfestarkansas.com/ticketsmerch for a list of Walgreens store locations selling this year’s tickets. Three-day passes sold at the gate will be $35. Tickets are now on sale online at www.riverfestarkansas.com for $30.

Shuttle service to Riverfest from both Little Rock and North Little Rock locations will again be available this year. A $3 round-trip shuttle ride (or $2 with a non-perishable food item) will take festivalgoers to Riverfest from the east side of War Memorial Stadium at Markham and Van Buren streets and the north parking lot of North Little Rock High’s West Campus at 22nd and Main streets. The Riverfest shuttles drop riders within feet of the main gates and run continuously throughout the festival and for at least an hour after the festival closes. This is the safest and most convenient way to travel to the festival.

During the three-day event, Riverfest will again partner with Walmart to collect non-perishable food items as part of the “Food Drive at Riverfest.” All food collected will benefit the Arkansas Foodbank and be distributed throughout the state of Arkansas. Festivalgoers are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to a festival gateway and receive a coupon for a Coca-Cola product on-site and/or also bring food items to either shuttle stop and receive $1 off their shuttle ride.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Riverfest Recycles program will encourage festivalgoers to keep recyclable plastic bottles and aluminum cans out of landfills by collecting them from the festival grounds. Attendees can pick up a collection bag at the Riverfest Recycles Tent, located on the walkway behind the Museum Center between the Riverfest Amphitheatre and the Clinton Library. While enjoying Riverfest, attendees are encouraged to fill their collection bags with at least 20 recyclable items and return it to the Riverfest Recycles Tent for a chance to win a prize, including T-shirts, hats, corndogs and more. Attendees are encouraged to stop by the Riverfest Recycles tent during the festival to check out the “Can-O-Meter” and see how close Riverfest is to reaching this goal. Last year, festivalgoers and volunteers collected more than 80,000 aluminum cans and, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, granted a little boy’s desire to visit Disney World.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Family Zone offers free entertainment on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center and Heifer International. Activities and entertainment in the Family Zone include the Family Stage with Jesse White Tumblers and Kenya Safari Acrobats, the Super Retriever Crown Championship Series, the Weenie Dog Derby, the K-9 Friz-B-Crew, the International Village craft area and other interactive activities.

Many special events will take place in the Family Zone, including the Ruff on the River “Goes Hollywood” Pooch Parade, which will benefit Canine Companions for Independence, the Little Rock Animal Village, Out of the Woods, and All About Labs rescue organizations; the Rock-N-Ride Poker Run, which will benefit the Wounded Warriors Organization; the Rock-N-Stroll 5K Fun Run and Walk – presented by New Balance of Arkansas – in which participants are encouraged to dress up as their favorite rock ’n roll star or cartoon character; the Riverfest Cheese Dip Classic (a regional event for the World Championship Cheese Dip Festival); the Riverfest BAGGO National Championship, which will benefit Fighting Fancy; and much more.

The Yarnell’s KidZone Stage also boasts a variety of family-friendly acts, including The Kazoobie Kazoo Show with Rick Hubbard, Radio Disney LIVE!, ventriloquist Wayne Francis, REALentertaining, Jamiah on Fire & the Red Machine, and Tommy Terrific’s Wacky Magic. Arkansas favorite Trout Fishing in America will take the stage at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 26. The First Security Bank Fireworks display will launch at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 26.

The KidZone Playtime Promenade presented by Deltic Timber is located along the banks of the Arkansas River near the Peabody Playground and Water Park in the central area of Julius Brecking Riverfront Park. Kids will have a great time strolling along the Riverwalk Promenade, which will feature lots of free hands-on activities, exciting games, creative crafts and more.

Riverfest also invites attendees to “Flowing on the River,” presented by Insalaco Tenenbaum Enterprises. The wine and craft beer tasting will be held Thursday, May 23, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the River Market pavilions in downtown Little Rock. Bruce Cochran of Custom Beverage has selected an array of boutique wines, and Arkansas Craft Distributors will provide an offering of craft beers. Representatives will be available from the vineyards and breweries to discuss and educate attendees on their products. Local Little Rock and North Little Rock restaurants will provide accompanying hors d’oeuvres, and music will be provided by FreeVerse Duo. This event is open to the public, and $35 tickets are available online athttp://www.riverfestarkansas.com. Proceeds will help underwrite Argenta Community Theater’s Summer Camp program “ACTing Up” to be held in July 2013 at Argenta Community Theater.

This year is the 36th anniversary celebration of Riverfest, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has contributed more than $1 million back to the community from proceeds of the event, including the latest pledge of $150,000 towards a new roof on the Amphitheatre Stage. Riverfest is proud to support many other non-profits in the community monetarily, as well as through volunteer support and on-site exposure for their organizations. Riverfest is planned and executed with the assistance and support of more than 3,000 volunteers each year.

For more information on the festival, entertainment acts and activities, visithttp://www.riverfestarkansas.com.