NEWPORT, Ky. — The first event in America to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary will be a festival in northern Kentucky and Cincinnati next October.
America’s River Roots is going to feature lots of food, drinks, music and will showcase the Ohio River, bringing in riverboats featured along the banks of the river.
Captain Alan Bernstein is the owner of both the River Queen and the Belle of Cincinnati. He knows his way around a boat.
“Yeah, I’ve spent my last 53 years at this,” Bernstein said.
From Oct. 8-12, 2025, Bernstein’s boats are going to have company in northern Kentucky. America’s River Roots festival will bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Covington and Newport.
And it will bring in seven other river boats from other locations along the Ohio River. Those are: Steamboat NATCHEZ from the port of New Orleans, Belle of Louisville and the Mary M. Miller from the port of Louisville, Celebration Belle from the port of Moline, Illinois, Belle of Memphis from the port of Memphis, Three Rivers Queen from the port of Pittsburgh and Anson & Betsey Northrup from the port of Minneapolis/St. Paul.
“This is the only city in the country that has been able to do a celebration like this,” Benstein said. “There will be boats from the baseball stadium all the way up to the Purple People Bridge.”
It’s celebrating America’s 250th birthday in 2026, and showcasing the important role the river has played in the country’s history, while promoting cultural tourism in the region.
“It is meaningful for me to be a part of a river system that was able to take settlers from Pittsburgh and spread them throughout the inland part of the United States,” Bernstein said. “When you go up to Pittsburgh, and you see the rivers there. The Monongahela, the Allegheny and the Ohio, and that’s where it all started. And they got on a raft, no motor. They tied some logs together, and they floated down the river. And I would dare anyone today to try that.”
People who come to the festival will be able to take a variety of cruises on the different boats and learn about the history.
There will also be some boat racing. Bernstein said he’s eager for the Belle of Cincinnati to take on his friend, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenburg (D), aboard the Belle of Louisville.
“We want our boat to win. They want their boat to win. And when you win, you get to brag for a year,” he said.
But most of all, he’s looking forward to seeing people get back to their river roots.
“It is awesome to think that I’m a modern day part of that old history,” he said.
Nationally recognized and emerging artists will perform on multiple stages on both sides of the river. Themed riverboat cruises and river culture will be highlighted through the River Cities EXPO.
A River Roots Gospel Revival and education programs will put a spotlight on The Freedom Journey and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Cuisine attractions will include chef presentations, bourbon and craft beer tastings, multicultural food vendors and regional food artisans.
America’s River Roots has been endorsed as an official event of the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semi-quincentennial or America 250-Ohio, and is working with the U.S. America 250 Commission, established by Congress, to secure designation as a national signature event.
In addition to First Financial Bank as the title sponsor, America’s River Roots announced seven corporate leaders as event sponsors: altafiber, Cintas, Kroger, P&G, OneNKY Alliance, TQL, Western and Southern and Toyota as the official automotive partner.
Tickets are available and on sale now for cruise options. They begin at $40 a person.