River Rocks Festival returns despite challenges caused by flooding

The River Rocks Music Festival almost didn’t happen this year.

The event serves as the make-or-break fundraiser for the local Riverkeeper organization, but it was the river that wreaked havoc on the festival’s site at Riverfront Park.

Related: In photos: 2015 River Rocks Festival

“After the October flooding in Columbia, we were not sure we were going to be able to continue with the festival this year,” Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler said. “Riverfront Park was essentially destroyed.”

The biggest challenge for the festival was finding a new venue, he said. Luckily, River Rocks found a new home at the Esplanade at Canalside, where the festival will take place on Saturday, April 9.

The lineup this year is solid but subdued, with no national headlining act to anchor the entertainment like Jason Isbell and Blitzen Trapper have done in years past.

Atlanta funk-rockers Dank, Columbia rock ’n’ roll band Debbie and the Skanks, horn players Empire Strikes Brass and 19-year-old Greenville guitarist Marcus King and his band will perform. Electric roots-rock outfit Sol Driven Train, which was a warm-up act for the 2012 festival, will headline.

“The flood did make us take a step back this year,” Stangler said, adding that there were increased costs with the new site for staging and fencing.

Another blow to River Rocks is that there will not be any kayaking or paddleboarding this year because of the ongoing repairs to the Columbia Canal.

There will, however, still be educational activities in the afternoon, as well as multiple food vendors and SweetWater Brewing Company beer. Attendees can bring blankets and chairs, but not coolers.

Even with a diminished lineup and no water activities, Stangler said he is confident the festival will be a fun event.

“It has been an especially challenging year for our rivers, and more than ever, we need this event to be successful to continue the work we do to protect our waterways,” he said.

Congaree Riverkeeper works to protect and improve water quality, wildlife habitat and recreation on the Congaree, Saluda and Broad rivers in the Columbia area.

“Despite the setbacks, I think we're going to have a great festival this year that celebrates our rivers and highlights the work we do to protect them,” Stangler said.

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 2:27 PM with the headline "River Rocks Festival returns despite challenges caused by flooding."