September 14, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The Delaware River Festival takes place on the Philly and Camden waterfronts, inviting participants on ferry rides and offering educational activities that promote environmental protection. Above is a file photo of pedal boats on the Delaware River.
The annual Delaware River Festival is returning to offer ferry rides, family-friendly activities and opportunities to learn about various environmental topics.
Taking place on both the Philadelphia and Camden waterfronts of the Delaware River, the festival will populate Penn's Landing on the Philly side and Wiggins Park in Camden on Saturday, Sept. 28. The outdoor festival began in 2019 as a merger of Pennsylvania Coast Day and Camden River Day.
Local environmental organizations will set up water and nature-themed educational activities like scavenger hunts, face painting and arts and crafts. Festivalgoers can enter the Independence Seaport Museum for free, although some special exhibits are excluded from the special offer.
During the festival, the RiverLink Ferry will provide free rides for festival attendees across the Delaware River, but they can also take a spin in a pedal boat around Penn's Landing Marina. Tickets for pedal boats will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis for half-hour time slots from noon to 4 p.m.
Participating organizations include the Center for Aquatic Sciences, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and the Philadelphia Water Company, which will bring the "Philly Water Bar" to the event this year.
The Philly Water Bar is a "tool and interactive platform" by the city promoting the quality of tap water in Philly for drinking. The Philadelphia Water Company brings the water bar to different events, encouraging people to bring reusable water bottles.
As there are ongoing construction projects at the Penn's Landing riverfront, event organizers encourage visitors to carpool or take public transit to the festival. Parking is also available on the Camden side of the event.
