Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus

Kids Zone

12:00 – 4:00 pm, Gazebo Area in Riverfront Park

Kids Zone activities include Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Traveling Touch Tank, a bouncy house basketball, sidewalk chalk art, a balloon artist, arts & crafts, games and more.

The Kids Zone is organized by Haverhill YMCA.

50/50 Cash Prize Raffle

12:00 – 7:00 pm, Washington Street & Riverfront Park

The CASH PRIZE grows over the course of the day! Tickets will be sold at the Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus booth. Tickets are $5/one ticket, $10/three tickets and $20/ten tickets. Cash prize will be split 50/50 with Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus. Additional prize baskets containing local restaurant gift certificates and more will be given away between music sets throughout the day with winning tickets being thrown back in for the CASH PRIZE to be drawn on the Riverfront Park stage just before the fireworks!

Harpoon Oktoberfest
Harpoon Octoberfest is a malty tribute to fall, balanced by a gentle hop bitterness. In keeping with tradition, it is a Marzen-style beer, brewed with abundant quantities of Munich, Chocolate, and Pale malts. Those malts provide a solid, full-body and create the beer’s deep color. It is a rich, flavorful beer.

Harpoon Rec League
Brewed with a groundbreaking blend of ingredients, Rec. League is bursting with citrusy hop flavor and aroma, refreshing, and just 120 calories. Meet the beer that Men’s Health calls a “pillow-y, tropical pale ale.” *120 calories, 10 g carbohydrates, 1.2 g protein, 0 g fat per 12 fl. oz.

Clown Shoes Space Cake
This Double IPA features robust hop aromas that carry through to the strong juicy flavors of tropical citrus. A sweet and strong malt backbone pairs with a subtle booziness to make Space Cake an approachable DIPA fit for an extraterrestrial odyssey.

Clown Shoes Clementine
Luscious citrus flavors and Belgian spice abound in Clementine, which features additions of Sweet Orange Peel, Coriander, and Mandarina Hops. The use of a Belgian Ale yeast strain contributes a tinge of peppery flavor to this crisp summer companion.

For the first time, we present…

Arctic Summer Spiked Ruby Red Grapefruit Seltzer
Bright and crisp, never bitter

Arctic Summer Spiked Raspberry Lime Seltzer
Jammy notes of raspberry with a refreshing lime finish

Festival Backstory 

River Ruckus was born at Possible Dreams in January of 2010 as a “dream” of bringing the community together for a day of family fun along the Riverwalk and the Riverfront Cultural District; to boost the local economy; and to boast about what Haverhill has to offer. A team of dedicated Team Haverhill volunteers pulled together the first event in August, 2010.

Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus was an immediate success and has grown in numbers of guests, volunteers, sponsors and participants every year. (We took a hiatus in 2012 due to the rolling out of the Essex Street Gateway Mural that spring.)

Our original festival mascot was “Sammy the Sturgeon” chosen because there are sturgeon living in the Merrimack River in the environs of the Bassiliere Bridge. While the sturgeon used to be prolific in the river, it is now protected as an endangered species. Sammy is pictured in our former logo and he still appears at the festival to the delight of the children.

Our new logo conveys the spirit of THRR: our love for the mighty Merrimack River, our passion for live, local music, and the excitement and spectacle of the fireworks over the river. We think it says that Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus is a rockin’ good time for everyone!

Connect with us on Facebook!

Look through the photo gallery for memories of past events.

The Facebook wall is open so post your stories and photos and tag us (#teamhaverhillsriverruckus) in your pictures! We’d love to see them!