Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus is a RAIN OR SHINE EVENT!
Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus is an annual festival featuring live music, classic cars, Kids Zone, live demonstrations, art and history talks, great local foods, and spectacular fireworks over the Merrimack River.
Saturday, September 21, 12:00 PM – 8:30 PM, at Riverfront Park in Haverhill’s Riverfront Cultural District and Washington Street
Follow River Ruckus on Facebook for the latest news and announcements about the band lineup and set schedule, the classic car show, the fireworks, the food vendors, our awesome sponsors, and family fun. Please LIKE and SHARE to spread the buzz!
Please note: Washington Street will be closed to all traffic on Saturday, September 21, 2024, from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm on Saturday for the Classic Car Show. We will post reminders and parking information as we get closer.
Thank you for NOT SMOKING at Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus.
Festival Timeline of Events
12:00 – 8:30 PM, Riverfront Park
Time Event
| 12:00 – 3:00 pm | Classic Car Show Sponsored by Haverhill Bank | Washington Street |
| 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Haverhill High School Crew Exhibition – See the HHS Crew team show-off their skills live on the mighty Merrimack River | on the water – Riverfront Park |
| 12:00 pm | Haverhill High School Chorus – The Haverhill High School Chorus will start the day with a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” along with three favorites from The Beatles. | River Ruckus Stage |
| 12:30 pm | Tom Jordan & The Day Drinkers – Tom Jordan, legendary Haverhill High School teacher, will wow attendees with a fun-filled block of music with his backing band – The Day Drinkers. | River Ruckus Stage |
| 12:00 – 3:00 pm | Kids Zone Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Traveling Touch Tank, Bouncy House Basketball, Professional Balloon Artist, Face Painting, Tie-Dye Shirts, Child ID Services, and more! | Columbus Park |
| 12:00 – 3:00 pm | Community Corner Connect with non-profit organizations making in impact in Haverhill like Historic New England, Ruth’s House, Creative Haverhill, Beyond Walls, Cub Scouts Pack 63, MakeIt Haverhill, DCF Foster Care and The Sons of Italy.
This year the Community Corner also features some great demonstration performances: 1:00pm – Ocasio’s True Martial Arts 2:00pm – Haverhill Downtown Boxing Check it out! | 43 Washington Street |
| 12:00 – 8:00 pm | Beer & Wine Garden – True North – Northern Haze IPA, True North – Scale Breaker Pumpkin Ale, Jack’s Abby – Copper Legend Oktoberfest Lager, Bud Light, Downeast – Pumpkin Blend Cider, Arizona Hard Iced Tea, Bud Light – Black Cherry Seltzer, Wine – Red & White
Drink responsibly | Riverfront Park |
| 12:00 – 8:00 pm | A Taste of Haverhill Food for sale by local restaurants & vendors | Riverfront Park |
| 2:00 – 3:00 pm | Riverfront Cultural District Talks
2PM – Historic New England’s “The Wonders of Haverhill” – A talk spotlighting some of the most interesting historic figures and moments in Haverhill’s unique past. | Starts at the Historic New England table in the Community Corner (43 Washington Street) 3PM Beyond Walls Mural Tour – See epic pieces of street art in Downtown Haverhill! Click here to register for this free tour! |
| 12:30 – 8:00 pm | Live Music Great live performances brought to you by 92.5 The River. See the Band Line-up for set times | River Ruckus Stage |
| 8:00 – 8:30 pm | Fireworks Spectacular A spectacular Fireworks display over the Merrimack River Best. Fireworks. Ever. Sponsored by New York Life. | RiverWalk and Riverfront Park |
Our Sponsors
Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors:
Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus 2024 – Platinum Sponsors
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Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus 2024 – Gold Sponsors
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Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus 2024 – Silver Sponsors
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Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus 2024 – Bronze Sponsors
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Additional support provided by:
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus 2024 – Live Music Partner
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2024 Schedule of Events
Run to the Ruckus – 5K Road Race
Live Music
Classic Car Show
Kids Zone
Historic Walking Tour & Art Talks
River Ruckus Beer and Wine Garden
A Taste of Haverhill: Local Food Vendors
Fireworks Spectacular
Run to the Ruckus – 5K Road Race
9:00 am, Haverhill Stadium at Riverside Park
This race has been cancelled for 2024.
Live Music
12:00 pm – 8:00 pm on the River Ruckus Stage
WXRV 92.5 the River once again brings a great lineup of bands to the River Ruckus Stage.
| BAND LINE-UP | |
|---|---|
| Start Time | Appearing |
| 1:00 pm | Nate Perry & Ragged Company |
| 2:05 pm | Kooked Out |
| 3:10 pm | The Far Out |
| 4:25 pm | KT Tunstall |
| 6:10 pm | The 502s |
Stage management provided by DreamWeaver Presents.
Classic Car Show
12:00 – 3:00 pm, Washington Street
The Classic Car Show brings over 50 cars to Washington Street. Antiques, classics, muscle cars, hot rods, specialty cars and their proud owners gather for the afternoon.
If you have a Classic Car, or know someone that does, please get it to Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus! The Top 3 favorites will be awarded trophies and gift certificates! The classic car show is first-come-first serve as cars line-up on event day, but you can save time by pre-registering by clicking here! Pre-registration does not guarantee you a spot – it simply saves you time from having to register your vehicle once you arrive. Cars line up to enter at 10:45 am in Washington Square. Please make sure to enter Washington Square heading westbound (from Essex, Emerson or Merrimack Streets).
Once again, HC Media’s Frank “I’m just along for the ride” Novak will do a car commentary for HC Media, channel 22, Haverhill. Let us know in advance with a post to River Ruckus on Facebook and tell us what kind of car you are bringing and Frank will talk about your car on the air! He will talk to you, too, and you can see the show later on tv!
Team Haverhill appreciates the ongoing support of Haverhill Bank as the sponsor of the Classic Car Show for the sixth year.
Kids Zone
12:00 – 3:00 pm, Columbus Park
Kids Zone activities include Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Traveling Touch Tank, Bouncy House Basketball, Professional Balloon Artist, Face Painting, Lightsaber Building Workshop, Tie Dye shirt and Bracelet Making, Paint Me! Free Paint, Child ID services, and more!
The Kids Zone is organized by Haverhill YMCA.
Community Corner
Connect with non-profit organizations making in impact in Haverhill like Historic New England, Ruth’s House, Creative Haverhill, Beyond Walls, Cub Scouts Pack 63, MakeIt Haverhill, DCF Foster Care and The Sons of Italy.
This year the Community Corner also features some great exposition performances:
1:00pm – Ocasio’s True Martial Arts – Spectacular sidekicks, board breaking and much more!
2:00pm – Haverhill Downtown Boxing – Jabs, uppercuts, hitting the mitts and shadow boxing!
Check it out! | 43 Washington Street
History & Art – Walking Talks
2:00PM Historic New England presents “The Wonders of Haverhill” – Historic New England will host a talk on the “Wonders of Haverhill” at 2pm, that will spotlight some of the most interesting historical figures and moments in Haverhill’s unique past. Talk begins at the Historic New England’s table at “The Community Corner” (43 Washington Street).
3 PM Beyond Walls Mural Tour – Starting at The Boys & Girls Club (55 Emerson St.) Beyond Walls will host a tour of four incredible murals that were installed in downtown Haverhill in 2023. Join in to learn about the artists, their work and the process of bringing these masterpieces to our city. This tour will last approximately 90 minutes and will include the murals at the Boys & Girls Club, the Housing Authority building (25 Washington Square), the MVRTA Parking Garage (43 Granite Street) and Passion Flower Shop (154 Washington Street) Click here to register for this free tour!
River Ruckus Beer & Wine Garden
True North – Northern Haze IPA
True North – Scale Breaker Pumpkin Ale
Jack’s Abby – Copper Legend Oktoberfest Lager
Bud Light
Downeast – Pumpkin Blend Cider
Arizona Hard Iced Tea
Bud Light – Black Cherry Seltzer
Wine – Red, White, Rosé
Liquid Death – Mountain Water
Liquid Death Sparkling Water – Severed Lime, Squeezed to Death Orange
Thank you for not smoking in the River Ruckus Beer Garden.
A Taste of Haverhill with Local Food Vendors and Beer & Wine Garden
12:00 – 8:00 pm, Riverfront Park
| Vendor | River Ruckus Menu |
| la Pizza di Forno | Pizza, fruit cups, baklava |
| River Street Café | Syrian pockets: Chicken salad, caprese, steak & cheese and veggie |
| Kona Ice | Shaved ice with do-it-yourself Flavorwave |
| Chicken Connection | Chicken fingers, burgers and fries |
| Carter’s Ice Cream | Homemade ice cream |
| Barrio Haverhill | Burritos, guacamole and nachos |
| Home Made Hummus | Multiple varieties of homemade hummus |
| Hard Body Meals | Turkey chili and peanut butter protein balls |
| The Bakers Rack | Brownies, bars and cookies |
| Aroma Joe’s | Coffee, beverages |
Fireworks Spectacular
8:00 – 8:30 PM, Riverfront Park
BEST. FIREWORKS. EVER. Boom!…boom boom boom Boom!
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 have taken two breaks. A hiatus in 2012 due to the rolling out of the Essex Street Gateway Mural that spring, and another in 2020 due to the CovID-19 Pandemic.
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 logo conveys the spirit of the River Ruckus: our love for the mighty Merrimack River, our passion for live music, and the excitement and spectacle of the fireworks over the river. It’s a great representation of the festival – a great day of bringing our community together – on the river.
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!
