The rebooted Mississippi River Festival is back for a second year, bringing lots of good music to the Alton, Illinois, riverfront on June 27 & 28, while honoring the legacy of the festival that came before.
For those unfamiliar with the history, the original Mississippi River Festival ran from 1969 to 1980 on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus. This iteration of the festival played host to huge acts such as Bob Dylan, The Who, Jackson Browne, and even the Grateful Dead over its 11-year run. Current festival director Nick Bifano became enamored with the Mississippi River Festival after hearing friends who grew up going to the fest talk about what it meant to them. He wanted to recapture the spirit of the original event when he and his team rebooted the festival in 2024.
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“Last year was a really beautiful first year,” Bifano says. “But this year, doing two days with multiple genres, and a bigger lineup, we really feel like we’re moving in the right direction.”
In rebooting the Mississippi River Festival, Bifano and his team relocated the fest from Edwardsville to the Alton Amphitheater at Riverfront Park (1 Riverfront, Alton), while keeping the dedication to high-quality acts from the original festival. This year’s headliners include singer-songwriter Ben Rector and country-rock band Blackberry Smoke, alongside acts such as Wilder Woods, the solo project from NEEDTODREATHE frontman Bear Rinehart; Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors; Nikki Lane; Allen Stone; Zach Person; Jeremie Albino; and Brent Cobb. A handful of performers with Missouri ties are also featured on the lineup, including Kassi Ashton, Brian Owens Soul, Beth Bombara, and Riley Holtz & the Lost Cause. Friday’s Writers Round features a collection of St. Louis and Nashville–based songwriters that includes Matt Jordan, CJ Solar, Troy Cartwright, and Andrew Dahle.
“There’s just an incredible amount of talent and people who are at the top of their craft when it comes to songwriting, showmanship, and entertainment,” Bifano says. “It’s also nice to have a great blend of regional and local artists alongside folks who travel the world playing their songs for people.”
But honoring the legacy of the original Mississippi River Festival goes beyond just programming excellent music. Bifano and his team worked with original festival director Lyle Ward to put together an exhibition of Ward’s archive of memorabilia related to the Mississippi River Festival that will be open to the public on Saturday, June 28, at The Wedge in Alton (620 E. Broadway, Alton). Bifano notes that the MRF History Exhibit will feature pieces of the original tent, posters, t-shirts, autographs, and never-before-seen photos.
All of this speaks to the love and care Bifano and team have put into making the festival a celebration of great music and the lineage of the great festival that came before.
“Our goal is that when generations pass, when my time with this festival is over, that there will still be people talking about the Mississippi River Festival,” Bifano says. “My kids will know that the festival their dad runs is connected to this long lineage of music, arts, and entertainment in the River Bend area.”
