Quick Details
LEGENDARY Biannual Whitewater Festival – September 20th, 21st, and 22nd, 2024
Join us for our exciting semi-annual weekend festival that connects our paddling community together and refreshes our paddling skills. Join a clinic with friends to end off your paddling adventures for the year with the incredible instructors at Spring Palmer River Fest!
What a typical festival weekend looks like:
- Friday arrival, registration, welcome & music @ 4 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday registration @ 7:30 – 8:45 a.m.
- Saturday & Sunday: 4 instructional whitewater clinics (high quality, safely facilitated) Saturday a.m./p.m. & Sunday a.m./p.m.)
- Packafting! A fun introduction to whitewater
- Hiking! Explore the Madawaska Valley from shore!
- Kid-friendly whitewater canoe & kayak clinics
- On-site camping Friday and Saturday night (tent only – we’ll be tight for space!)
- Kids Concert Saturday 4:30pm-5pm – featuring John Reynard
- Live music Saturday night – featuring The Valley Cats
- Sunday morning yoga with Kiana – 8:15am-8:45am
- Local food (bring your cash)
- Radical raffle: sweet prizes & swag!
New This Year:
- You asked, we delivered, this year we have separate Intermediate and Advanced clinics in all disciplines!
- A new clinic offering: Kayak Stroke Refinement and Rolling Clinic. Join for an on-water Saturday with stroke refinement in the morning and rolling & bracing in the afternoon. PLUS you have the option of joining the down river trip (a.k.a. The Day Run on the Lower Madawaska) on Sunday. Camping and Saturday lunch are included with this clinic.
- Friday Fun Day
Perfect for EVERYONE: non-paddlers, brand new, experienced or expert paddlers! Who doesn’t like river fun, good music, good food, good friends new and old? Exactly!
Paddler Co-op Executive Director Ryan O’Connor shares what makes Palmer River Fest such a memorable experience for those who attend.
Fall 2024 Palmer River Fest Itinerary
Friday:
Registration outside office: 5:00 – 8:00 pm
Equipment Rental Pick up @ Boathouse: 5:00 – 8:00 pm
Merch Booth 5:30-8:00pm
Saturday:
Registration @ office: 7:30 -8:30 am
Equipment Pick Up: 7:30-8:30 am
Walk on Rentals: 9:30 am – 10
Breakfast: 7:00 am & onward
AM Clinics: Canoe – 9:15 – 11:30
Kayak – 9:30 – 11:45
Hiking -10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Lunch: 12:00 – 1:15 pm
PM Clinics: Canoe – 1:15 – 3:30 pm
Kayak – 1:30 – 3:45 pm
**Intermediate &Advanced clinics load boats on trailer**
Dinner: 4:30 – 6:00 pm
Merch Booth/Raffle tix: 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Kids Concert @ Stage: 4:30pm-5:00pm
Talent Show: 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Raffle @ Stage: 6:15 – 7:00 pm
Music @ Stage: 7:30 – 11:30 pm
Quiet Hours: 12:00 am
Sunday:
Morning Yoga: 8:15am-8:45am
Walk on Rentals: 9-9:30 am
Breakfast: 7:00 am & on
Am Clinics: C – 9:15 – 11:30
K – 9:30 – 11:45
Day Run – 9:00 departure (drive yourself, carpool if possible, co-op will shuttle drivers back to Aumonds Bay)
Hiking – 10:00 am – 2 pm
Lunch: DR pack lunch
12:00 – 1:15
PM Clinics: C – 1:15 – 3:30
K – 1:30 – 3:45
River Trip Return: 4:00 pm
Closing Ceremony: 4:15 – 4:30 pm
Gear Return: 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
Merch Booth: all day!
Campsite Check out time: 5:30 pm
Call to book (saves you $) or book online with a small fee.