Guest Info

Gates opened Friday at 3pm, with Saturday morning as the other option. Either way, the first stop was the check-in tent on the gravel drive by the entrance, before parking.

Everyone in the car checked in and signed a waiver, and we pointed you at the kayak info and sent you on to parking. Festival shirts were sold right there at the tent.

Parking was on site, and you camped in front of your vehicle in the spot you were given. It's about a five minute walk downhill from camping to the main grounds and the dance floor.

Yes, cell and data both work out here. It isn't strong, so don't count on streaming anything, but you can get a text out.

Friday: gates at 3pm, music on the small stage up top from 5pm, dinner at 6, field games in the evening, music until midnight, movie after. Saturday: kayak shuttles and the float during the day, dinner at the mess hall, then music at the main stage down below until 3am. Sunday: pack up and out by 11am.

Friday the music ended at midnight. Saturday it ran until 3am.

Everybody out by 11am Sunday. Pack it up, take it with you, and leave your spot cleaner than you found it. That part never changes.

Right up this page. The 2026 schedule above has every set, and the lineup page has the full bill.

Friday evening on the field up top. Everyone was sorted onto a critter team, raccoon, frog, turtle or butterfly, and then it was tug of war, relays, and general nonsense. You had a team whether you asked for one or not.

Yes. Friday night after the music ended, up top.

The shuttle to the drop-in ran Saturday from 9am to noon. Once you were on the water, the float back to the festival took two to four hours, and the float window closed at 4pm. Miss the shuttle, miss the river.

All boat reservations go through Bone's Kayak & Campground, not River Dance. Rentals, gear, and rental questions are all Bone's, we just point.

You can swim during the float. Once you're back ashore, the swimming is done. No getting back in the water after the float.

Dinner Saturday evening was included with admission, served at the mess hall down below. Friday there was a food vendor on site up top from 6pm. All eating types accounted for, both nights. Snacks for the gaps and for the river are always on you.

Free water stations were set up on the grounds, up top and down below. It's August in a river valley, so a refillable bottle and more water than you think you need is always the move.

Yes. Friday the bar was up top, and Friday food and drink both ordered at the bar. Saturday it moved down below with the rest of the festival and opened in the afternoon.

Plastic and metal containers are fine. No glass at River Dance, period.

Yes. River Dance is a 21 and up event.

No pets. Please leave your furry friends at home.

Stay inside the clearly marked, fenced-in festival area at all times. Anything outside the fence is off-limits. If we catch you out of bounds, we will call your boss and tell them what you're really doing.

Tent and sleeping setup, river shoes, sun protection, a refillable water bottle, snacks, and a costume or three. A flashlight or headlamp is worth having for your own campsite and for just-in-case, though the paths are lit.

There are permanent bathrooms up top, plus porta johns spread around the grounds.

The check-in tent was the one and only lost and found all weekend. If something didn't make it home with you, email us and we'll tell you what's still in the box.

For an emergency, call 911. On site, the check-in tent was the place to go, or anyone with a walkie, and an EMT was stationed at the tent on Saturday. Non-emergency and hospital numbers were posted there all weekend.

It's a river valley in Tennessee in August. Heat, pop-up rain, and mud. River Dance happens rain or shine.