WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Wilmington Riverfest organizers are criticizing a city proposal to shift the festival’s footprint, raising safety concerns and rejecting a potential move to an amphitheater with limited capacity.
In a public statement, the Riverfest committee expressed significant concerns about crowd safety, emergency first-responder access, pedestrian movement and vendor placement within the city’s proposed footprint. Under the city’s plan, the upcoming festival, scheduled for Oct. 3–4, 2026, would be held on Front Street from North 2nd Street to Hanover Street, with Brunswick and Hanover streets closed up to Nutt Street.
Historically held along Water Street, the two-day festival was relocated to Front Street in recent years due to construction that narrowed Water Street by 24 feet. Organizers said they were recently told this proposed layout is the only configuration currently available, amid reports of a potential petition from downtown businesses and residents concerning road closures and pedestrian traffic on Front Street.
“We have not been provided a copy of this petition or documentation, so we do not want to speculate about its contents or intent,” organizers stated…