Memphis firm bringing back Riverfest

Little Rock’s Riverfest is making a comeback under new leadership nearly a year after its organizers announced the end of the long-running music festival.

Memphis-based Universal Fairs has bought the rights to the Riverfest brand and plans a three-day festival of the same name on Memorial Day weekend, event director Jack Daniels said.

A variety of activities — including musical performances and amusement rides — are scheduled for May 25-27.

Universal Fairs’ interest in reviving the festival stems from the firm’s experience in reinvigorating other faltering events, like the Georgia State Fair, Daniels said.

“We really specialize in taking festivals that have been established and that need a breath of fresh air,” Daniels said, noting his hopes for Riverfest’s “rejuvenation.”

The festival, now stylized as RiverFest, will again feature two main performance stages in the River Market District of Arkansas’ capital city — the First Security Amphitheater and, tentatively, the Clinton Presidential Center, Daniels said.

RiverFest’s musical lineup is expected to be announced in April.

In July, organizers of the decades-running Riverfest announced that they were suspending operations because of competing festivals and the rising costs of performers’ fees. The festival had a net loss of $300,000 in 2017, former Riverfest executive director DeAnna Korte said.

Attendance last year was estimated at 125,000 people. In 2016, 140,000 attended, and an estimated 220,000 people visited the festival in 2015, Korte said previously.