Fri 7/17 @ 4-9PM
Sat 7/18 @ 7AM-3PM
Once upon a not very long time ago, you probably wouldn’t have thought about going kayaking or paddleboarding on the Cuyahoga River when you looked down and you saw … trash.
But times have changed. The annual Blazing Paddles Riverfest is now in its eighth year of celebrating the recreational asset the river has become. With its anchor location at the Nautica Waterfront District on the West Bank of the Flats, the event offers the opportunity to get out on the water. You can sign up for a leisurely 10-mile recreational paddle, or for one of three different races. Or you can just come down and enjoy the atmosphere at the West Bank’s Riverfront Expo with food trucks, a bar and a DJ, where you can cheer the paddlers as they go by. And you can stop at Blazing Paddles Riverfest partner the Music Box, open at noon with free live reggae music provided by one of the area’s long-running ensembles Jah Messengers and a rooftop deck.
Paddlers can sign in early and drop off their boards on Friday evening from 4-9pm, before returning for launch on Saturday morning. Get complete information here.