THE SWELL RIVER FEST 
Bringing New Life to the River

The Swell River Fest is a weekend-long event that aims to revitalize the Green River by bringing people together to celebrate its history, culture and ecosystems. Taking place at the John Wesley Powell River History Museum, the festival is a family friendly event with live music, a Friday night film screening, Saturday vendor fair with arts and cultural programming, and of course... the RIVER! Local guiding companies will be hosting trips during the festival in addition to casual floats leaving from the museum. 

Everyone in the water must have a life jacket​. Feel free to BYO(Boat)! 

All-Day Pass

$50.00

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Swell River Fest T-Shirt (Pre-Order)

$20.00

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CRATE & Holiday River Trips 

Green River's local rafting companies will be hosting guided trips during the festival.
Click the links below to book these trips directly with the companies.

Colorado River and Trail Expeditions (CRATE): Desolation Canyon Trip (5 day trip, August 4-8)
Holiday River Expeditions: Westwater Canyon Daily (Day Trip)

2021 Live Music

Rod Asay

Rod Asay’s passion for music is equaled only by his passion for life.  For over 20 years he has been sharing the love of both with his audiences through story and song. His music covers various genres including Country, Folk, Pop and Classic Rock. His shows are fun, energetic and great for all ages.
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Sweet Lillies

The Sweet Lillies’ high-energy, melodic tunes have quickly captured the hearts of fans in Colorado and beyond. The band credits its appeal to the original and compelling songwriting of three people who share an unwavering commitment to life on the road. The magnetic combination of Julie Gussaroff on the upright bass, Becca Bisque on the viola, and Dustin Rohleder on guitar gives the band a rare and alluring sound.

Benny Bassett

After a band split in 2015, Benny strapped on his road-tested Gibson, and headed out on the highways to bring his unique blend of soulful acoustic rock to anyone who would listen. 400,000 road miles later, Benny has proven that there is no fan too far, and no stage where his music cannot connect with the listener. 

Mountain Country

Mountain Country performs spirited, "home grown" original music built around their desire to be stewards to the Americana styles of Country, Folk, and Bluegrass music. By adding classic cover tunes of crowd favorites to the Mountain Country set list of original songs their audiences enjoy the full on sound of acoustic country timbre with a side of toe-tapping bluegrass!

River Shuttles​

Festival shuttles will run every hour from the Crystal Geyser back to the event grounds at the museum. Shuttle times will be posted at the museum during the event. See the festival float guide for more information on floating the Green River during the Swell River Fest.

Holiday and CRATE will be providing independent shuttles for their trips during the festival.

Powell 150

For the 150th anniversary of John Wesley Powell's Colorado River Exploring Expedition, a team of academics, graduate students, artists, authors and journalists embarked on a 70 day, 1000 mile traverse of the Colorado River Basin to re-envision the journey from a contemporary standpoint. Watch the documentary film trailer to learn more! 

To kick off the festival, the Powell 150 documentary will be screened on Friday night, August 7th at the The John Wesley Powell River History Museum. The museum will open at 5:00 PM with free museum admission and light refreshments served before the film starts.