Riverside Music Festival Keeps Good Vibes Flowing

Nick Warren

Fans turning out for the 2021 Riverside Music Festival

THURSDAY, JUN. 23 - 25

For over 130 years, the Riverside Inn was the beating heart of arts and culture in nearby Cambridge Springs, Pa., hosting countless weddings, prom nights, reunions, and concerts within its handsome confines, a stately combination of American Shingle Style and French Second Empire architecture. Ask anyone from the scenic little former resort town in Crawford County and they'll tell you it's the place everyone wanted to be, for almost any occasion, formal or informal.

Then — suddenly, tragically, and unexpectedly — it all went up in flames on May 2, 2017. Although the Inn can never and will never be replaced, the Riverside Brewing Company has once again made 1 Fountain Ave. a place people want to be, combining farmhouse and light industrial elements for an environment that feels simultaneously cozy and reassuring, with a lush, sprawling patio ringed by towering trees. (Of course, delicious food and beer also add to the appeal.)

Equipped with both a spacious venue and a historic location, the Riverside Brewing Company has gracefully assumed the host role for the Riverside Music Festival, an event that originally grew out of the impromptu jam sessions that were a regular occurrence at the Inn. The fest has grown significantly in the decade since, now comprising two stages (at Riverside and at The Villa Restaurant & Lounge) and three days of music, along with a full complement of local vendors offering personal care products, clothing and accessories, home and decor items, and snackage. 

The lineups are as follows:

Keynote Guitar LLC Mainstage

Riverside Brewing Co., 1 Fountain St., Cambridge Springs

THURSDAY, JUNE 23

6 p.m. — The Riffriders

FRIDAY, JUNE 24

6 p.m. — The Leaps

7:30 p.m. — Local Failures

9 p.m. — Katelyn Richards Band

SATURDAY, JUNE 25

Noon — Michael McFarland

1:30 p.m. — The Bandits

3 p.m. — Tiger Maple String Band

4:30 p.m. — Fred Oakman and the Flood

6 p.m. — Skyler Love

7:30 p.m. — Jeff Fetterman Band

9 p.m. — Clever Norman

Sunbelt Rentals Rocks! Stage

The Villa Restaurant & Lounge, 236 S. Main St., Cambridge Springs

FRIDAY, JUNE 24

8:15 p.m. — Wasted Info

9:30 p.m. — David Dark and the Hollow Ones

10:45 p.m. — Hard Luck Story

Midnight — Odd Atrocity

SATURDAY, JUNE 25

5:45 p.m. — Mike Spagnola

7 p.m. — Rodger Montgomery Band

8:15 p.m. — One If By Land

9:30 p.m. — Higher Vibration

10:45 p.m. — Unhinged Mandible

Midnight — Grim Grin

General admission to all shows is free. If you are planning to eat at Riverside, reservations are highly encouraged. 

Matt Swanseger can be reached at mswansger@eriereader.com