CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Despite red-hot temperatures in the Capital City, the 2026 Charleston Sternwheel Regatta is off and rolling.
Vendors packed the Kanawha Boulevard Thursday to kick off the four-day celebration, selling food, Kona Ice, and much more.
Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin joined Dave Allen on “580 Live” Thursday. She said city and Regatta officials have pivoted to adjust to the warm weather.
“It’s the hottest Regatta we will have had in the last five years,” Goodwin said. “What are the accommodations that we need to make? We need to add more water stations; we need to add more cooling stations.”
Rock singer Melissa Etheridge and country music star Wynonna Judd begin the Regatta concert lineup with performances on Thursday night. Goodwin praised the two singers for agreeing to push back the concert because of the blistering-hot weather. Goodwin said the one-hour delay allows the sun to go down and more of a breeze to flow through during the music.
4th of July fireworks will be back in a big way for Regatta this year. Three different locations to set off fireworks on Independence Day: Magic Island, Haddad Riverfront Park, and at the state Capitol. The fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m.
Goodwin said generous, anonymous donors made the tremendous show possible, along with city and state funding. She said people all around the Capital City will be treated to the show.
“You can do it from the West Side, the East End, you don’t have to be in that Haddad-Regatta footprint anymore,” Goodwin said.
There’s an exhibit to showcase Regatta’s history this year, too. The “Navigating Nostalgia” room at the Four Points by Sheraton features a look into the archives, highlighting past Regatta events and memorable moments.
Goodwin said the exhibit includes all sorts of Regatta memorabilia; videotapes, past newspapers, and more. She said the exhibit was made possible through members of the community. People held onto possessions through the years because Regatta was so important to them, Goodwin said, and offered those possessions over to the city when Regatta made a comeback.
“Every week, I would get things sent to my office,” Goodwin recalled. “‘Hey Amy, my mom had this hand-stitched skirt with sternwheelers on the side. Thanks for bringing the Regatta back, I don’t know if there’s anything to do with this, but here you go.’ I started to collect, and we have a catalogue, and now we have — I call it the museum — of past and present things.”
Goodwin encouraged people who may not have seen Regatta in the past, but want to understand its history, to come check out the exhibit. She added that people who have things that they want to see included, pass it along to the city. Goodwin said they’re developing ideas to house those Regatta items in a permanent location.
A wide variety of vendors were on hand for the event. Temperatures rose into the mid-90s during the afternoon but did not deter people from showing up.
United Way of Central West Virginia continued its efforts to sell rubber ducks for the Great Rubber Duck Race coming up on Sunday. They had a booth near the Schoenbaum Stage, where the evening concerts for Regatta will take place.
Resiliency Center Director Brian Aluise said duck purchases go toward funding nonprofits in the community.
“These duck sales, they help support our partners that we help provide grant funding to,” Aluise explained. “These folks are providing meals after school; they’re helping organizations who pay electric bills for homebound seniors. That $5, you’d be surprised how far that will go for families in need.”
Aluise said they’ll be selling ducks up until the race begins at 11 a.m. Sunday. The United Way’s goal is to sell 15,000 ducks this year. They’ve sold nearly 11,000 ducks so far.
“We actually sell the lion’s share of the ducks here at Regatta itself,” Aluise said.
Appalachian Power representatives filled a booth to answer questions that Regatta passersby have. Spokesperson Ashley Workman said their advice is timely, considering the heat wave that has swept through the Mountain State this week.
“We do have really high temperatures, and that those high temperatures can lead to an increase in bills,” Workman said. “So, we’re offering some energy assistance tips, and some billing resources, and just things that can help customers manage their bills in these high temperatures.”
Workman said ApCo’s energy efficiency program is called Take Charge that offers tips to customers to help them lower their bills. She said they’re happy to be on hand to support the Charleston community and be part of Regatta.
Dennis Harmison, the owner of popular Charleston restaurant Prime 101, told MetroNews he loves being involved in the community. Harmison is also a regional director for Bankers Life, a retirement planning company, and CEO of EleVate Mobil IV Therapy, a hydration company.
Harmison said the companies have been getting ready for Regatta since April.
“We’ve been talking about this for almost three months building up and ramping up for it,” Harmison said. “It’s something that I think that a small town that we have, even though we’re considered a city, bringing stuff like this to this area and this community, it does nothing but elevate, and you can feel the excitement. It builds all week.”
South Charleston Middle School had a booth, and head football coach Jeremie Stout was there. He said they’re trying to raise funds for their program with their booth through selling adult beverages.
“We’re just out trying to fundraise, really,” Stout said. “(It) really takes a pretty good-sized budget to fund a middle school football team. We’ve bought new uniforms, had to get new footballs, things like that, so that’s what we’re doing, trying to raise money for that.”
While the city is in the midst of this year’s Regatta, Goodwin said it’s never too early to start looking ahead to 2027.
She said plans are already in place for next year, with the city and Regatta officials trying to improve each time.
“We actually start this week, planning for next year,” Goodwin said. “(We decide) ‘we need to do this next year; we don’t need to do this next year.’ Everything changes every year. If it’s the weather, or if it’s the bands, or it’s the timing.”
Find the full Regatta schedule here.