After a three year hiatus due to flood control work, the Friends of the Napa River will present the 16th Annual River Festival on Sunday, Aug. 31, 4 to 9 p.m, at Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Napa.

The River Festival is the Friends’ signature event to advocate river-friendly living, and is the organization’s chief fundraising effort for the year.The highlight of the River Festival is an evening concert by the Napa Valley Symphony, followed by a fireworks display.

In addition to the annual performance by the Symphony, the festival features gourmet food, fine wine and other beverages for purchase, musical entertainment, activities on the river, a boat parade and more. The evening culminates with a spectacular fireworks displays, accompanied by the stirring sounds of the symphony.

General admission to the River Festival is free, and reserved sponsor tables and preferred seating are also available.  For more information, or to inquire about sponsor tables and preferred seating, please call 254-8520, or visit www.friendsofthenapariver.org .

Friends of the Napa River is a nonprofit community organization dedicated to the restoration, protection and celebration of the Napa River and its watershed. Established as a 501(c)(3) organization in early 1994, Friends of the Napa River has worked together through the years on many different concerns about the Napa River including boating, fishing, flooding, watershed protection, trails, festivals and riverfront development. The primary goal of Friends is to heighten the community’s awareness of the river as a valuable, but impaired, resource, and to advocate for the Napa River when decisions are being made that affect the river.

For more information on Friends of the Napa River, call 254-8520, or  visit  www.friendsoft henapariver.org