ALTON - The Mississippi River Festival will return to Alton this summer.
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After a successful revival in 2024, the organizers of the MRF are gearing up for another festival on June 27 and 28, 2025, at the Alton Amphitheater. This year, they promise a longer lineup, more diversity in music, and a lot of fun that pays homage to the original MRF of the 1970s.
“The intent of it is excellence, and not just for excellence’s sake, but excellence because that’s what this festival deserves and that’s what the people of Alton deserve,” explained Nick Bifano, one of the organizers.
This year’s MRF will stretch over two days. The lineup ranges from “good Americana music” on Friday, June 27, to “Southern rock, country and rock and roll” on Saturday, June 28.
On Friday, June 27, Ben Rector headlines, supported by Wilder Woods, Allen Stone, Brian Owens Soul, and Beth Bombara. On Saturday, June 28, attendees can enjoy Blackberry Smoke, Drew Halcomb & the Neighbors, Nikki Lane, Brent Cobb, Kassi Ashton, Jeremie Albino, Zach Person, and Riley Holtz & the Lost Cause.
Organizers Bifano and Zack Johnson have worked together with their team to put together a lineup they’re proud of. They noted they tried to balance big names with up-and-coming musicians that they believe are ready to take off. They hope these musicians and bands resonate with the Alton community.
“From head to toe on this lineup this year, we are stoked,” Johnson said. “It’s people that are excellent in their craft, whatever it is, whether it’s songwriting, live performance, composition, anything. These people, if you’ve never heard of them, they’re going to blow your doors off.”
Also on Friday, June 27, community members can buy tickets to a writers’ round, featuring hit Nashville songwriters and local songwriters from the Greater St. Louis region. Attendees will learn more about the process of writing and producing music.
“The intent of that is to bring sort of the soul of Nashville and the songwriting culture to the forefront,” Bifano explained. “It’s just a cool way to blend our two towns and just get a perspective on all sides of writing.”
As summer approaches, Bifano and Johnson are focused on promoting the festival and building on the art and music scene in Alton. From the lineup to the graphic design of their promotional materials, they want to cultivate an appreciation of art.
They are “enamored” with the original MRF, which ran from 1969–1980, and have spent a lot of “sleepless but beautiful nights” talking about how best to revamp the MRF and expand it going forward. They emphasized that their intention is not to replace the original festival, but to honor what it was and revive it for the people of Alton to enjoy.
“We want to maintain that integrity as we prepare for the future,” Bifano said. “[There’s] intentionality in every single aspect of this, honoring and preserving this incredible musical history. Every single decision we make is based off of that starting point. How can we honor this festival as we reimagine it here in Alton in this day and age?”
As they prepare for the festival, Bifano, Johnson and their team hope that the rest of Alton shares their excitement.
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