NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—The Original Raritan River Festival & Rubber Duck Race will be held for the 36th consecutive year this Sunday, September 27, from 12-6pm in Boyd Park.

Admission is free and the event is open to the public rain or shine.

Originally conceived as a celebration of the importance of the Raritan River to New Brunswick, the festival features live music, food, craft vendors, and activities for children.

Attendees can expect performances from popular local artists all day long. On the main stage, spectators can catch performances by Billy, Foxanne, Toys In Trouble, and Kala & The Lost Tribe.

The Acoustic Stage will feature Korbein, Pat Guadagno, Bobby Beetcut, and Ricky Chess.

The full schedule of performers is as follows:

MAIN STAGE

12:45pm BILLY

1:45pm FOXANNE

2:45pm TOYS IN TROUBLE

4:00pm KALA & THE LOST TRIBE

ACOUSTIC STAGE

1:00pm KORBEIN

2:00pm PAT GUADAGNO

3:00pm BOBBY BEETCUT

4:00pm RICKY CHESS

FREE CLASSES

1:30pm Hoop Dance

2:30pm Zumba

3:30pm Yoga

4:30pm Journey Dance

There will also be a beer garden courtesy of Harvest Moon Brewery, and a sangria garden hosted by Mike's Courtside.

Along with the numerous and colorful festive boats that can be expected on the river throughout the day, the much-anticipated main event is the annual rubber duck race.

Up to 5,000 ducks will be dropped from a giant egg and course down the canal, with three lucky winners at the end receiving either a $1,000 America Express gift card, a GoPro 4 video camera, or a $250 American Express gift card depending on where their duck places.

Anyone can "adopt" a duck from the Beez Foundation at the festival, and be entered in the competition.

The Beez Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is committed to fighting pediatric brain cancer. Adopting a duck costs a $5 donation to the Beez Foundation.

The Beez Foundation's own Duckland will also be on site for kids to play games and create art.

In addition to fun, the festival figures to be educational, with performances and workshops geared towards environmental understanding and appreciation.

A full schedule of Environmental Activities is available on the Raritan River Festival website. Activities will include environmentally-themed trivia as well as arts and crafts using recycled materials.

Last but not least, kids and adults can work together to build and race their own cardboard canoes in the Official Cardboard Canoe Race.

Racers will be seen paddling out on their own cardboard constructions and competing with one another to determine whose vessel is fastest and best designed.

To register for this event, see the Festival Registration Page.

Boyd Park is located on the riverside of Route 18 and Commercial Avenue and it is also the location of New Brunswick Landing, a floating dock with slips available for boaters.

Free parking for the festival is located at the north end of Boyd Park and in the Rutgers University Public Safety Parking Deck, located off of Neilson Street.

There is also a public bus stop for Boyd Park at Route 18 and Commercial Avenue.