What is the Water Festival?

The Detroit River Water Festival is an outdoor, educational event designed to help students learn about our most precious natural resource - clean, fresh water. Students from the Detroit and Downriver areas will come together to learn about the Detroit River. The Detroit River Water Festival is offered as a FREE program to help educate 4th and 5th grade students about the importance and beauty of the water around us and how it impacts our daily lives. The Water Festival provides students with hands-on activities, taught by top level academic instructors and water quality professionals designed to expose students to a wide variety of water related issues. Through attending the Water Festival students gain an understanding of the diverse topics related to our water resources including ecosystems, social studies, the geosphere and the hydrologic cycle. By being an active participant in the Water Festival students, and adults learn the central role water and the Detroit River play in the region's economy and quality of life and begin to understand their lifetime role as stewards of this remarkable precious resource.

Thank You for two successful Water Festivals in 2024

In 2024, 653 Detroit students joined us on Belle Isle and 217 students joined us at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. Thank you to our outstanding presenters from different organizations who educated and entertained our children brilliantly! Thank You to the tireless volunteers from many organizations who made this year’s Water Festivals a resounding success. Finally, a giant thank you to our 2024 Water Festival sponsors without whom this event could not have happened!