James River Batteau Festival

Guide-2025 

Requests from the JRBF Leadership

Land Owner Appreciation - The JRBF depends on the generosity of numerous land owners to make this event possible.  It is absolutely crucial that we respect and take care of the property which is made available for our use. As always, we ask everyone to do everything they can to protect the property of the landowners who allow the festival to use their property.  Without them we simply could not have a festival.

Food Vendors -The JRBF respectfully requests that you support the food vendors as much as possible.  They are crucial to many participants!!!!

Camp Change: In 2025 and likely moving forward, the Thursday night stop will be at the New Canton Boat Launch, also know as Bremo.

  • Canoeists & Kayakers are absolutely welcomed and encouraged to join us in enjoying the river and celebrating the history of the Batteau Era. (1775-1820)

  • Camping for Non-Batteau crew is available and we ask for a $6.00 donation per night or $26.00 per week which can be paid online or on site at the T-shirt booth. We ask for this minimal voluntary payment to help defray the significant expenses of putting on the festival. Batteaux Crew are covered by the fee each batteau pays to participate.

  • Food Vendors will be at the sites listed below this drop down menu. Please be aware that despite the best efforts of those helping to arrange meals and support for the batteau festival, anything can happen as we are often in remote areas outside cell service. To whatever extent possible, we need to support the food vendors so that they are wanting to come back in future years. But it is prudent to have backup food in the event you arrive at a site after the food vendors are gone, particularly if we do in fact get into a low water situation.

  • Water is only available at - Bent Creek store across James, Howardsville on site and at store, and Scottsville behind James River Reeling and Rafting and at various stores. We recognize that this leaves need for some prior planning as the JRBF is no longer able to provide water given health dept regulations. There will be a limited amount of “emergency” bottled water for sale on the Ice Trailer so please take advantage of this if needed.

  • Ice will be available at each site either at stores within walking distance or by the festival ice trailer. Ice trailer should be at Galts Mill, Bent Creek, Wingina, New Canton, and Cartersville.

    Where Ice is provided by the festival it is on a first come first served basis for sale in the AM while limited supplies last. It is difficult to obtain the volume of ice needed and impossible to predict the exact amount needed, so please buy only what you absolutely need and be flexible.

  • Portable toilets are available at all sites for your enjoyment! Consider bringing paper!

  • Trash will be picked up at all sites, some places the county provides dumpsters, some sites the Batteau Festival will have a trailer. Please bring your trash to the location where it is being collected and help us leave the property cleaner then when we arrived.

  • Membership in the VCNS (Virginia Canals and Navigations Society) is very strongly encouraged of everyone who enjoys the James River and Batteau Festival. The VCNS is the parent organization for the JRBF, and without it there will be no Batteau Festival. If you enjoy the JRBF and want to see it continue, join and become active in the VCNS!

    VCNS Membership can be paid online or at the T-Shirt booth.

  • Depending on if you’re in a Kayak, Canoe, or Batteau low water obviously affects us differently. Low water for most means leave early, don’t stop as much as usual, and maybe work a little more during stretches of the river where there is plenty of water. Make sure you have good river shoes and expect to be out of your boat getting off and around rocks and shoals. Many experienced Batteau Crews look forward to the challenge of getting down river in low water levels, but it’s clearly more work and inexperienced crews will likely struggle. We all need to work together and when someone’s hung up, determine if it looks like they need assistance and take appropriate action.

  • Check Water Gauges. These USGS realtime stream flow are great and easy to use, the link here is for the one in Scottsville but there are others I follow at Holcomb Rock above Reusens, Bent Creek as well as Scottsville. It’s a great resource to see river levels.

 

Friday PM: June 13th Lynchburg (Launch Party Hackensaw Boys!)

  • Festival participants and general public will have the pleasure of a concert by the Hackensaw Boys , drinks and live music. Party starts at 5pm, music (6-10pm) at Percival’s Island Love sign.

  • The launch party will be held in the parking lot for Percival’s Island beginning at PM

  • JRBF t-shirts will be on sale as well as booth to pay your camping fees.

 

Saturday AM: June 14th Lynchburg (Launch)

  • Canoes, Kayaks, and Batteaux can be Launched at River Edge Park Ramp on the Amherst County side of the river. (do not leave cars in the lot overnight)

  • Batteau will begin arriving at 10:00 on Percival’s Island, at 11:00 they begin their journey towards Richmond.

 

Saturday PM: June 14th Stapleton (Camp 1)

  • Saturday evening the festival will stop at the field in Stapleton just down river from Galt’s Mill (space is at a premium at this site so please be mindful of this)

  • Dinner: OIP Pizza Truck and Doc’s Kitchen (Burgers and stuff) -Breakfast: Chaddie’s Food Truck.

  • Ice will be available for sale Sunday AM while supplies last

  • Trash will be removed, there will be a dumpster on site

  • No drinking water will be available other than what is on Ice Trailer

 

Sunday PM: June 15th Bent Creek (Camp 2)

  • Sunday Evening the festival will stay in the field at Bent Creek just down river from the Rt. 60 bridge on the Amherst/Nelson Co side of the river.

  • Dinner: Original Italian Pizza Food Truck and at Bent Creek Store - Breakfast: Biscuits by Melissa from Bent Creek store. The Bent Creek Store across the James will be open Saturday and Sunday.

  • Ice will be available for sale Monday AM

  • Drinking water on Ice Trailer or across bridge at Bent Creek Store.

 

Monday PM: June 16th Wingina (Camp 3)

  • Monday Evening the festival will stay in Wingina at the property just upriver from the DGIF ramp.

  • Dinner: El Chalanga - Breakfast: El Chalanga

  • Ice will be available Tue AM

  • No drinking water will be available other than what is on Ice Trailer

 

Tuesday PM: June 17th Howardsville (Camp 4)

  • Tuesday Evening the festival will stay in Howardsville at property just down river from the Rockfish River, at the public boat landing.

  • Dinner: Masonic Lodge - Breakfast: Masonic Lodge and at store

  • Ice available in AM from Masonic Lodge and at Howardsville Store

  • Water and supplies are available for purchase at the Howardsville General Store within walking distance.

 

Wednesday PM: June 18th Scottsville (Camp 5)

  • Scottsville’s Festivities for the JRBF will occur at Canal Basin Square (249 E Main St)

  • Breakfast: - Biscuits by Spencer from Tavern on James served riverside.

  • Live Music  - TBD

  • Food Trucks -

    • Luv'n Oven

    • T&M Foods

    • Barbeque U

    • Kona Ice

  • Educational/Historical Presentations

    • Batteau Boat Historical Reenactors arriving at the boat landing at 3pm.

    • Presentations from the Department of Wildlife Services on the Nature and History of the James River

  • Craft Vendors Market from 2pm-6pm

  • Outdoor Refreshment Area

    • Walk around with drinks from the participating businesses from 2-pm-6pm

      • Amici's

      • James River Brewery

  • Wednesday Evening the festival stops in Scottsville at the James River Reeling and Rafting property just upriver from the DGIF boat ramp.

  • Dinner, breakfast, and supplies are available at various stores within walking distance

  • Please support the various businesses in Scottsville who welcome us to town.

  • We no longer have access to the old School so please do not camp there.

 

Thursday PM: June 19th New Canton/Bremo (Camp 6) (Changed from Slate River in 2024)

  • Thursday Evening the festival will stay at the New Canton Boat Ramp (vehicle access from route 15).

  • Dinner: Masonic Lodge World Famous Bar-B-Q - Breakfast: Mama’s Soul Food biscuits

  • Ice will be available for sale Fri. AM

  • No drinking water will be available other than what is on Ice Trailer

 

Friday PM: June 20th Cartersville (Camp 7)

  • Friday Evening the festival will stop at the DGIF ramp in Cartersville and the field directly down river.

  • Dinner & Breakfast - TBD Please check back later

  • Ice will be available for sale Sat AM

  • No drinking water will be available other than what is on Ice Trailer

  • General Meeting.  Our picture and meeting will be held again as usual Saturday AM.  Let’s shoot for 8:00am.

 

Saturday PM: June 21st Maidens Landing (Take Out)

  • Batteaux will arrive mid afternoon

  • No meal is provided