Organizers have announced the fourth headliner to perform at America’s River Roots Festival in October.
On Monday, organizers revealed that innovative R&B artist Janelle Monáe will kickoff the headline music series at America’s River Roots Festival on Thursday, Oct. 9.
Monáe is a singer, rapper, songwriter, actress and activist. She has been nominated for ten Grammy Awards and is the recipient of the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award. Fans have speculated that Monáe could be releasing new music in the near future, citing a series of cryptic posts on Monáe’s social media that show her creating original music on a guitar and Orchid synthesizer.
The pop and R&B artist joins other River Roots main stage headliners Mt. Joy, Weezer, Maren Morris and Walker Hayes. Tickets to the headline music series can be purchased by visiting americasriverroots.com/music.
The festival will also feature free performances from national and regional artists across themed stages along the riverfront, including:
- Sawyer Point Stage (Gospel & Cultural Rhythms)
- Schmidlapp Stage (Jazz, Gospel)
- Freedom Center Stage (R&B, Blues)
- Covington Stage (Bluegrass, Country, Americana)
- Newport Stage (Southern Rock, Blues)
- Yeatmans Cove Stage (Cross-Genre)
- Public Landing Stage (Regional Music)
Apart from music performances, festivalgoers can expect riverboat cruises, bourbon tastings and bottles in Newport, the Craft Brewmaster Experience with tours and tastings in Smale Park, a local artisan bazaar on the Purple People Bridge and more.
America’s River Roots Festival takes place from Oct. 8-12 along the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky riverfronts. To learn more about America’s River Roots Festival, visit americasriverroots.com.
This article appears in Aug 6-19, 2025.