Abbey Road on the River

Beatles-inspired music festival 

The WAVE3 News Abbey Road on the River festival will return to Jeffersonville on Memorial Day weekend, May 23-27, 2019. Headliners include Peter & Jeremy, The Buckinghams, The Grass Roots, and The Cowsills, the real-life inspiration for everyone's favorite family TV band, Partridge Family. 

Come to the festival, and you can groove to "The Summer Song" by Peter & Jeremy, "Kind of a Drag" by The Buckinghams, "Midnight Confessions" by the Grass Roots and "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" (also known as The Flower Girl Song) from The Cowsills. Click on the links below to see the videos. 

Peter & Jeremy video of The Summer Song
Kind of a Drag performed by The Buckinghams
Video of The Grass Roots singing Midnight Confessions

Fifty Years Ago

This year's festival will look back 50 years to 1969. That was the year The Beatles' Abbey Road album was released in September. Entering popular music for the first time that year were memorable songs like Let It Be, Something, Come Together and Here Comes the Sun. That year was also the year that thousands gathered in New York for the  Woodstock. music festival.  The Who released their rock opera, "Tommy" that year. Special tribute concerts will be played from some of Abbey Road on the River's favorite bands.

Classicstone and Juke Box Beatles will pay tribute to the Abbey Road album. The band Magic Bus will commemorate Woodstock with a tribute concert, and LBB Experience will pay homage to Crosby Stills & Nash. Shut Up & Drive, a band from Cincinnati, will pay tribute to Led Zeppelin. Fans of the Bohemian Rhapsody and Oscar winner Rami Malek won't want to miss Classicstone's Queen tribute. 

There's so much more Abbey Road on the River fun! Stay tuned for more updates on the 2019 Abbey Road on the River festival.

If you're interested in purchasing tickets, visit the official event website, AROTR.com.  

Host Hotels:

If these hotels are full, please check out other nearby hotels in Clark and Floyd Counties. 

Recap of the 2018 Festival

Grammy-winning rock group America and the fathers of psychedelic rock Vanilla Fudge headlined the event in 2018. The Beatles' primary recording sound engineer Geoff Emerick also appeared. 

More than 50 bands from around the world performed on eight indoor and outdoor stages at the five-day event.  

October 2018 Update

We were saddened to hear of the passing of recording sound engineer, Geoff Emerick. Read Melissa Goforth's story in the News and Tribune about his death and visit to Abbey Road on the River this past year. He talked about his experience with the Beatles in a sold out show. Geoff spent five days in Jeffersonville and by all accounts loved his time here. The feeling was mutual. 

Bring the Family 

Want to head to a music festival but can't find a babysitter? Go ahead and bring the entire family! Here are a few of the reasons why the WAVE 3 News Abbey Road on the River is perfect for letting kids burn off some energy.

• Let the kids play at Big Four Station Park's all-ages playground, - it's right next to the main stage 
• Accessibility: The park has paved sidewalks - great for stroller maneuverability. 
• Plenty of sweets and treats are nearby. 
• Affordability: General admission tickets are just $25 if purchased in advance at www.AROTR.com with the discount code "Wave 3 News." They include free admission for a 21 and under guest. That means a family of four could attend the event for just $12.50 a person. Kids age 9 and under are always free!
• What really makes the festival family-friendly is the music. Younger generations may be introduced to The Beatles for the first time, or if they've seen the Netflix original series Beat Bugs they'll already know a lot of the lyrics. There are no profanities in the entire catalog of The Beatles' music. 

Read our family friendly blog post for more details.

What People are Saying

Still wondering if you should attend? Watch the video to hear what visitors said about last year's festival: 

Want more info on things to do in southern Indiana? Check out our calendar of events.