Returning for its 44th year, the Yampa River Festival is slated to run May 30-June 2.

The festival has expanded this year including new fly-fishing competitions, a family area and yoga classes at West Lincoln Park.

The Yampa River Festival will kick off with the State of the Yampa Address at 6:30 p.m. May 30 at the Depot Art Center. Doors open at 6 p.m. 

The event will feature an river update from Friends of the Yampa and updates on the Maybell diversion and headgate project from Jenn Wellman at The Nature Conservancy, as well as information about the Craig Whitewater Park project from Melanie Kilpatrick with the city of Craig. 

The event will also screen two short films — “Dividing the Waters: How the Colorado River Compact Transformed the Southwestern Frontier” by Wren Capra and “River Mamma” by Sarah Hamilton. 

The keynote speaker for the event will be Matt Moseley, author of “Soul is Waterproof,” a book that covers Moseley’s adventures in the water. 

A beer and popcorn comes with each ticket. Tickets can be purchased at Tinyurl.com/352cv7my. 

Each year, Friends of the Yampa hosts a kayak race down Fish Creek in celebration of the life of Adam mayo, who played a big role in recreation on water in the Yampa Valley. The Adam Mayo Memorial Fish Creek Race will be May 31 starting at Fish Creek near Sanctuary Trail.

Spectators will have the chance to watch kayakers navigate and race down the challenging and rocky creek. The race will begin at 6 p.m. Parking is limited, so it is suggested people arrive early and carpool. 

The festival’s main event always falls on a Saturday, and the day will begin at 10 a.m. June 1 with the open-class downriver raft race at Fetcher Park and continue with more races and competitions including the raft rodeo and kayak rodeo at Charlie’s Hole. Awards will be handed out at Charlie’s Hole around 6:30 p.m. 

New this year will be a number of fly-fishing events, which start with a downriver casting competition at 11 a.m. June 1 at Fetcher Park. There will also be dryland casting competitions, rod demos and casting clinics. 

In addition, there will be a new family and friends area called the Freshwater Family Zone. The new area will offer crafts from Steamboat Creates, face painting, balloon animals, tables from river organizations and more. Out Here Yoga will also offer a free yoga class at 9 a.m. June 1 in West Lincoln Park. Those interested should bring their own towels, mats and water. 

The weekend’s festivities will close out with the kayak slalom from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. June 2 at Dr. Rich Weiss Park. Prizes for the winners will be provided by GrassSticks. 

Friends of the Yampa is still in search of more volunteers. To volunteer, visit FriendsOfTheYampa.com and select the “Volunteer Here” tab on the main page. A complete calendar of events can also be found on the main page.