Riverfest, an annual carnival typically held in St. Albans, is moving across the river for this weekend's event.
The festival will be held at Nitro City Park for the first time this year from Thursday to Sunday.
For more than 20 years the event was held at Roadside Park in St. Albans. It started off as a small town festival, organized by a nonprofit. Over time it grew, with entertainment, food, and carnival rides.
Greg Harkins, president of Riverfest, said the move was necessary as the event continues to grow.
"When people want more, you do more and you get to the point where you think you can't do anymore," Harkins said. "Now we can do more."
But the move is bittersweet for many people, including Harkins. He was born and raised in St. Albans, and only moved out of the town the last year.
"It's progress, we've got to get to a bigger venue and now's the time to do it," Harkins said.
Harkins said there are plenty of other positives, including letting it grow in the future. He said they can bring in more carnival rides and vendors in the future.
"Our goal is to make it bigger. Dave [Casebolt, Nitro's Mayor] wants to make it bigger, Nitro wants to make it bigger, and we've got the space to make it bigger," Harkins said.
Harkins said there were also safety concerns with the event's previous location. At Roadside Park visitors had to park across the street at the St. Albans Mall Shopping Center, and cross U.S. 60. At Nitro City Park there is enough parking to hold all visitors.
"That's always been a big concern," Harkins said. "You may look down, and boom, there's a kid there because he's not going to wait for the green light."
The Riverfest Parade will still be held in St. Albans at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The parade will start at St. Francis School, moving down Sixth Avenue to The Loop. The St. Albans High School baseball team, who won the Class AAA state baseball championship earlier this month, will serve as grand marshal.
For a full schedule of events, from concerts to carnival rides, visit Riverfest's website.
Reach Ali Schmitz at ali.schmitz@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @SchmitzMedia on Twitter.