Family Fun Zone returning for 2026 Charleston Sternwheel Regatta – WCHS Community | Information • Sports activities • Enterprise

Photo: City of Charleston Office of Public Art

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A family-friendly staple of the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta is again for an additional yr.

The WesBanco Family Fun Zone opens Thursday at midday. Four days of free enjoyable are lined up for households on the City Center at Slack Plaza on Summers Street.

Attractions embrace DJs, foods and drinks distributors, public artwork puppets, and far more. The zone will probably be open from 12 p.m. till 5:30 p.m. day by day all through the weekend.

City of Charleston Director of Public Art Jeff Pierson was a visitor Monday on “580 Live” with Dave Allen. He stated Regatta tries to step up its sport, yr after yr, particularly with the household space.

“Each year, we keep building on the Family Fun Zone, making it more immersive for our families and our community and trying to bring more art into it as well,” Pierson stated. “We continue to add new artists and local artists to really elevate the event and make it fun for everybody.”

Charleston’s Public Art workplace makes it a precedence to incorporate artwork in all the pieces they do, Pierson stated. That identical mentality has carried over to the Family Fun Zone.

Pierson stated there’s quite a bit to stay up for.

“We’re going to have public art puppets — when I say puppets, I mean street puppets, very large, 10-12-foot-tall puppets — there at the event,” Pierson stated. “We are bringing in Fluidity Performance Troupe, they’re from all over, some of which are from West Virginia. They do aerialists, they do still walkers, they have some new things, some surprises this year.”

Pierson stated two massive puppets will be a part of the Mardi Gras Funeral Parade on Saturday at 1 p.m. He stated one of many puppets, 10-foot-tall Petunia, takes two-to-three individuals to function. Pierson stated the general public artwork workplace has created some new puppets, only for this yr’s Regatta.

Pierson stated the Mayor’s Summer Youth Jobs Program offers summer season interns to assist with Regatta. He stated it’s useful expertise for these youth.

A precedence of the 2026 occasion is to herald native artists as nicely, Pierson described. He stated there will probably be reside work from native artists, together with caricatures by Rob Cleland. Pierson famous a number of different constant contributors to the enjoyable zone.

“We have our regular players that always bring great joy to the Family Fun Zone, like the inflatables, Professor Bubblemaker will be back, Joey Stepp will be there, Lisa Alto will be there with face painting,” Pierson stated. “We have something for everybody, truly.”

Pierson stated Regatta supplied lots of reminiscences when he was rising up. He stated Regatta is about creating nostalgia, along with bringing new concepts and reminiscences for the subsequent era.

He cited public artwork as a good way of reaching that aim. Pierson stated they’ve had success with group public artwork; the place group members take part and assist create a everlasting or non permanent piece of artwork.

“That hits that core idea of embracing art and having a community piece that you can go back and see as a child, and see as you grow up, here in Charleston, to see your work be a part of a larger piece,” Pierson stated.

In the top, Regatta is all concerning the children, Pierson stated. He famous that Regatta is one thing for these children to do and construct reminiscences for them.

With temperatures anticipated within the 90s all weekend, Pierson stated the zone consists of water and lacking stations, along with having sprinklers, to maintain children cool.

Pierson teased some surprises with the enjoyable zone all 4 days.

Read extra concerning the enjoyable zone here.