Hinton, WV (WOAY) The city of Hinton is gearing up for the 2026 West Virginia State Water Festival. The festival will feature a variety of festivities from July 26th to August 1st, both on land and on the water.
Hinton City Manager Megan Turner says she and the town are looking forward to the week of fun:
“The West Virginia Water Festival is celebrating all of the heritage—what the rivers mean to the state and to Hinton… We will start Sunday with a race in Pipestem and end the following Sunday with a kayak race in Hinton.”
While the festival celebrates the state’s waterways and outdoor heritage, most events will be on land at multiple locations from Hinton to Pipestem throughout the whole week. Wednesday through Saturday, the festivities will last all day long, centered around the memorial lawn by the Summers County Courthouse.
“We’ve brought back some traditional events like the street dance that hasn’t been around for a while… We’ve got live music; we’ve got bouncy houses for the kids, lots of food vendors and local artisans coming out. We’ll have a car show on Saturday as well as some parades and fireworks.”
From banquets and art shows to train rides, the week will have something for everyone, and it’s worth planning out when to go.
“The best place to go is our Facebook page; it’s the West Virginia State Water Festival. We’ve got all of our information out there, all of the times, the dates. We’ve got maps for locations and everything on that page.”
