Duckworth Summer 2024: The Recap

What a summer! Duckworth Summer Wednesdays totally blew up this year, and we couldn’t be more excited about how things turned out. We doubled our attendance from last year—over 5,000 people came to the dock to swim, dance, and have a blast. It was the underground hit of the summer!

One of the best moments? RAMBLXR played from the rafters on the Esplanade while 500 people danced on the dock—seriously, the energy was incredible. Oh, and a state senator jumped into the Willamette River for the first time in his life. Talk about making waves, right?

We also upped our game by doubling the number of lifeguards to keep everyone safe, and we made a ton of new DJ friends who kept the vibes going strong. Shorty’s Hot Dogs became a regular fixture (those dogs are 🔥), and we even caught the attention of some amazing new sponsors, including Subaru of Portland, Travel Oregon, Point West Credit Union, On Point Community Credit Union, Kaiser Permanente, PBOT, Parks and Rec, PGE, Pacific Power, TriMet, The River Starts Here, and The Autzen Foundation. Their support made this summer truly special.

And it wasn’t just about the fun. We’re proud to help move the needle on important river health issues. Thanks to our partner, Human Access Project, they took steps forward in their fundraising to address the harmful algae blooms at Ross Island, with a record number of people connecting with the Willamette River and advocating for its wellbeing this summer.

Now, we’re already dreaming about next year! Our goal? 90 straight days of summer activation—yep, we’re going all in. We’re planning more music, food (of course!), better signage, and maybe even kayak and SUP rentals. It will be bigger and better, and we’re so pumped to make it happen.

Huge thanks to everyone who came out, supported, danced, swam, and made this summer one for the books. Can’t wait to do it all again next year! 🌞🌊