2026 Great River Tug Fest at the LeClaire and Port Byron Levees -- August 13 through 15.
Thursday, August 13, through Saturday, August 16
LeClaire Levee, 117 South Front Street, LeClaire IA
Port Byron Levee, Downtown Port Byron IL
From August 13 through 15, an eagerly awaited summertime tradition returns both on and in between the LeClaire and Port Byron Levees, as the 2026 Great River Tug Fest delivers outdoor family fun with carnival attractions, live music, arts and crafts vendors, fireworks displays, and the hotly anticipated tug-of-war over the Mississippi River.
The Great River Tug Fest began in 1987, with 10 tug teams of 20 participants each pulling with all of their strength on a 2,700-foot, 680-pound rope that spanned the Mississippi between LeClaire, Iowa, and Port Byron, Illinois. Each year since, teams have competed to see which state will claim the festival's alabaster statue of a bald eagle in flight, and on an annual basis, as many as 35,000 people have come to the levees to view the only tug-of-war held across the longest river in the United States. This local tradition has been featured in numerous travel and vacation magazines, as well as on several television programs, including The Montel Williams Show and the Discovery Channel's Wreakreation Nation.
In addition to the bi-state tug-of-war itself – scheduled to take place between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 15 – the 2026 Great River Tug Fest will feature carnivals at both the LeClaire and Port Byron levees complete with rides, games, food and beverage vendors, and children's activities including "Kids Tug" events.
In LeClaire, the live-music performances include sets with Press Record (Thursday at 7 p.m.), Dirt Road Rockers (Friday at 8 p.m.), Mommy's Little Monster (Saturday at 5 p.m.), and The Breakfast Club (Saturday at 8:45 p.m.). Port Byron's live music features concert sets with Eva Kendall (Thursday at 5 & 8 p.m.), Aaron Voss & the Myers Brothers (Friday at 5 p.m.), Radio Fighter Pilots (Friday at 8:30 p.m.), Ben Coe (Saturday at 3 p.m.), and Evan Cyote (Saturday at 9 p.m.)
Both levees will also boast additional events and attractions, with LeClaire hosting a community tailgate party, bingo games, the Cornhole Classic bags tournament, a community breakfast, and the Grand Parade themed "The Greatest Pull on Earth," and Port Byron featuring magician David Casas, the fireman's pancake breakfast, an arm-wrestling tournament, the Nick Teddy 5K, a sweet-corn-eating contest, and the annual Prince & Princess Pageants. Fireworks, meanwhile, will be set off and viewable from both Tug Fest locales at 9:30 p.m. on Friday evening.
For more information on the August 13 through 15 Great River Tug Fest events in LeClaire, visit TugFest.com, and for the Port Byron happenings, visit TugFest.org.
