An al fresco shad dinner is served next to the river, prepared by the Delaware Valley Boat Association, and the Lambertville Area Chamber of Commerce that sponsors the festival. All styles of music are performed from jazz, country, rock to Caribbean. About 100 invited artists and craft persons line the streets offering paintings, photography, jewelry, woodworking, sculpture, and other work. The festival provides an opportunity to watch New Jersey's only commercial shad fishery in action as Fred Lewis and his crew continue the generations-old family tradition of shad hauling. The Riverkeepers, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to a clean Delaware River, provides information on how people can keep rivers clean.
Documentation includes newspaper clippings, a video documentary, and a T-shirt.