As patrons scurried for cover at Riverfest on Sunday, Tyler Johnson stood with arms outstretched as rain soaked his long blonde hair and powder blue tank top.
"You're not going to melt," he said, seemingly shocked that rain would keep anyone away from the 40th annual Riverfest in downtown Little Rock.
The crowd thinned briefly on Sunday afternoon as showers passed through central Arkansas, but it returned after the sun poked back out.
"We were sitting at the restaurant wondering whether it'd stop," Britney Stephens said. "We just had another drink and kept a close eye on our weather apps."
DeAnna Korte, executive director of Riverfest, said the rain over the weekend had a negative impact on crowd sizes at the event.
"Anytime you have rain, it's definitely going to keep people away," she said.
But when the rain did break up, Korte said, people came out to the event and there was good foot traffic.
Admission on Sunday dropped to $5 and the day turned into a 40th birthday celebration for the festival.
Sunday was the only day Stephens and her friends attended. They said they didn't care much for the musicians scheduled to play but wanted to check out the other attractions.
The weekend's 31 musical acts more than doubled the number of performances held on the same weekend last year. Riverfest 2016 was the first year organizers moved the event back from its traditional place on the calender -- Memorial Day weekend. Ticket prices were also raised to help attract current, big-name musicians.
This year's acts included Wiz Khalifa, Justin Moore, Cage the Elephant, Billy Currington and Cold War Kids.
Springfest, which took place May 6, also debuted in 2016. Riverfest Inc., the nonprofit behind both festivals, developed Springfest to cater to families and children, who organizers feared were being priced out of Riverfest.
The split chafed some vendors who can't attend both festivals and miss the more diverse crowds of past Riverfests, but their attitudes on Sunday were mostly positive.
Thomas Shannon helped a friend with his apparel tent all weekend long. He thought this year's crowd was smaller than years past. Still, the weekend was a success, he said.
"We've done pretty good, especially with this sucky weather," he said.
Poor weather and smaller crowds led to fewer arrests at this year's festival, said Sgt. Allen Hamby, who oversaw a unit of undercover officers at Riverfest.
Hamby's unit made 47 arrests related to underage drinking as of Sunday evening. There were 115 charges placed on the 47 individuals arrested as of Sunday evening, he said.
Hamby said arrests related to underage drinking were low this year compared with past years, when police would make about 70 to 80 arrests at the event.
A large majority of those arrested were cited and released at the scene, Hamby said, and for many it was their first citation.
"And hopefully they've learned their lesson," he said.
Metro on 06/05/2017
