Great Kanawha River Navy Poker Run

The Great Kanawha River Navy Poker Run is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, 2026, bringing recreational boaters back to the Kanawha River for a full day of poker hands, river cruising, and waterfront gatherings through downtown Charleston. Centered around the Charleston Levee, the grassroots boating event continues growing as part of Charleston’s expanding summer riverfront activity calendar.

According to organizers, the 2026 poker run will officially run from approximately 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Participants will begin the day at the Charleston Levee where registration, directions, and poker run information will be distributed before boats launch onto the Kanawha River.

Entry pricing for the event is listed at $25 per hand. Organizers confirmed that the 2026 edition will utilize a phone-based navigation and tracking system, allowing participants to navigate checkpoints and poker run activities digitally through a mobile app.

Unlike large offshore poker runs centered around speed and horsepower, The Great Kanawha River Navy Poker Run focuses on recreational boating, river cruising, and community participation. Organizers continue emphasizing that the event is intended as a relaxed boating experience welcoming pontoons, deck boats, fishing boats, wake boats, cruisers, and recreational river boaters of all types.

The Charleston riverfront has become increasingly active during the summer months with events centered around the Kanawha River, including the city’s popular Live on the Levee concert series at Haddad Riverfront Park. The long-running concert series continues drawing large crowds downtown throughout the summer boating season and has helped expand Charleston’s overall waterfront entertainment scene.

Organizers for the Great Kanawha River Navy Poker Run stated additional registration details and app instructions will continue being released as the July event date approaches. Early event announcements encouraged boaters to “save the date” while promising more information on checkpoints, route details, and registration access in the coming months.

The Kanawha River boating corridor remains one of West Virginia’s most active inland recreational waterways, attracting boating traffic from across the Charleston metro area and surrounding Appalachian river communities throughout the summer season.