43rd Annual Bridge Day Takes Place This Weekend

The New River Gorge National Park celebrates its 43rd annual Bridge Day event Saturday, Oct. 21. 

Route-19 crossing the New River Gorge Bridge will be closed Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for West Virginia’s largest annual single day festival.

Organizer Tim Naylor said thousands of spectators will be able to walk across the bridge and watch BASE jumpers take flight from the bridge.

“This is the only day it is legal to base jump at a national park. It’s also probably the premier BASE jumping event in the country, if not the world. So this is really unique,” Naylor said. “Plus, we’re talking peak colors of the fall, so you know, just being able to walk out into the middle of the bridge and really take in the beauty of the gorge.”

With 160 different food and beverage vendors, Naylor said there will be options for everyone.

“Asian restaurant food trucks to barbecue food trucks to Kettle Corn – which is always a big plus. Turkey legs and chicken on a stick and a little bit of everything. So there’s not gonna be any shortage of food options,” said Naylor. 

Attendees can bring in a bag smaller than five by seven inches, anything larger needs to be a clear bag.

Parking lots are free, but the shuttle bus to the event is $5 cash only, per person, each way. There will be two handicap accessible shuttle buses, one at the New River Health parking lot and one at the Midland Trail High School.