FACT CHECK: Does This Picture Show Hundreds Of People Floating Down The Guadalupe River In Texas?

An image shared on Facebook over 590 times purportedly shows the Guadalupe River in Texas crowded with people in floats.

Verdict: False

The picture was captured several years ago in Finland, not in Texas recently.

Fact Check:

The June 1 post, which has garnered over 1,100 reactions on Facebook, includes an image that appears to show a river crowded with hundreds of people sitting in rafts and inflatable tubes. “Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, Tx this weekend,” reads the image’s caption.

This picture does not show the Guadalupe River, nor was it taken recently. Rather, it appears to have been taken in Finland several years ago. A reverse image search revealed the picture was shared on Twitter by Discover Finland, a local tourism organization, in July 2017. “What kind of activities do you think people can enjoy in Finland? Lots!!” the post’s caption reads. (RELATED: Does This Image Show A Sphinx Statue Found In The Colorado River?)

The image also appears on the official website of Kaljakellunta, a “beer floating festival” that occurs annually in the rivers near Helsinki, Finland, according to Travel Away. The word Kaljakellunta comes from the Finnish word for “Kalja,” meaning beer, and “Kellunta,” meaning floating, according to the event’s website. The festival was started in 1997 and attracts thousands of people each year.

The Kaljakellunta website features several similar photos and videos of the festival from previous years, many from an aerial vantage point. Meanwhile, genuine footage of the Guadalupe River in Texas can be seen on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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