A Park, A Stage, A Vision — And Why We Can’t Wait.

Lawrence, KS. already has the perfect place for a major community arts venue — Sesquicentennial Point. This beautiful public park, with its natural hillside overlooking Clinton Lake and the Wakarusa River Valley, is already in the city’s plan for a permanent outdoor stage. We have the land. We have the vision. What’s left is for us — as a community — to come together and make it happen.

Over the past few years, Lawrence has seen important community improvements, like the Bert Nash Treatment and Recovery Center next door to Burcham Park and the expansion of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center by South Park. These projects serve vital needs for our city. But as a side effect, Burcham Park no longer has the large festival parking it once offered — now there’s space for only a couple hundred cars instead of thousands — and South Park’s parking has been reduced by about 35%. For major events at South Park, organizers now have to rent overflow parking from a local church just to make it work.

That means Lawrence has fewer places than ever that can host large community gatherings with the space and parking they need. Sesquicentennial Point is the solution — a venue location that can host thousands of people, with room to develop parking and infrastructure to support year-round events.

This vision got a huge boost earlier this year when the Great Plains Emerging Arts Project was awarded a major grant from the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, with matching funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. It was exactly what we needed to expand the Great Plains Art & Music Festival and keep moving forward with the amphitheater project.

Then, unexpectedly, the grants were frozen.

Like many arts organizations across the country, we paused our festival plans entirely, focusing instead on amphitheater fundraising and thinking the festival might not happen this year at all.

Then, against all odds, the funds were released.

The festival was suddenly back — but with only a fraction of the normal planning time.

This year’s Great Plains Art & Music Festival is more than a one-day event. It’s a chance to show why the amphitheater and park project is so important to Lawrence’s future:

• A year-round home for all the arts — visual artists, culinary artists, performing artists, literary artists, acrobatic performers, magicians, poets, dancers, and more — all having a place to connect with audiences, sell their work, and share their talents.

• A true community gathering space — perfect for high school graduations, nonprofit fundraisers, cultural celebrations, and events that currently have no venue in Lawrence with enough capacity and parking.

• A safeguard for independent creativity — ensuring that Lawrence has a city-owned venue that belongs to the people, not corporate ticketing giants, and that offers emerging artists of every discipline a chance to shine on a professional stage.

Lawrence, Kansas is already a cultural powerhouse — home to an incredible amount of talent, a thriving arts scene, and the energy of a major university. Now more than ever, we need to protect and promote what we have, so we can draw visitors from across the region throughout the year. That not only boosts our local economy, but also builds the connections our artists need to spread their work far beyond city limits.

On Saturday, October 18, 2025, we’ll bring this vision to life the best way we know how — with a festival that brings people together. For only $20, you’ll get an art & original handmade vendor fair, a food truck rally and a music festival with an outstanding lineup of regional and local musicians — all in one. Plus, there’s parking for 3,000 cars!

Come support amazing artists, makers, and performers of every kind. More importantly, come experience the beauty and potential of Sesquicentennial Point — and see why now is the time for Lawrence to finish what’s already been started.

Now more than ever, we need to come together. To stand for independent arts. To create and protect spaces where creativity can thrive for generations to come.

Join us. Bring friends. Be part of something that’s more than a festival — it’s a step toward a cultural hub Lawrence can be proud of.

Tickets and info: greatplainsfest.com