Summerfest

Due to the ongoing winter storm, City facilities, including City Hall and all Parks, Recreation and Culture facilities, will be closed on Tuesday, Feb. 18. This is due to the forecasted winter storm resulting in dangerous travel conditions.

Read the news release for full details >>

The City of Lawrence is excited to announce our Independence Day event, Summerfest 2025!

Summerfest is Lawrence’s premier Independence Day celebration, bringing the community together for an evening of live music, local food, family-friendly activities, and a dazzling drone show. Held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on July 3rd, 2025 this FREE event is the perfect way to kick off the holiday with fun, entertainment, and hometown pride! More details to come! See below for our 2024 event details.  

  This unmistakable and exciting, FREE event is coming back to the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, July 3rd, and will feature the following:

  • Food Trucks (food sales begin at 4:00 p.m.)
  • Live music from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
  • Crafts Festival in Building 21 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
  • A DRONE SHOW in the evening (around 9:45 p.m.)

Event Booklet

SCHEDULE

  • 3:00 p.m. Crafts Festival begins in Building 21
  • 4:00 p.m. Food Trucks begin sales
  • 4:00 p.m. Free State Brewery beer sales begin
  • 4:00 p.m. Kid’s Activities Area Activated – City Play Corps and Dole Institute of Politics
  • 4:00 p.m. live music begins
    • The main stage lineup for Summerfest 2024 is below:
      • Master of Ceremonies – The Illustrious Ric Averill
      • 6 p.m. Underrated Society
      • 7 p.m. LYXE
      • 8 p.m. Son Venezuela

      Other event music includes:

      • 4 p.m. EZG
      • 5 p.m. Mire Pral
      • 6 p.m. The Lost Keys
      • 7 p.m. Mary Conn Trio
  • 9:45 p.m. Drone Show viewing at the “Derby Arena” inside the Fairgrounds

As more details become available, LPRD will continue to update this webpage and social media. For more information, please contact the Administrative Office at parksrec@lawrenceks.org Summerfest is sponsored by the City of Lawrence with support from eXplore Lawrence.

What you can bring with you

Acceptable items to bring with you to Summerfest:

  1. Lawn chairs
  2. Stadium seats
  3. Blankets
  4. Coolers – must remain in vehicle
  5. Non-alcoholic beverages
  6. Water bottles
  7. Umbrellas
  8. External chargers
  9. Fun and games
  10. Bicycles
  11. Binoculars

Non-acceptable items:

  1. Pets – please leave your furry (and feathered!) friends at home. With the exception of service animals
  2. Alcohol – no outside alcohol is allowed on the premises
  3. No glass containers
  4. Fireworks – absolutely no fireworks allowed on fairground premises
  5. Firearms, knives, weapons of any kind
  6. Illegal substances, drugs, or drug paraphernalia
  7. Electronic scooters, skateboards, or vehicles, except those needed for accessibility reasons
  8. Tents or semi-permanent structures
  9. Aerosols, except for sunscreen
  10. Banners and signs – may obstruct the view of others
  11. Laser pointers
  12. Drones
  13. Noisemaking devices: personal radios, airhorns, boomboxes, Bluetooth devices, etc.

Event Map

In the case of inclement weather, the City of Lawrence will provide updates through the Parks, Recreation, Arts and Culture social media platforms and rainoutline.com, as well as the City website: https://lawrenceks.org/lprd/summerfest/.