The Downtown Days Festival Returns to Downtown Lee's Summit This Summer, First Weekend in June
Plan to kick off summer with the FREE Downtown Days Festival, presented by Lee’s Summit Medical Center, Friday through Sunday, June 2, 3 & 4. Live entertainment featuring The Elders, carnival rides, sports & autograph booth, classic car show, robotics demonstrations, festival food, handcrafted goods, and two beer tents featuring craft beer are part of this year’s festivities.
Festival Hours-
Friday, June 2: 12pm-10pm
Saturday, June 3: 10am-10pm
Sunday, June 4: 11am-4pm
For more than 20 years, Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street has been hosting this family-friendly festival in the heart of historic Downtown Lee’s Summit. The Downtown Days committee has worked to make the event fresh every year by bringing new attractions and entertainment options to the festival. The Downtown Days Festival is the major fundraiser for Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the revitalization and historic preservation of Downtown Lee’s Summit.
“The Downtown Days committee has worked very hard to make this year’s festival a great success, and we couldn’t have planned it without their help. I’m most excited about seeing The Elders on Saturday night, watching the families enjoying Kids’ Street, and the food. I love festival food!” said DLSMS Events & Promotions Director, Julie Cook.
Kids’ Street, sponsored by Sky Zone, will have games, face painting, live fairytale characters, and other family-friendly activities. After taking a few years off, some favorite attractions are returning including the pony rides & petting zoo which will be at the north end of Kids’ Street and a military helicopter that will be stationed across from the VFW hall on SE Douglas Street. There are also multiple live acts on the Depot Stage, sponsored by Longview Funeral Home, featuring kid-friendly entertainment like singers, dance groups, and theater performances.
The carnival is a great option for families or anyone looking for a thrill. The carnival features wristband day on Sunday, June 4, where individuals can purchase a wristband and ride unlimited carnival rides during the festival hours that day. If you are attending the carnival on Friday or Saturday, tickets are sold at the carnival entrance and can then be redeemed to ride the individual carnival rides.
The Depot Stage line-up, sponsored by Longview Funeral Home & Cemetery, will have music and entertainment lovers busy all weekend. Headliners, The Elders, are a local favorite in the Celtic Folk Rock and Americana genres. Hailing from Kansas City, they will be on stage at 8:30PM on Saturday, June 3, before heading out on their US tour. Other local acts featured on the Depot Stage include Gorilla Dance Club, Rockin’ Rob, Four Fried Chickens & a Coke, State Line Drive, and the Lee’s Summit Symphony. All performances are free to attend.
If you want a cold beverage to go with your music-listening experience, there are two beer tents on the festival grounds, with one being located next to the Depot Stage. Embrace the Grape will be serving cold cocktails and wine near the Depot Stage and a large beer selection, including local craft beer, will be available again this year at both beer tents. Fan-favorite beer options, including great craft beer, include Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat, Boulevard Tropical Pale Ale, Boulevard Ginger Lemon Radler, Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, Blue Moon Belgian White, Miller Lite, Coors Lite, and Pabst Blue Ribbon.
If you prefer sports to go with your cold drink, then head over to the Sports & Autograph Booth, sponsored by Security Bank of Kansas City, where you can chat with members of local sports teams and their mascots. You could also win great prizes from local organizations including the Royals, Chiefs, Mizzou, and many more. Children are encouraged to stop by the booth to participate in the Stack-the-Cup Competition which will also have prizes to award to the quickest stackers.
In addition to all the great booths, vendors, and live entertainment available at the festival, the Downtown Lee’s Summit specialty shops and restaurants will also be open throughout the weekend. These businesses are a big part of why the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized Downtown Lee’s Summit as a Great American Main Street, and they welcome visitors to their unique, locally-owned shops.
The festival would not be possible without the support of local business partners who sponsor the event. This year’s festival is presented by Lee’s Summit Medical Center and sponsored by Abundant Life Baptist Church, Security Bank of Kansas City, Central States Beverage Company, Bridge Space, Cushman Wakefield, The Kansas City Star, KCP&L, Lee’s Summit Journal, Longview Funeral Home, Red Racks Thrift Stores, SkyZone, Summit Video Services, Thrivent Financial, Tingle Flooring and University of Central Missouri – Lee’s Summit.
Guests to the Downtown Days Festival can park in open public parking lots in and around Downtown Lee’s Summit. This includes the free City Hall parking garage at the corner of 2nd and Green streets. Some on-street parking is also available around the perimeter of the festival grounds.
For additional information:
Downtown Days Festival: www.leessummitdowntowndays.com
Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street: www.downtownls.org
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