Shawnee is getting in on World Cup fever, moving forward with a plan to hold a one-day music and beer festival aimed at drawing tourists to the city’s downtown next summer.
The concert is scheduled for June 20, 2026, in downtown Shawnee during one of the group stage matches in Kansas City. It is a collaboration between the city, the Shawnee chamber, business developer Eddie Crane and musician Andrew Morris.
Similar to World Cup-related events scheduled in Lenexa and Overland Park, Americana & Ales will be an all-ages festival aimed at luring in World Cup tourists from the Kansas City area to Shawnee.
It will feature 13 artists performing on two stages, one outside near city hall and more intimate acts inside the Aztec Theatre. In addition, Friction Beer will be hosting its own beer festival as part of the festivities.
The concert is unofficially tied in with the World Cup
During the city council meeting, City Manager Paul Kramer outlined the urgency of allocating funding for the event early, as other cities in the Kansas City area are still brainstorming their plans.
“The strategic goals of this event is to establish Shawnee as an early leader in regional World Cup celebrations, as cities continue to try to figure out what they are going to do to try to capitalize on this event, (to) secure our place on regional World Cup calendars,” he said.
On Monday, the Shawnee City Council voted 6-2 to allocate $55,000 to help fund the music side of festivities, which aim to attract tourists in town for the World Cup. The cash goes to the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce for the Americana & Ales event, a free, one-day concert in downtown Shawnee.
Councilmembers Mike Kemmling and Jacklynn Walters were in dissent.
The funds come from the city’s Transient Guest Tax Fund, which is meant for initiatives that promote tourism and elevate Shawnee’s profile as a destination.
Total cost for the event is $110,000
Event organizers are asking the city to chip in $55,000 now, and the remaining $25,000 at a later date, for a total of $80,000 investment from the city, according to city documents.
Kramer said the organizers need some of the cash early to help secure artists for the event as well as infrastructure, event equipment and logistics.
They are expecting an additional $30,000 in sponsorships and grants, for a total event cost of $110,000.
Musician wants event to highlight local talent
During the public comment section of the agenda item, one resident, Tara Stratton, spoke, asking for clarity about the event.
Identifying herself and her husband as working musicians, Stratton wanted to see what artists will be considered for the event and if there would be a balance between touring and local acts.
“I understand the need to book larger regional and national acts and cover and tribute bands to capture larger crowds, but I’m concerned we may not be seeing much opportunity for live music from local and original acts, from details I’ve seen so far and heard so far,” she said. “If we’re talking about featuring and promoting Shawnee, how are the organizers ensuring that (as) many Shawnee area musicians as possible have an opportunity to participate or consult on some level with this event?”
In response, Kramer said the festival’s two stages will allow for a diversity of performers.
“Having done a festival that had music, we did reserve … a smaller stage as part of the event for local talent. So, if that’s something that’s of interest to the governing body, then there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t have some local flavor in that,” he said.
Living on Ballentine Street, Stratton also had concerns about what the traffic would be like, as she said her street is often used as a shortcut for vehicles coming and going from downtown events.
“Because of the close nature of this event, the throughway on our street, our traffic patterns may be greatly impacted, and there’s a much higher risk of injury or death on our street with that many people coming through,” she said.
Kramer and Councilmember Angela Stiens clarified that traffic plans are still in the works.
“Traffic control and those thinga, we definitely have still a lot to talk about,” Stiens said.
City council gives mostly positive reaction
Shawnee city councilmembers seemed generally enthusiastic for the event, though some expressed skepticism that it will draw crowds and that the city’s contribution was too steep.
While he expressed support for the event, Kemmling said he didn’t want to see tax dollars be used to fund it.
“I’m not opposed to this event or it being held here, although I am opposed to using city funds for this,” he said. “If it comes in at budget, which is $110,000, they’re hoping to get $30,000 in sponsorships. I don’t know what happens if they fall short there.”
Also voting in dissent, Walters said she was “not a huge fan” of the amount of money being allocated for the event.
While Councilmember Kurt Knappen expressed skepticism that it would attract World Cup tourists, considering Shawnee’s 17-mile distance from Arrowhead Stadium, where the games are taking place, he was still for it.
“I would be absolutely amazed if this turned into a huge event,” he said. “I hope we get visitors. I know we will, and I hope some are international. But I’m really kind of looking at this as another give-back (event) that we do each year, kind of like Moonlight Market and things like that. So hopefully it’s more successful and busier than that, but I can’t imagine it’s going to be.”
While he would like to see more corporate sponsorship defer the cost of the event, Councilmember Tony Gillette expressed his support to it.
“This is a really unique one time event, so I’m leaning in favor of it,” he said. “But everything and anything that the city can continue to do to give corporate sponsors donation dollars, get our town involved in wrapping their arms around welcoming this event to our city, I think it will be a win-win all the way across the board.”
Other World Cup news: Johnson County’s Theatre in the Park could get giant TV for World Cup watch parties
