New KC-area music and beer festival aims for ‘a world-class experience’
A new one-day festival will take over downtown Shawnee this summer, bringing together the sounds of bluegrass and the tastes of craft beer.
Americana & Ales makes it debut Saturday, June 20, at Shawnee City Hall and The Aztec Theater. The event runs all day and is split into two segments: a morning Craft Beverage Festival featuring a curated selection of premium beverages and craft beers and a music festival that lasts into the night.
The craft beverage portion of the festival is paid, and prices will be shared in the coming months. The music portion is free, featuring Grammy-winning Bluegrass fiddler Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Grammy-nominated local rock band Making Movies.
Organizer Eddie Crane is on the advisory board on the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce, and discussions with executive director Ann Smith-Tate after attending the city’s Moonlight Market led him to believe a music festival could be held on the same grounds.
Smith-Tate later suggested combining the music event with a beer festival, after Brent Anderson and Nathan Ryerson, the founders behind Friction Beer Company, approached her about hosting a beer festival.
“I think in the brainstorming that the chamber and the city were doing, like, ‘hey, let’s try and do something that’ll capitalize on this World Cup’s enthusiasm,’” Crane said. “Our two ideas came up, and they got together, talked through it and mashed it together.”
Crane said the festival is designed to reach these four groups:
- International visitors seeking a Midwest experience during their World Cup travels.
- National travelers looking for something authentic to do while in Kansas City.
- Dedicated Americana and bluegrass fans.
- Locals who want to share an exciting, family-friendly event.
The festival takes inspiration from the Walnut Valley Festival hosted in Winfield, Kansas, three hours south of Kansas City. Crane said it’s a huge draw for fans of the Americana and Bluegrass genre, and is hopeful Americana & Ales has a similar impact on visitors.
“Americana & Ales is about more than just great music,” Crane said. “It’s about a world-class experience that is accessible to everyone.”
Crane said the festival taking place at City Hall will pause at 7 p.m. on June 20 when Ecuador takes on Curaçao at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Events happening inside The Aztec Theater will continue.
Visitors can explore local merchant booths and restaurants and bars near City Hall and The Aztec Theater. The Palin Music Instrument Garden will be on-site, where guests can get try their hands at playing bluegrass instruments under the guidance of experts.
Organizers with Friction Beer Company could not be reached as of Monday, Feb. 23, but Crane said that if this is successful, the brewery would look to continue the festival in 2027. He said his portion is “one and done.”
A full schedule will be released in the coming months including the beers available and times for performing musicians. These artists are expected to attend:
- Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
- Making Movies
- Special Consensus
- The HillBenders
- Dusty Rust
- Of A Feather
- The Lost Keys
- Konza Swamp Band
- Calvin Arsenia
- Dimension Bill Edwards
