By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
Admission wristband sales begin Monday for the 2023 Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina.
The epic arts party is scheduled for June 8-11 in Oakdale Park. General festival hours are June 8, from 4-10 p.m., June 9-10 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and June 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission to the Smoky Hill River Festival is by weekend wristband ($15 in advance and $20 at the gate) available in many local and regional locations beginning Monday. Advanced wristbands will be sold through June 6.
In addition to multiple locations in Salina, the advance wristbands are scheduled to be available in the following cities in our area.
Abilene
Beloit
Concordia
Ellsworth
Lincoln
Lindsborg
McPherson
Minneapolis
To see the specific locations for wristband sales, click here.
Additionally, daily wristbands will be sold at the gate for $10 per person per day. Children ages 11 and under get in free.
About the 2023 Smoky Hill River Festival
The festival will officially begin at 4 p.m. June 8 when the gates open for the first time this year. The first day will include 35 food booths, an art patron party, and the ever-popular S.M. Hanson Music Festival Jam, which is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and includes 16 bands playing over the next four hours. Information about the bands will be released by S.M. Hanson Music closer to festival time.
Festival goers on June 9 will get their first look at works by 120 exhibiting artists from 19 states, 64 of whom are new to the festival. There will be affordable artwork to purchase, with prices ranging from $5 to $10,000, according to information from festival staff.
Additionally, more than 20 site-specific art installations will be spread throughout Oakdale Park on festival weekend.
If music is more your kind of art, you're in for a treat! In addition to Festival Jam on June 8, 56 hours of music performances are scheduled on three stages June 9-10, including a number of bands making their first appearances at the festival.
Music genres will include country, rock, soul, indie folk, and innovative fusion, festival staff noted.
June 9 also will be the opening day for Artyopolis, an interactive area for children. This year, Artyopolis will include a new area: Construction Junction. Additionally, Creation Crossing will feature free arts and crafts, and children's favorites Lego Lane and Button Boulevard also will return.
June 10 gets off to a fast start with the 42nd annual Smoky Hill River Run, which will include a two-mile walk, children's races, and a two-mile and five-mile electronically timed race. The event is organized by Salina Regional Health Center personnel.
Children and families also will rush into the festival once the gates open on June 10 to get a spot at First Treasures, a special patron tent for children ages 4-13 years old. According to information from the festival, children will be able to select from hundreds of items priced in the $1-to-$5 range that are provided by exhibiting artists.
The final day of the festival will include a variety of changes, including a strong local flavor in music, a less hectic environment, and a unique scavenger hunt featuring 100 hand-painted dragonflies that will be hidden throughout Oakdale Park, festival staff noted. Kansas City-based painter and illustrator Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown is painting a flight of colorful metal dragonflies for the hunt. Additionally, 10 dragonflies will be hidden in the park on Friday and Saturday, giving attendees a sneak peek at the creations.
Additionally, Food Row will include 10 new food vendors, as well as returning favorites throughout the weekend.
For more information or updates, visit the Smoky Hill River Festival website.