Welcome to the Great Plains Emerging Arts Project, the nonprofit behind the Great Plains Art & Music Festival and the grassroots campaign to build a public amphitheater at Sesquicentennial Point Park overlooking Clinton Lake in Lawrence, Kansas.
Now more than ever, your support matters. Arts funding is being slashed at every level. If we want to protect the future of live music, art, and culture in our region, we have to take action ourselves.
That’s why we host the annual Great Plains Art & Music Festival right where we plan to build the amphitheater. The land is city-managed, and the project is already part of the park’s official master plan. We just need to finish what this community started decades ago.
The 2025 festival — our 4th annual — happens Saturday, October 18, and it’s shaping up to be our biggest and most ambitious event yet. Entry is $20 for general admission ($50 VIP) and includes access to the art fair, food trucks, handmade vendor market, and an all-day concert featuring professional musicians and top regional acts. 2025 Lineup is: MoonShroom, Pretend Friend, Half Tiger Half Bear, Page 7, Jessica Paige Band, Black Light Animals, Dames of the Dead, Sirens in the Suburbs and Brody Buster.
We work with respected local professionals to book musicians who aren’t just talented — they’re building careers with albums, songs, and merch, ready to take the stage and blow audiences away. But we can’t do it without your help.
Every donation of $10 or more helps us book the best talent our region has to offer. It helps us pay artists fairly, provide infrastructure and staffing, and keep the festival rooted in community values.
Your donation does more than support a single day of music — it helps create a lasting legacy: a permanent outdoor venue where our community can gather for generations to come. Lawrence has never had a true public amphitheater. With your support, that’s about to change.
The first $150,000 we raise will fund a professional planning and design study by a respected architectural firm. This critical step will help us make the most of the site and avoid costly mistakes. While Sesquicentennial Point was originally envisioned with an amphitheater in mind, this updated study will align our vision with current codes, accessibility standards, environmental factors, and the needs of the community.
Too many well-intentioned projects have skipped this step — and paid dearly for it later. Let’s do it right from the beginning and create a space that truly serves Lawrence for decades to come.
And remember — we are losing spaces to gather. South Park recently lost 1/3rd of its parking due to the expansion of the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement building, forcing festivals and community events to rent church lots nearby or reduce their footprint. Burcham Park lost its festival parking when the Bert Nash Treatment and Recovery Center Campus was built, eliminating a once-viable event space. These changes have made it harder than ever to host outdoor festivals in town — especially those that require music stages, vendors, and large crowds.
But out at the lake, the City of Lawrence Parks, Recreation and Culture already manages a beautiful piece of land with stunning views of Clinton Lake and the Wakarusa River Valley. Sesquicentennial Point is already equipped with access roads and parking. It’s ready. We’re ready. Let’s make this thing real.
Donate now. Keep the arts alive.
Thank you,
Tom Pfeiler
Founder, Great Plains Emerging Arts Project