Nebraska
Kinkaider Brunch by the Train in the Historic Haymarket District July 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 and Aug. 6, 13, 20, and 27 in Lincoln. Every Saturday this summer from 9 a.m.-noon, Nebraska’s Kinkaider Brewing Co. is all aboard on brunch, serving up a rotating menu of brunch favorites paired with Devils Gap Jalapeño Vodka Bloody Marys and Mimosas.
Uncle Sam Jam! At Oak Lake Park July 3 in Lincoln. This family-friendly event is Lincoln’s official celebration of Independence Day, featuring food, music, fireworks, and more. 402.441.7547.
—lincoln.ne.gov
Red, White, KaBoom! At Columbus High School July 3 in Columbus. The biggest Independence Day celebration in Columbus brings event goers a day of live music from Barrel House, with activities, a bouncy house, and more. Fireworks begin at 10pm. 402.564.2769.
—thecolumbuspage.com
Oregon Trail Days July 7-10 in Gering and throughout Scottsbluff. This annual event is one of the oldest community festivals in Nebraska. The celebration includes a kickoff barbecue, a car show, a chili cook off, mud volleyball, beer and wine tastings, a horseshoe tournament, carnival rides, and free concert Saturday night, and more. 308.632.2133.
—oregontraildays.com
KZUM Stravinsky Park Summer Concert Series July 7, 14, 21, 28 in Lincoln. Every week through the July 28, Stransky Park hits its groove with KZUM and a revolving lineup of musical stylings by local, occasionally regional acts. Bottled water available for purchase and blankets and lawn chairs are encouraged. 402.474.5086 —kzum.org
The Righteous Brothers at the Lied Performing Arts Center July 7 in Lincoln. Made famous by chart-toppers like “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling,” “Soul & Inspiration,” and “Dirty Dancing’s” Grammy Award winner “The Time of My Life,” original duo member Billy Medley is joined by Bucky Heard at the Lied Center for Performing Arts for a night of passionate, legendary, and unmistakably righteous ballads. 402.472.4747
—liedcenter.org
Zoofest 49 at the Zoobar July 8 in Lincoln. Celebrating 49 years of “lives blues and soulful music,” the two-night event kicks off Friday with headliner Grammy-Award winning blues virtuoso Bobby Rush of “Chicken Heads” acclaim, followed up Saturday night with Memphis soul architect Booker T. Jones, frontman for Booker T. & the M.G.’s and a lifetime achievement Grammy-award winner. Go “soul searching” with the industry’s finest at Lincoln’s one-and-only Zoobar. Tickets $35 per night or $60 for a weekend pass. 402.435.8754
—zoobar.com
Lust for Rust Fest 2022 July 8 at Nomads Bar and Kitchen in Nehawka. Slated as “the Midwest’s (and maybe the country’s) only Classic Car + Truck and Music Festival,” the event promises cold drinks, delicious food, old-school vehicles, and live music with headliner The Downtown Collective, and more. Camping available Friday night followed by the car show and concert Saturday. Attendants age 15 or under pay no admission.
—eventbrite.com/e/lust-for-rust-fest-2022-tickets-321972547557
The 42nd Annual Wayne Chicken Show July 8-10 in Wayne. Feathers fly into orbit during the annual Wayne Chicken Show, this year’s theme being: “Chicken’s Guide to the Galaxy. The Meaning of Life, the Universe and Egg-rything.” The three-day event include the Wayne Chicken Show Parade, hot wing eating contests, and various other chicken-themed attractions and contests. 402.375.2240
—chickenshow.com
Heritage Days July 17-22 in Alliance. Celebrating 41 years of Alliance heritage and history, this five day event brings carnival rides, various vendors, live musical entertainment, a parade, games, and more. 308.762.5400.
—cityofalliance.net
“Weird Al” Yankovic at the Lied Performing Arts Center July 22 in Lincoln. Finally returning to the concert stage after his highly celebrated Strings Attached tour in 2019, the frizzy-haired king of all things strange, punny, and downright absurd, “Weird Al” Yankovic amuses and bewilders audiences once again with his The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour with an appearance at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. 402.472.4747
—lieadcenter.org
The 29th Annual Nebraska Star Party July 24-29 in Valentine. Join fellow stargazers in a “voyage of discovery” from the incredible astronomical views of Merritt Reservoir’s Snake Campground with observations every night and daytime events including beginner’s field schools, barbecue and pizza lunches, and a brewers’ canoe/float down the Niobrara river.
—nebraskastarparty.org
The 2022 Old West Balloon Fest Aug. 10-13 in Gerring, Scottsbluff, and Mitchell. Hot air balloons color the sky of Western Nebraska, captivating aeronauts and spectators alike. The event kicks off with an opening ‘night glow’ at Western Nebraska Community College (including food trucks and other vendors), followed by the National Hot Air Balloon Competition, a craft fair, a corn-hole tournament, and the main event: the “mass ascension,” in which 30 hot air balloons take off at once, with 50 additional competition balloons performing a flyby.
—theoldwestballoonfest.com
Frog Fest 8 at the Historic Haymarket Aug. 13 in Lincoln. The newest iteration of Froggy981’s Frog Fest comes hopping back to the Historic Haymarket with gusto, and with performances by Dylan Scott, Josh Abbot Band, Morgan Wade, and Dylan Blood, the event is sure to make a huge splash with country music fans. 402.475.4567
—froggy981.com
Mimosa Fest Lincoln at The Royal Grove Aug. 14 in Lincoln. Touted as “the Nation’s Largest Mimosa Fest,” the orange juice and bubbly will be flowing in earnest at music venue The Royal Grove “where fans are treated like royalty.” First mimosa is on the house! 402.413.6832
—theroyalgrove.com
Dirty Heads: Let’s Get it Kraken at the Pinewood Bowl Theater Aug. 14 in Lincoln. Hailing from Huntington Beach, California, reggae alt-rock outfit Dirty Heads brings the good vibes with their Let’s Get it Kraken tour for an outdoor show among the evergreens, with special guests SOJA, Tribal Seeds, and The Elovaters. 402.904.4444
—pinewoodbowltheater.com
Kool-Aid Days Aug. 19-21 at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Hastings. Celebrate America’s beloved powdered drink mix, which was first concocted in Hastings, with a weekend festival dedicated to all things Kool-Aid, this year’s theme being “Mangonificent.” Events include Kwickest Kool-Aid Drinking Contest, the 5K Fun Run, Kardboard Boat Races, and more. 402.463.8669
Nebraska State Fair Aug. 26-September 5 at the State Fairgrounds in Grand Island. Participate in traditional fair activities like livestock exhibits, dirt competitions, and lots of fried food. The fair also includes The Nebraska Lottery Concert Series with live performances by Happy Together, Los Toucans de Tijuana, Brantley Gilbert, Lady A (with Priscilla Block), and comedian and puppeteer extraordinaire Jeff Dunham. 308.382.1620.
—statefair.org
Iowa
North Liberty Blues & BBQ July 9 at Centennial Park in North Liberty. This free event coordinated by the North Liberty Community Betterment Group features a full day of blues and scrumptious BBQ, with food available starting at 10am, cold pours of Iowa craft beer and live blues-inspired music starting at 11 a.m., and free kids’ bounce-houses inflated at 2 p.m. Performances run through the evening, ending at 10:30 p.m.
—northlibertyblues.org
Camp Euforia July 14-16 in Lone Tree. The 17th and final Camp Euforia music festival welcomes back festival hosts and founders Eufóquestra and Kim Dawson for one last round of funk, soul, afrobeat, and reggae with Cornmeal, Chicago Afrobeat Project, Heatbox, and Aaron Kamm & the One Drops filling out the headliners. Tickets for a three-day festival pass are $130; two-day festival pass $110; Saturday only $70.
—facebook.com/campeuforia/
Hinterland Music Festival 2022 Aug. 4-7 in St. Charles. Glass Animals, Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, and Phoebe Bridger headline this 4-day indie rock festival at the Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater in St. Charles, with local vendors providing food, drinks, and merchandise. Festival-goers can bring a tent and camp on the festival grounds (camping pass required), with shuttles available from Des Moines.
—hinterlandiowa.com
Iowa Irish Fest Aug. 5-7 at Lincoln Park in Waterloo. Now in its 16th year, nearly 50,000 Irish proud converge in Lincoln Park for a three-day open-air event celebrating the Midwest’s Irish community with food vendors—including meat pies by Scotsfare Heritage—shopping, traditional music and dance, artist series workshops, rides, games, contests, and more. $15 entry for all three days with V.I.P. tickets also available.
—iowairishfest.com
Kansas
Irvine’s Music & Wine July 9, 23 and Aug. 20 at Irvine’s Just Beyond Paradise in Lawrence. This family-owned winery welcomes guests to their sprawling, green acreage to enjoy locally-sourced wines, tacos by Lago Vista, and live music by Vaughn Cowden Jully 9, John L. Keck July 23, and Matthew Mulnix Aug. 20. 785.806.9749
—irvinejustbeyondparadise.com
Kicker Country Stampede at the Heartland July 14-16 in Topeka. Heartland Motorsports Park hosts three days of music and camping, headlined by country music sensation Jake Owen joined by nationally acclaimed acts Locash, Drake White, and Runaway June, among others.
Missouri
Summer Smash Small Business Vendor Event July 15-17 at the Independence Center in Independence. Local vendors gather to showcase their wares, products, and services in a rally for shopping local and supporting small business.
—mseventsworldwide.com
KC Fringe Festival July 15-31 in Kansas City. This 16-day festival represents the largest celebration of arts and culture in the Kansas City metro, bursting at the seams with 277 performances, 13 venues of and a veritable army of performing and visual arts features, performers, and creators—including local, national, and international attendees. 816.200.2788.
—kcfringe.org
Goo Goo Dolls Aug. 1 at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City. Originally hailing from Buffalo, New York, the Grammy Award-nominated alternative rock outfit the Goo Goo Dolls bring their impassioned vocals and bleeding chords to one of KC’s most unique and charming venues. 816.363.7827
—kcstarlight.com
Breakaway Music Festival Aug. 5-6 at the Azura Amphitheater in Bonner Springs. Electronic DJ duo Alexander “Alex” Pall and Andrew “Drew” Taggart, more famously known as The Chainsmokers, headline with DJ Illenium in addition to an absolutely stacked line-up of EDM performers. Tickets start at $99 with VIP, Ultra VIP, and travel packages available. Official shuttles run from Downtown Kansas City on the hour starting 3:30pm on Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
—breakawayfestival.com/venues/kansas-city
South Dakota
STRFKR July 6 at ICON Events + DaDa Gastropub in Sioux Falls. Indie rock band STRKFKR brings their unique, synth-heavy flavor of rock to one of downtown Sioux Falls most stylish venues. 605.444.4266
—iconsiouxfalls.com
Event times and details MAY change.
Check with venue or event organizer to confirm.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2022 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
