Attend – Smoky Hill River Festival

Admission

Festival Dates: June 8-11, 2023

Gate Hours:

Thursday • 4 pm – 10 pm
Friday • 10 am – 10 pm
Saturday • 10 am – 10 pm
Sunday • 10 am – 5 pm

Admission is by Festival wristband only.

Advance price: available May 1 – June 6, 2023

$15 – 4-day wristband
Children 11 and under get in FREE

Available at the Salina Arts & Humanities Office, 211 W. Iron, at any of our local or regional participating wristband retailers, or online.

At the gate: after June 6, admission is only available on-site.

$20 4-day wristband – entrance allowed for the entire weekend (Thursday – Sunday)
$10 daily wristband – entrance allowed on the day of purchase only
Children 11 and under get in FREE

NOTE: Admission Wristbands will NOT be available for purchase at Kenwood Bridge. If you need to purchase a wristband at the gate, please use the Events Center Bridge, Oakdale Gate, Mulberry Bridge, or Fourth Street Bridge.

Good Neighbor Park Policy:

The Smoky Hill River Festival takes place in scenic Oakdale Park, one of Salina’s oldest and most beautiful spaces. To lessen the impact of more than 60,000 Festival-goers and provide a comfortable experience for everyone, the Festival asks for cooperation with the following:

Blankets and chairs cannot be left overnight. Festival staff takes all blankets, chairs, and other forgotten items to the Lost & Found trailer after the Festival closes each day.
NO ONE is allowed on the steps of the Eric Stein Stage except for Festival staff and crew. Please keep children at a reasonable distance from the stages and speakers.
Place your trash or recycling in a marked receptacle. Help leave Oakdale Park in great shape!

Items Allowed*

Coolers (NO GLASS)
Blankets, Chairs, Umbrellas
Licensed service animals

Items Not Allowed*

Glass containers and bottles
Plastic ground tarps
Individual tents/canopies
Pets or animals
Unauthorized selling on Festival grounds
Rollerblades, skateboards, scooters, bicycles – except for Public Safety, Salina Fire, and Salina Police

*These lists are not comprehensive.

Festival Families First

Festival Families First is a program fully underwritten by local businesses and organizations to provide Festival admission to families or individuals who might otherwise be unable to attend. Individuals who qualify and are affiliated with any of the following participating organizations can take part in Festival Families First simply by asking that organization to participate:

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Festival weekend, anyone wearing a Festival wristband, plus their children 11 and younger, can ride for FREE on the CityGo Bus System. You can ride to Oakdale Park by regular routes.

Ways to save at the Smoky Hill River Festival:

Enjoy the Artyopolis kids’ area for children, families, and the young at heart!
- FREE airbrush tattoos and/or face painting at Paintchoo Plaza
- FREE make-and-take projects at Creation Crossing
- Hours of FREE family entertainment at Arty’s Stage
- Hours of FREE fun at Lego Lane
- Game Street has FREE family-friendly games
- Find shade and a place to feed/change your child at Baby Station
- First Treasures purchases are $5 or less for children ages 4-13 on Saturday Only.
Coolers are welcome – Bring your own food and drink – NO glass containers
Lots of art to see – Window shopping in the art show is encouraged
Many food vendors have a $4 food item on their menu, and menus with prices are available at riverfestival.com/food
Visit other stages for FREE performances to listen to rock, jazz, reggae, funk, and more!
Roving artists and art installations are EVERYWHERE! See if you can find them all.

The Festival Families First program is made possible in part by:

Visitor Information

Amenities available in and around Oakdale Park:

EMS First Aid Center Provided by the Salina Fire Department
Baby Station
Lost & Found / Lost Children
Ident-A-Kid
Information Booths
Public Rest Rooms
ATM

View our Festival Map

Parking & Shuttles

Parking is available in the lots adjacent to the Tony’s Pizza Events Center and in the general vicinity of the Festival or on public streets where permissible. No unauthorized vehicles, skateboards, or bikes are allowed in Oakdale Park, except for Public Safety – Fire & EMT.

Limited Handicapped Parking is available in the parking lot directly north of the 4th Street bridge (former Salina Journal parking lot, along the river.)

Downtown Salina Parking Map

Two FREE Shuttle trams and one FREE CityGo shuttle bus from the Tony’s Pizza Events Center parking lot shuttle stops into Festival grounds are accessible.

Friday: 10 am – 8 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 8 pm
Sunday: 10 am – 4 pm

After regular shuttle hours, OCCK provides transportation for people with movement impairments on an on-call basis. Check-in at Festival Headquarters for assistance. Friday and Saturday: 8 pm – 10 pm

CityGo Bus Services

Free rides to the Festival on the CityGo Bus System are available to anyone wearing a Festival wristband (Thursday, Friday & Saturday). CityGo is offering expanded bus service of regular routes within Salina city limits during the Festival: Thursday & Friday: 6 am – 10 pm.

Saturday: 9 am to 10 pm to Oakdale Park (Oakdale entrance and Events Center Foot Bridge)

For needed accommodations, please call Amanda Morris at Salina Arts & Humanities, 785-309-5770, between the hours of 8 am-Noon and 1 pm – 5 pm. Every effort will be made to accommodate known disabilities. For material or speech access, please call at least five working days prior to the event.

Smile!

The Smoky Hill River Festival is documented each year through photographs. These images are used in subsequent years for marketing purposes. The purchase of an admission wristband gives implied permission to use your photo. The Festival accepts no liability and offers no compensation for any personal image used in this way. Due to copyright infringement, absolutely NO unauthorized recording of any entertainment is permitted on grounds. *Beginning in 2022, all Smoky Hill River Festival-approved press will have credentials.

Check out the Photo Gallery or #SHRF2023.