Admission
Festival Dates: June 12-15, 2025
Gate Hours:
Thursday • 4 pm – 10 pm
Friday • 10 am – 10 pm
Saturday • 10 am – 10 pm
Sunday • 10 am – 4 pm
Admission is by Festival wristband only.
At the gate:
- $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
Click here for information on Accessibility Services
Good Neighbor Park Policy:
The Smoky Hill River Festival occurs 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
- Service animals
*These lists are not comprehensive.
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
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:
- Ashby House
- Big Brother Big Sisters
- CAPS
- Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas
- Central Kansas Mental Health
- Department of Children and Families (DCF)
- DVACK
- Gear Up
- Heartland Early Education
- Independent Connection
- KVC Kansas
- New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church
- New Horizon Services
- Salina Housing Authority
- Salvation Army
- Thrive of the Heartland
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:
- Blue Beacon International Inc.
- Don C. & Florence M. McCune Foundation
- Key Rexall Pharmacy
- Mildred & Rolland Middlkekauff Foundation
- Salina Regional Health Foundation
- Smoky Hill Construction LLC
- Verla Nesbitt Joscelyn Foundation
Visitor Information
Amenities available in and around Oakdale Park:
- EMS First Aid Center Provided by the Salina Fire Department
- Mobility Services
- Baby Station in Artyopolis
- Lost & Found / Lost Children
- Ident-A-Kid in Artyopolis
- 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.) See Mobility Services for more info.
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
Anyone wearing a Festival wristband (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) can ride the CityGo Bus System free to the Festival. CityGo offers expanded bus service on regular routes within Salina city limits during the Festival: Thursday and 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. Please call at least five working days before the event for material or speech access.
Photos & Videos
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 implies 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 these grounds.
**All Smoky Hill River Festival-approved Press will have credentials.**
Check out the Photo Gallery or #SHRF2025.
Directions & Maps
To Tony’s Pizza Events Center Parking lot with Shuttle Service, click here
Enthusiasts, Artists, Performers, Vendor Entrance: Mulberry Gate at Oakdale Park
To view our Festival map on Google Maps, click here
Program Map PDF, click here
Accommodations
Need a place to stay? Visit one of our Festival partners:
Check out Visit Salina for additional options.