Organizers of Kansas City’s Boulevardia announced on Thursday that the annual beer and music festival will not return for another season.
The decision brings to a close a 10-year run for the summer festival, which is known for blending live music, local makers and craft beer.
The festival debuted as a two-day event in the West Bottoms in 2014, moved to the Stockyards District in 2017, and has called Crown Center home since 2022. Last year, organizers shifted to a one-day schedule.
"Ending on ten years feels right — like the final page of a story we're incredibly proud to have written together,” event organizers wrote in a statement on their website. “The festival may be ending, but the memories (and the hangovers) live on.”
Organizers did not respond to a KCUR request for an interview.
Artists from multiple genres played the festival through the years, from hip-hop legend DJ Jazzy Jeff to emo staple Dashboard Confessional and pop rock brother-band Hanson.
Organizers also made it a point to feature local talent, including the Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra, Katy Guillen & The Drive, and Tech N9ne.
Local cultural offerings weren’t limited to music, either.
"There's a giant maker's village with 60 different makers from right here in Kansas City, there's 19 food trucks, and we have a silent disco," one of the festival's organizers, Chris Haghirian, told KCUR's Up To Date in 2024.
Boulevard Brewing Co. served as the festival’s leading sponsor since its founding.
“While the current version of Boulevardia is coming to a close, we are thrilled to continue celebrating all things Boulevard in Kansas City this summer and beyond,” the company said in a statement, “and the door remains open for different, exciting experiences in the spirit of Boulevardia in the future.”
