Bluegrass group Split Lip Rayfield, originally formed in Wichita and now based in Lawrence, will celebrate 30 years together as headliners of the Kaw River Roots Festival.
The festival will run from Friday, June 27 through Sunday, June 29 at multiple venues on the 1000 block of Massachusetts Street, featuring free performances from more than a dozen artists.
“We have 13 hand-picked acts staggered across three days, making for non-stop good music at every turn. The line-up is stacked, including some great local and regional artists that we’re fortunate to have so close to home,” festival organizer Mike Logan said in a news release.
The roster includes Lawrence-based acts MoonShroom, Betsy O & The Hollaback Boys, The Facklers, Jenna & Martin and DJ Proof, as well as Kansas City groups Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs and Whiskey Mash.
Split Lip Rayfield will take the stage for the headline event outside The Granada as part of the Live On Mass concert series June 28, with afterparties to follow. The show will mark approximately one year since the Kansas Hall of Famers reunited during the 2024 Kaw River Roots Festival after a five-year hiatus.
For those curious about the band’s multidecade journey, Free State Festival will host a showing of “Split Lip Rayfield: Never Make It Home,” followed by a Q&A with the director and band members Sunday, June 29. The documentary explores the final months of the group’s former singer/songwriter, Kirk Rundstrom, who went on a final tour with the group after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Tickets for the documentary screening cost $12 and can be purchased through Free State Festival’s website.
Other Kaw River Roots Festival highlights include a kickoff concert inside The Granada and Lucia that Friday evening. Lucia will wrap the festival with a Bluegrass Brunch Sunday morning.
For more information about the lineup and artist highlights, visit the festival’s website at kawriverroots.com.
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Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
