Arts & events


Community members show their colors at Lawrence PRIDE parade and block party
Lawrence PRIDE celebrated the first weekend of Pride Month with a downtown parade and block party. As people waved rainbow flags and walked dogs wearing rainbow tutus, the event showed what it can look like when a community comes together for the sake of diversity, love and acceptance.

Lawrence PRIDE to bring street parade, block party to Mass Street
Lawrence PRIDE will return Saturday, bigger than ever before. Featuring a street parade, block party and drag show, the event will also include info about Kansas’ new anti-trans legislation and a gender marker clinic.

State Library of Kansas announces 2023 notable books list
A serial killing family, a child trying to survive WWII-era Ukraine, the 50-year history of an acoustic music festival, a plot to save a family farm: These topics are among those featured in the 2023 Kansas Notable Books list, announced Tuesday by the State Library of Kansas.

Lawrence City Band summer concerts to return
It’s summertime again, and Wednesday’s kickoff show for the Lawrence City Band’s weekly concert series will celebrate that.

Lawrence Busker Festival 2023: See highlights from unicycling unicorns, acrobatic archers, and more
This weekend, the Busker Festival is filling the streets of downtown Lawrence with breakdancers, firebreathers, hula hoop contortionists and more.

Lawrence Arts Center’s Summer Youth Theatre to celebrate 50 years with alumni reunion cabaret
As the saying goes, the show must go on. And for 50 years, the Summer Youth Theatre has gone on, rain or shine. In spite of all sorts of other barriers, it’s brought energetic theatre performances to the community and given thousands of young performers their first chances onstage.

Q&A with Ric Averill, longtime leader of Lawrence’s Summer Youth Theatre
A common thread through almost all of Lawrence Summer Youth Theatre’s 50-year history has been Ric Averill, along with his wife Jeanne and their children.

Artists of Van Go Arts Train unveil new mural at Kansas Suicide Prevention Headquarters
Van Go artists unveiled “The Art of Listening,” a new mural that graces the front of Kansas Suicide Prevention Headquarters, in front of a crowd of eager spectators Wednesday evening.

Art Tougeau to bring parade on wheels to downtown Lawrence, this year with a unique block party
All things with wheels will be decked out in decorations and parading down Massachusetts Street as part of the annual Art Tougeau event this weekend, which will also involve a new element: a unique block party in partnership with Hang12.

Lawrence Busker Festival to return for the long weekend
A beloved celebration of street performers returns to downtown Lawrence this weekend. The Busker Festival will bring dance, art, music, magic, acrobatics and much more to Mass Street and beyond.

Summer reading program to kick off with party at Lawrence Public Library
As school ends this week, the Lawrence Public Library is celebrating the launch of its summer reading program with a party on the library lawn.

Downtown Lawrence’s Summer Sidewalk Sale moving to June evening as Mid Summer Night on Mass
Downtown Lawrence Inc. is making big changes to its traditional annual sidewalk sale. The new Mid Summer Night on Mass will move the fun to the evening hours on June 23.