Arts & events


‘Classics in South Park’ concert to feature Free State chamber orchestra
The Lawrence-based nonprofit Mid-America Performing Arts Alliance will open its season Tuesday with a free concert featuring the Free State High School Chamber Orchestra.

Photos: Rev It Up! Hot Rod Street Fest gets underway at South Park
Owners of classic cars, pickups and motorcycles drove in to South Park Saturday morning to kick off the annual Rev It Up! Hot Rod Street Fest.

Feria de Kansas event invites Lawrence to celebrate spring with Spanish culture
Lawrence community members will have the opportunity to “celebrate spring like the Sevillanos do” during Feria de Kansas on May 1, according to a news release from the event’s sponsor, 45º (45 Grados).

Lawrence PRIDE set for 2-day celebration; donations to benefit Haus of McCoy
Mark your calendars: Organizers are planning a special two-day, multivenue Lawrence PRIDE celebration this June.

Student-led group Hang12 curates shows with goal to elevate young Lawrence artists
Hang12, a student-led curatorial board run out of the Lawrence Arts Center, plans and runs art shows and art-centered community events with the goal of elevating young artists from the Lawrence area.

KU Libraries to recognize student collections with Snyder Awards
The Snyder Book Collecting Contest awards, which recognize undergraduate and graduate students for their collections of books, digital items, graphic novels and more, will be presented April 21.

A moment in Lawrence: John Waters speaks to Free State Festival crowd
Filmmaker John Waters returned to Lawrence for “False Negative: An Evening with John Waters” as part of the Free State Festival Thursday night.

Preservationists to host egg hunt, pancake breakfast featuring Black Jack maple syrup
Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park board members will flip pancakes Saturday and serve them in a stack slathered in syrup rendered from the historic site’s maple grove.

International Jayhawk Festival returns to ‘celebrate KU’s diverse student body’
Those who attend the sixth annual International Jayhawk Festival on April 19 will receive free snacks and T-shirts as they “learn what it means to be a global Jayhawk” with crafts, games and activities that represent cultures from around the world.

Amplify Lawrence to resume in-person music camp for girls, gender nonconforming youth this summer
During the weeklong Amplify Lawrence camp every summer, girls and transgender or nonbinary youth are encouraged to be unapologetically themselves through music. Campers get to form their own bands, write original songs and perform in a final live concert in front of the community.

Photos: KU’s First Nations Student Association Powwow returns in person and outdoors
It was a beautiful day Saturday for KU’s First Nations Student Association’s annual Powwow and Indigenous Cultures Festival to return to a fully in-person format.

‘We aren’t as divided as we think’: Powwow and Indigenous Cultures Festival educates, brings communities together
Hundreds of people gathered Saturday at the Lied Center for the annual First Nations Students Association (FNSA) Powwow and Indigenous Cultures Festival, which was filled with activities, including dance contests throughout the day, educational lectures, story time and more.

Gaypril events to celebrate queer and trans students at KU
Festivities at KU will celebrate queer and trans people throughout the month for Gaypril, featuring a variety of events including a sex positivity art show and a drag makeup tutorial.

Indigenous Community Center launches Native youth skate team in Lawrence
The Indigenous Community Center is aiming to help local Native youth build confidence and healthy habits through its new skate team. The first skate meet was today at Edgewood Park.

Photos: Mass Street Madness
Mass Street shoppers, visitors and regulars were beginning to take advantage of the wide open street closed to vehicle traffic Saturday morning ahead of KU’s Final Four game against Villanova.

A view of Lawrence: Mass Street calm before the chaos
Massachusetts Street will come to life Saturday with a party ahead of the Kansas Jayhawks facing the Villanova Wildcats in the Final Four. But as the roads were closed in preparation Saturday morning, the street was almost empty.