Freedom Fest returns to South Park for July 4 celebration

Freedom Fest is returning to South Park with a bigger civic pitch: a free July 4 gathering on the east side of the park that blends music, family activities and a lesson in how Kansas voters could reshape the state constitution. Organizers say the second annual event is meant to honor the Declaration of Independence and the 250th anniversary of its signing while giving Lawrence a holiday tradition that feels both patriotic and distinctly local.

The festival runs Saturday, July 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the PerSisters scheduled to open the program at 10:45 a.m. The Lawrence lineup also includes Mike Yoder, Terry Moore, Ardys Ramberg, Linda Sue Clark and Byron James. Natalie Weiss will read Amanda Gorman’s poem The Hill We Climb, and ASL/English interpretation will be provided. For families, the day will include face painting, balloons, giant bubbles, sidewalk chalk, cornhole, fishing, giant bowling and Jenga, with food trucks rounding out the park setting.

Amii Castle, a University of Kansas law professor, will emcee the program and use the stage to talk through two proposed Kansas constitutional amendments that will appear on ballots later this year. One would change the way Kansas Supreme Court justices are chosen by moving from the current nominating process to elections, a proposal scheduled for the Aug. 4, 2026 primary ballot. The other, advanced by HCR 5004, would require U.S. citizenship, age 18 and residency in the voting area to cast a ballot in Kansas and is slated for the November 2026 ballot.

That mix of celebration and civics is what sets Freedom Fest apart from a standard holiday gathering. Organizers are trying to make the event more than a prelude to fireworks by tying Independence Day to civil rights, women’s rights and voting rights, while also creating a space that is open to families, neighbors and visitors in the middle of Lawrence. The aim is part classroom, part concert and part block-party atmosphere.

Last year’s inaugural Freedom Fest drew more than 100 people and featured a constitution reading, musical performances and a comedic ventriloquist. It was organized by a broad coalition that included Arc of Justice, Lawrence Indivisible, League of Women Voters – Lawrence/Douglas County, Douglas County Democrats, Lawrence Branch NAACP, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lawrence, We the People and Women for Kansas. The second-year return suggests organizers are already testing whether South Park can become a lasting July 4 destination, not just a one-off gathering.