Wichita Riverfest rolls out its list of 2023 musical performers
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The Wichita Riverfest staff is ready to share the musical lineup for the 2023 festival, which will fill downtown Wichita with food, fun and music from June 2 to 10.
And although none of the acts on the list can match the fame of last year’s big act Willie Nelson — really, who could? — the lineup contains several well-known performers, including a band who had radio hits throughout the 1990s, a Tik-Tok star with millions of followers, several country acts, and a hip-hop performer getting a do-over from 2020, when the festival was canceled because of COVID-19 after all the acts were announced.
“Every year, the staff at Riverfest spends an inordinate amount of time reviewing and selecting entertainment,” said Jen Remsberg, the festival’s new director of marketing and communications. “It is a complicated process but one we love and agonize over because we want the concerts to appeal to everyone. That’s really hard to do.”
Again this year, all the big concerts will happen on the Kennedy Plaza Stage. Admission will be a Wichita Riverfest button, on sale now. Adult buttons, good for admission to all nine days of the festival, are $10 until May 6 at all Meineke Car Care centers. After May 6, they go up to $15 and will be on sale at local QuikTrip stores. Child buttons are $5.
Following is a list of the acts that festival leaders announced at an event Monday afternoon at the Meineke Car Care center at 2344 S. Seneca.
Friday, June 2: Shaggy, perhaps best known for the 1990s hits “It Wasn’t Me” and “Angel,” will be the opening-night headliner. He was on the lineup in 2000, when the festival was canceled because of the pandemic, and never got to play in Wichita. Earlier in the night, Cash Hollistah (hip-hop) will perform, as will DJ Carbon.
Saturday, June 3: Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, an Americana band whose members hail from Tennessee, are the headliners. They’ll be preceded by Wilderado (indie folk) and Reid Haughton (singer/songwriter).
Sunday, June 4: Parker Millsap, a singer/songwriter with an Americana sound who frequently performs in Wichita, will headline the night. Also on stage will be D’Aydrian Harding, a Wichita native whose comedy videos have earned him 7 million TikTok followers and helped him pull in 5-10 million views a month on YouTube. “We are reaching out to a new audience this year,” Remsberg said.
Monday, June 5: Le’Andria Johnson, who won the BET gospel singing competition “Sunday Best” in its third season, will headline the festival’s annual Gospelfest. Also on the bill: gospel group Blind Boys of Alabama.
Tuesday, June 6: Eli Young Band, a country act whose members met at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, are the main act for the night. Texas Hill is the opener.
Wednesday, June 7: Gin Blossoms, a band that found fame in the 1990s with hits like “Hey Jealousy” and “Follow You Down” will headline Wednesday night. Singer/songwriter Desure, whose music blends country, folk, rock and indie, will open.
Thursday, June 8: New Orleans-based brass ensemble The Soul Rebels will headline Thursday night, which is traditionally Cajun night and also includes the Cajun food fest. Earlier in the evening, crowds can see homegrown rapper XV and Kansas City’s Ernest James Zydeco.
Friday, June 9: Edén Muñoz is the headliner of a long list of bands performing as part of the festival’s annual Friday-night Fiesta del Rio. The bill this year also includes Los De La Sierra, Pepe Y Los Diamantes De Ojinaga, Mariachi America, Los Humildes Hermanos Ayala and DJ Tynno Morales.
Saturday, June 10: Parmalee, a country music group known for the hit “Take My Name,” will be the closing-night headliners for the Riverfest. Opening acts include Jenna & Martin and Jared “Pete” Gile, a singer/songwriter from Kansas.
