Heartland Stampede Music Festival

The Heartland Stampede Music Festival is an outdoor country music and camping festival held at Heartland Motorsports Park, south of Topeka, Kansas. Formerly known as the Country Stampede, the festival has been held annually since 1996, on the last weekend in June.[2]

Heartland Stampede Music Festival
GenreCountry music
Classic rock
Dateslast weekend in June
Location(s)Topeka, KS (2019)
Manhattan, KS (1996–2018)
Sparta, KY (2003–2004)
Years active1996–present
Founded byWayne Rouse[1]
Websiteheartlandstampede.com

The festival was held at Tuttle Creek State Park outside Manhattan, Kansas, from its founding in 1996 to 2018.[1] The 2019 festival was moved to Topeka, initially due to potential flood conditions at Tuttle Creek Lake.[3][4] Organizers announced the move would be permanent on June 20, 2019.[5][6] Organizers also announced the name of the festival was changed to Heartland Stampede in advance of the 2020 festival.

Country Stampede in Manhattan (1996–2018)
Festival logo 2012–2019
Festival logo until 2012

The Country Stampede festival was the largest annual music festival in Kansas while in Manhattan. Total combined attendance for all days exceeded 170,000 – in 2012 it was approximately 175,000. The record for largest single-day attendance was set on June 23, 2012, when an estimated 55,000 fans watched Toby Keith perform.

The festival began as a three-day weekend event, and then for several years was expanded to a four-day format, lasting from Thursday through Sunday. Camping was common for attendees, and 2,400 camp sites were available on the grounds. Vendors, and many activities were also present at the festival.

Starting in 2016, the festival reverted to a three-day format. The Thursday night kickoff party was expanded into a full-day format, while Sunday was dropped from the weekend. Festival President Wayne Rouse said the decision would allow attendees a day off to recover and travel. The new format was well-received, and Rouse indicated the change would be permanent.

During this time, a sister festival was held at the Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky in 2003 and 2004.

Past performers

Notable musical artists performing at the festival in Manhattan include:[7]

Heartland Stampede in Topeka (2019–present)

In May 2019, after severe rains caused increased water levels at Tuttle Creek Lake Dam, the organizers of Country Stampede announced on their Facebook page that the festival would move to Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka for the June 2019 event as a measure to "ensure all of [the] concert goers will be out of harm's way".[3][4]

Despite reassurances from the festival organizers on their FAQ page that the event would not permanently move from Manhattan [8], on June 20th, hours before the festival began, Country Stampede officials and leaders from the City of Topeka announced that the festival would permanently move to Heartland Motorsports Park for three additional years, renaming the festival to "Heartland Stampede", and terminating their contract with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism to host the event at Tuttle Creek Lake State Park.[5][6]

2019 headline performer Jason Aldean was forced to cancel his show due to severe weather.

Past performers

Notable musical artists performing at the festival in Topeka include:

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See also

References
  1. "No Place Like Home For Music Festival". Associated Press. June 22, 2006. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  2. "14th Annual County Stampede Lineup Announced". The Manhattan Mercury. November 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  3. "Country Stampede - Facebook". Facebook. May 31, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  4. "Country Stampede festival moves to Topeka over flooding concerns". KSHB-TV. May 31, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  5. Garrett, Dan (June 20, 2019). "Officials announce Country Stampede to move to Topeka for next three years". KSNT. Archived from the original on 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  6. Viviani, Nick (June 20, 2019). "Country Stampede officially moving - and changing its name". WIBW-TV. Archived from the original on 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  7. "Country Stampede - Past Performers". Archived from the original (English) on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  8. "FAQ | Country Stampede". Country Stampede. June 20, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-06-20.

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