ELLENSBURG, Wash. —
Fourth of July is just around the corner and the summer festivities are in full swing. The Kittitas Valley Events Center is hosting its Patriot Night Under the Lights Concert.
The event has been put on every year since 2019 at the fairgrounds.
Kicking off on Monday, July 3rd at 5:00 p.m. The doors to the arena open shortly after at 6:00 p.m. and the concert lights are at 7 p.m.
The concert brings talented artists to the fairgrounds and rodeo to help kick off the summer.
Kady Porterfield, Event Center Director tells us after some cooler days, the weather is finally getting warmer.
“I think the combination of this concert and independence day all together . It’s the perfect kick off for summer.” says Kady. “We’re just really excited as a community to have this patriotic event that brings us together.”
The event takes nearly 6 months of planning. Starting in the Fall, Kady and the event team start talking about the budget.
The budget usually includes the volunteers, construction team and the artist(s) that are available.
She says it’s difficult to plan ahead because summer tends to be busy for the artists.
“There’s a lot of negotiations to find the right price point and find the right people who can be available for our time of year.” says Kady.
Once the artist(s) are booked, it’s time to contact the volunteers needed to help run the event.
The event center has a capacity of about 2,500 people.
A Patriotic Night Under the Lights will have a beer garden, food, a concert and firework shows. After the concert, you can enjoy a firework show at 10:00 p.m. with a beer garden dance party to follow.
Headlining the concert will be Colt Ford and Runaway June.
Kady says this event is perfect to start the summer, then it ends with the 100th anniversary of the Ellensburg Rodeo.
The Ellensburg Fair and Rodeo first started in 1923 and moved its current location back in 1923 as well.
So it’s a centennial celebration in the Kittitas Valley for the fairgrounds and rodeo.
If you’re wanting to join the fun at the fair and summer in Ellensburg, get your $50 tickets for the event.
You can head to the event center’s website. There, you’ll find tickets to all its events this summer including the concert.
The ticket is a General Admission Ticket. With it, you’re allowed to sit in the stands of the arena or get in the arena and stand front and center.
After the concert, you have access to the beer garden and post concert show.
