A new event has been added tothe Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in Springfield this August, and fans of the Kansas City Chiefs will be especially excited about it.
The Chiefs Champions Tour will come to downtown Springfield Friday, August 11.
City of Springfield spokesperson Cora Scott said the event, celebrating the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, is a tour with the Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy as well as Chiefs cheerleaders, mascot and drum line.
Scott said the event could draw in more people for the festival, but it’s also exciting for area residents.
“We know that people who live in our region are really excited about the Chiefs,” she said. “I mean, we are Chiefs kingdom, so this gives them an opportunity that they might not have otherwise, and that’s to get their picture taken with a Super Bowl trophy and be connected to the, of course, world champion Chiefs.”
The Champions Tour will stop at the Springfield Expo Center on August 11 from 4 to 6 p.m.
The Kingdom Cruiser, the Kansas City Chiefs’ double decker bus, will be in the parade at 6 p.m. that day. You’ll be able to see it on College St. between Grant and Park Central Square. Scott said it will stop at the Aaron Sachs stage for a rally before the concert that night, so it won’t be part of the entire parade.
Machine Gun Symphony will perform on the stage Friday night at 7 followed by a performance at 9 by Sixwire with special guest Tommy DeCarlo.
The Birthplace of Route 66 Festival will be held August 10-12.
The festival brings money into Springfield, Scott said, but it’s more than that.
“Some of the businesses have their best weekends ever during the Route 66 Festival, but it’s also – it’s tri-fold,” she said. “One, it allows Springfieldians to celebrate how great Springfield is and our heritage as the birthplace of Route 66. Two, it invites people in to learn how great our community is, and three, it’s just a fun weekend.”
Last year was the first year the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival was held since the pandemic.
Scott said attendance was at levels seen in the fall of 2019. She expects attendance to increase this year.
