page_title: Lawrence, Kansas
section_title: Arts and culture
hierarchical_section_title: Lawrence, Kansas / Arts and culture
caption_attribution_description: English: During a Thursday Brown Bag Concert on the streets of downtown Lawrence. Photo by Gary Mark Smith.
context_page_description: Lawrence is a city in Douglas County in the state of Kansas in the United States. It is in the northeastern part of the state, near the Kansas City area. It is the county seat of Douglas County. In 2010, 87,643 people lived there; though in 2019, there were an estimated 98,193 people. This makes it the sixth-biggest city in Kansas. The University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University are in Lawrence.
  The New England Emigrant Aid Company created Lawrence in 1854. It is named after Amos Adams Lawrence, who gave financial support to the city. During Bleeding Kansas, Lawrence was where the Wakarusa War and the Sack of Lawrence happened. Lawrence is also the site of the Lawrence Massacre which happened during the American Civil War.
  Lawrence started as an important place for free-state politics. After that, Lawrence's economy grew to be in many industries. These industries include agriculture, manufacturing, and education. Lawrence is called a "college town" because the University of Kansas is an important part of the city. There are many places in town where students like to go.
context_section_description: Lawrence is known for a thriving music and art culture. Rolling Stone said Lawrence is one of the best small college towns in the United States on August 11, 2005. In 2005, The New York Times said Lawrence had one of the best music cultures in any city between Chicago and Denver. Esquire magazine said The Replay Lounge, a bar and music venue in Lawrence, was one of the best in the United States in 2007.
  The University of Kansas has the Lied Center of Kansas. It is a building that shows many Broadway musicals. They have had famous bands perform, including The Beach Boys and Kansas.
  In December 2005, the city said it would have "International Dadaism Month" in 2006. This was about the early 20th century art movement. In the spirit of Dada, Mayor Dennis “Boog” Highberger did not choose a calendar month for it. Instead, he chose the dates for the "Month" as February 4, March 28, April 1, July 15, August 2, August 7, August 16, August 26, September 18, September 22, October 1, October 17, and October 26. He chose these dates by rolling dice and pulling numbers out of a hat.
  The Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival was an annual four-day music festival which began in 2004. It was held at Clinton Lake. Thousands of people went to the festival every year. They had many different kinds of bands play, including The Flaming Lips, STS9, Wilco, Matisyahu, and North Mississippi Allstars. Because of an agreement with the state government, the event was smaller than other festivals. As well as listening to music, people could also play disc golf, do yoga, go hiking, and go swimming. The festival moved to Mulberry Mountain, Arkansas. This happened because of a disagreement between the organizers and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks about the limits on the number of people and the rent.
  Every year since 1959, on the third Thursday in July, Lawrence has had the "Massachusetts Street sidewalk sale." It is a big sale on Massachusetts Street. Many stores take part. Often, radio stations and live music are played during this event.
caption: A brown bag concert in downtown Lawrence
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