American Royal campus (under construction), State Avenue at 118th Street
The American Royal's new campus is on about 80 acres east of 118th Street in Kansas City, Kansas, its permanent address 1899 American Royal Way. For the first time in its 127-year history the American Royal owns its own grounds, but only the barns and exhibition hall are finished for the fall 2026 events, so parking, signage and some other areas are still limited while the rest of the campus is built over the next two to three years.
Before you go
- Official site
- americanroyal.com
- Next festival here
- American Royal World Series of Barbecue, Sep 30 to Oct 4, 2026
Worth knowing before you go
- Only the barns and exhibition hall are complete; the rest of the campus is under construction for the next two to three years.
- Landscaping and permanent signage are not finished yet.
- Expect some parking limitations while construction continues.
- The temporary address during construction is 11602 State Avenue; the permanent address is 1899 American Royal Way.
Festivals here
Venue basics: First-ever owned campus, still under construction · Barns and exhibition hall ready for fall 2026 · Parking $10 per day.
Is it for you
Choose it if
- You don't mind a venue still being built around you in exchange for being an early visitor to the new campus.
Think twice if
- You want the full, finished footprint of past years: capacity and layout are temporarily reduced during construction.
Getting there and parking
The campus sits on about 80 acres east of 118th Street. The permanent address will be 1899 American Royal Way, Kansas City, Kansas 66109; the temporary construction address is 11602 State Avenue.
Parking costs $10 per day, subject to availability.
The first phase of the new campus, opening fall 2026, is five indoor livestock barns and an indoor exhibition hall totaling 390,000 square feet. The rest of the campus, including three arenas and an outdoor plaza, will keep being built over the next two to three years, so some elements like landscaping and permanent signage will not be finished yet, and there will be some limitations on parking while construction continues.
The planned campus includes a main indoor arena for 5,000 to 8,000 people, a multi-purpose indoor arena for 3,000 to 6,000, a covered outdoor arena for 3,000 to 6,000, and an 80,000 square foot Food and Agriculture Learning and Engagement Center, once those later phases are built.
Accessibility
We don't yet have confirmed information about accessibility at American Royal campus (under construction), State Avenue at 118th Street. The venue's own pages are the place to check: americanroyal.com.
Camping
We don't yet have confirmed information about camping at American Royal campus (under construction), State Avenue at 118th Street. The venue's own pages are the place to check: americanroyal.com.
Food, water and what you can bring
Festival-specific · American Royal World Series of BarbecueThere are no individual water hookups at team spots this year. Instead there are multiple shared water access points around the grounds, and RV visitors are advised to arrive with their tanks full.
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American Royal World Series of Barbecue
A little history
For the first time in its 127-year history, the American Royal is hosting events on a campus it owns. It is a not-for-profit organization that runs livestock shows, the world's largest barbecue competition, equine shows, rodeos and agricultural education programs.
Because the new facility is still under construction, the World Series of Barbecue will not have its full past footprint for the next couple of years and team capacity is limited, with organizers planning for about 350 to 400 teams. Teams with 20 or more years of history get early access to registration before it opens to the public.