Kustom Entertainment is doubling down on Kansas this summer, turning post-festival buzz into a bigger swing at the Wichita concert market. Fresh off a blockbuster Country Stampede weekend, the promoter has locked in a multi-season deal to shift larger festivals and dozens of other live events to Gilley’s in Park City. Organizers and local leaders say the move gives Kustom room to expand camping, premium experiences and on-site hospitality, while steering more visitors into the Wichita suburbs.
Country Stampede’s 30th anniversary packed the grounds, with the festival site listing a weekend gate of more than 42,000 fans. According to Country Stampede, that turnout, paired with brisk ticket demand, sped up Kustom’s plans to grow its live-event footprint across the region.
Gilley's deal and capacity
The expansion is anchored in a multi-season partnership with Ruffin Properties to stage festivals at Gilley’s Gambling Hall in Park City, with Kustom saying the site can host shows for up to about 35,000 people and support more than 20 show days in 2027. The promoter has already circled June 25–27, 2027 as the Park City dates for Country Stampede. As outlined in a Kustom press release, the relocation will “nearly double” the festival’s current venue capacity and open up space for camping and more premium experiences. According to GlobeNewswire, the decision follows strong sales at the 2026 event.
Promoters and owners weigh in
Gilley’s owner Phil Ruffin and Kustom executives are pitching the deal as both a fan-experience upgrade and an economic shot in the arm for the Wichita area. Phil Ruffin told The Wichita Eagle that Gilley’s “country and western atmosphere” makes the property an ideal fit for Country Stampede, while Kustom’s production team says it plans to book multiple genres at the Park City site. Local officials have embraced the tourism upside, even as they acknowledge that bigger crowds will mean more work on traffic, parking and public safety.
What promoters say
Stan Ross, Kustom’s CEO, has argued that the expanded footprint should translate into jobs and festival-driven spending, calling the arrangement “a win, win for all parties.” At a news conference at Gilley’s, he said the company is planning at least six different festival concepts next year as it fills out the venue calendar, remarks captured by local TV coverage. The early slate is designed to keep ticket inventory moving and to test which ideas land best with the Wichita market. According to KWCH, Kustom also plans to show off designs for the Park City festival footprint to this year’s attendees.
Local upside and open questions
City officials have been open about the potential benefits. One analysis cited by local reporting estimated that festivals tied to Gilley’s could draw roughly 200,000 visitors across multiple events in 2027, a welcome prospect for area hotels, restaurants and vendors. At the same time, residents and planners point out that large festival weekends will put pressure on roads, parking lots and public safety resources that Park City and Sedgwick County will have to plan for. The Wichita Eagle has outlined both the revenue possibilities and the infrastructure hurdles that loom over the coming festival season.
A growth play for a public promoter
The Park City push fits into a broader pivot at Kustom, which has rebranded and reshaped its business to focus on live events and ticketing while shedding noncore assets and emphasizing growth in owned festivals. As the company has told investors in recent presentations and press releases, locking in venue dates and controlling ticket inventory sits at the center of its strategy to lift margins and ticketing revenue. Those details are laid out in Kustom’s investor updates and filing summaries, as described in company releases posted on GlobeNewswire.
For fans, the near-term takeaway is more straightforward. Current Country Stampede ticketholders are being told to expect early access to 2027 inventory, and organizers say they will roll out more specifics on the Park City setup over the fall. Kustom and Gilley’s are already lining up acts for a partial fall 2026 slate and the full 2027 festival calendar, with official updates and ticket information appearing on the festival site. For firm dates and recap material, see Country Stampede.
