Festival from Kansas City lounge hopes to showcase a scene ‘on the rise’

[JohnS]

Festival from Kansas City lounge hopes to showcase a scene ‘on the rise’

 By J.M. Banks - Updated April 21, 2026 

J.M. Banks 

Sherri’s Executive Lounge is preparing to bring back its Cigar Festival for a second year, returning with a larger lineup and a broader pitch for what cigar culture can look like in Kansas City.

The two-day event, also called the Kansas City Culture Festival, is scheduled for May 29 and 30 under the historic Jefferson Bridge, 2130 Jefferson St. Organizers plan to fill the bridge with live music, cigar vendors, food trucks, artists, boxing and after-parties.

For owners Jason and Nayeli Sharp, the festival is built not only for seasoned cigar smokers. It is an extension of the lounge they have created on Genessee Street, a place centered on conversation, live music and a slower pace than the club scene. The bridge event is meant to take that same atmosphere into a larger public setting while tying cigars to Kansas City’s music, arts and small-business communities.

“We wanted to bridge the cultures that exist within Kansas City’s walls and beyond,” Jason Sharp said. “We really wanted to have a space that was inviting and welcoming. It was a grown folk space that we could share and influence the ideas that we had in terms of how we manage nightlife in Kansas City.”

The festival’s first year gave the Sharps a test run. Sharp and his wife said last year’s event drew about 3,000 people over two days, with visitors coming not only from the metro but from about 10 states. He described the first year as turbulent but successful, shaped by the usual challenges of permits, logistics and public skepticism, but also by the sense that there was room for a festival built around cigars, jazz and community.

That first turnout also gave the Sharps evidence that the audience for cigar culture in Kansas City extends beyond lounge regulars. Sharp saw one of the biggest early hurdles was getting people to move past the assumption that a cigar-and-jazz crowd would bring problems. Instead, he said, the event showed that a large public gathering could still feel orderly, adult and community-minded.

This year, organizers are leaning further into that crossover appeal. Along with cigars, the festival will feature boxing on Saturday night, local artists, food vendors, and new VIP drinks and tastings. The added tastings are part of an effort to make the event feel wider than a smoker-only gathering and give more guests a reason to show up under the bridge.

“We’re trying to draw people from a music perspective and then we introduce them,” he said. “We’re trying to draw people from an art perspective and then we introduce. Cigars are generally associated with whiskey and bourbon. Well, we’re going to have beer at the festival this year and there’s a lot of beer drinkers that don’t necessarily associate that with cigars.”

That broader approach is central to how the Sharps say they are helping shape cigar culture in Kansas City. They describe the local scene as close-knit but growing, with lounges, blenders and businesses often collaborating even while operating in the same market.

It also gives local cigar brands a public stage. Among the local vendors expected at this year’s festival are Emami Cigars out of Lawrence, Bad Ash Cigars out of St. Joseph and Bautizado en Fuego out of Kansas City. By placing those brands at the center of the weekend, the Sharps are using the event to show that the metro’s cigar identity is not just imported from somewhere else, but is being built locally through small blenders and boutique brands.

Full Article: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article315432094.html