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Intermediate wheatgrass as a dual use crop for grain and grazing
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Join us for Prairie Festival 2026 in celebration of The Land Institute’s 50th anniversary in Salina, Kansas, along the banks of the Smoky Hills River! Engage with a weekend of speakers, perennial grain foods, artists, musicians, hands-on demonstrations, and more from Friday, September 25, through Sunday, September 27.
At this year’s Prairie Festival: 50 years of perennial possibilities, The Land Institute invites members of the community to reflect on the past 50 years of our collective work to transform food systems for people and the planet and envision the next 50 years of a global perennial agriculture revolution.
All tickets enable full access to programming, including keynote talks, artist exhibits, musical performances, tours, film screenings, workshops, yoga, nature walks, and educational sessions. Some activities will require guests to sign up, but there is no additional cost.
The ticket price also includes a free Community Welcome Meal on Day 1 (Friday, September 25) and a free Community Kernza® Pancake Breakfast on Day 3 (Sunday, September 27). Attendees may also purchase a separate meal pass for Day 2 on Saturday, September 26, featuring breakfast, lunch, and dinner catered by regional restaurants.
Keep up with the most up-to-date agenda and programming activities throughout the Prairie Festival 2026 weekend, including details on keynote speakers, musical guests, artists, breakout sessions, and more. The agenda will continue to evolve over time, and new updates will be included here and in communications to those on our email list.
3 pm
5 pm – 7 pm
7 pm – 9 pm
7 am
7:30 am
8:00 am
9:00 am
9:30 am
10:15 am
11:00 am
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Afternoon breakout sessions begin
4:30 pm
5:00 pm
6:00 pm
7:00 pm-9:00 pm
7:30 pm
7 am
7:30 am
8:00 am
8:30 am
9:15 am
10:00 am
10:45 am
11:15 am
11:30 am
12:00 pm
For guests who purchase the Saturday meal pass during online registration, we’re partnering with regional food providers, including Don Toro’s, Dispatch Pizza, Prairieland Market, Seraphim Bread, and Umami Bowl, to offer meals rooted in place. Where possible, meals will incorporate perennial grains like Kernza®. We’ll offer meat, vegetarian, and vegan options. All meal options include a drink.
If you are gluten-free or have other dietary accommodations, please share them during registration, and we will do our best to accommodate them. For those with severe allergies, vendors cannot entirely eliminate the risk of cross-contamination, so please consider bringing your own meals or traveling into town to purchase them instead of the Saturday meal pass.
Sample menus (subject to change)
Breakfast
Don Toro’s breakfast burritos
Lunch
Dispatch Pizza with Kernza® crust + side salad with perennial Baki™ bean
Prairieland Market boxed lunches
Dinner
Dispatch Pizza with Kernza® crust + side salad with perennial Baki™ bean
Seraphim boxed dinner
Umami Bowl power bowl
Key
P = pork
CH = chicken
V = vegetarian
VEG = vegan
+ = gluten-free upon request
Elsie DuBray (Oóhenuŋpa Lakxóta/Mandan/Hidatsa) is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and hails from a Buffalo ranch on her reservation in South Dakota. Her work emphasizes the healing potential of a restored relationship to the Buffalo for Lakxóta people and other Buffalo Nations and challenges mainstream definitions of food sovereignty through intergenerational knowledge.
Kate Marvel is a climate scientist and one of the premier science communicators working today, having served on the US Fifth National Climate Assessment, given a TED talk, and testified before Congress. She has written for Scientific American, Nautilus magazine, the On Being project, and her own book, Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About our Changing Planet.
Brett Ramey (Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska) is a land steward, educator, and program designer working at the intersections of ecological, cultural, and community health. He facilitates collaborative visioning and implementation of landscape-scale biocultural restoration and frontline community-led food sovereignty initiatives.
Jenny Reardon is a Professor of Sociology and the Founding Director of the Science and Justice Research Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research draws into focus questions about identity, justice, and democracy that are often silently embedded in scientific ideas and practices, particularly in modern genomic research.
Jesse Smith is the Director of Land Stewardship at White Buffalo Land Trust, a non-profit dedicated to advancing regenerative agriculture. Raised on California’s Central Coast, Jesse fosters diverse partnerships for multi-stakeholder projects, with a particular interest in multi-strata agroforestry, hydrological restoration, and specialized agroforestry crops like agave, elderberry, and more.
Ready to register or have already registered, and are curious to learn more about event logistics? Click the link below to see the most up-to-date information on travel, lodging, and other helpful details for the Prairie Festival 2026 weekend. You can also read the FAQs at the bottom of this page for answers to commonly asked questions about the event.
Since the early days of The Land Institute, founded by Dana and Wes Jackson, Prairie Festival has served as a non-traditional gathering of the minds to envision a flourishing future for people and the planet. Since then, this event has grown into a global assembly in our Central Great Plains homebase around the promise of a perennial agriculture transformation.
Whether you are a long-standing attendee or joining our community for the first time, click the link below to immerse yourself in the festival’s history and its significance to our organization and global research efforts.
Answers to commonly asked questions.
Tickets include full access to keynote talks, artist exhibits, musical performances, research tours, film screenings, workshops, yoga, nature walks, and educational sessions. Some activities designed for smaller groups will have a capacity limit, however. We will send announcements when attendees can begin signing up for activities with a capacity limit.
Your ticket also includes:
Yes. Tickets are refundable through August 1. After that date, tickets are non-refundable due to event planning, catering, and program commitments. If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your registration to another attendee by contacting us.
Yes. You’ll be able to update certain details (such as meal selections or attendee information) until August 31. Please contact us if you need assistance.
If you are registering multiple people, you’ll enter information for each attendee individually so we can accurately capture meal selections, dietary needs, liability and release forms, and other details.
We offer community pricing, including a free ticket option, to help ensure cost is not a barrier to participation. We invite you to select the option that best reflects your situation.
A limited number of free tickets are available upon request. If cost is a barrier, please complete our contact form and select “Prairie Festival 2026” in the dropdown menu labeled “purpose of message.” We will provide a ticket—no questions asked. Camping can be included as needed.
No. Prairie Festival ticket purchases and add-ons are not tax-deductible because they include admission, meals, and other event benefits. However, you are welcome to make a separate tax-deductible donation to The Land Institute to support our mission during registration checkout or at our donation link.
Yes. Prairie Festival has a capacity of 1,000 attendees. We encourage early registration.
Yes. Prairie Festival is a family-friendly event. All guests 17 years of age and under can also attend for free with a ticketed adult, but you still must register them for the event. If you are bringing children with you to the event, the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center Mobile Museum will also be available as a kid-friendly activity on Saturday, September 26, from 9 am – 6 pm.
We’re partnering with regional food providers to offer meals rooted in place, like wood-fired pizza and seasonal boxed meals from our local co-op. When possible, meals will feature Kernza® perennial grain. The Friday community welcome meal and Sunday community Kernza® pancake breakfast are included with event ticket. Kernza® perennial grain beer garden open will be open Friday and Saturday evenings.
Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided for guests who purchase the Saturday meal pass during online registration. We’ll offer meat, vegetarian, and vegan options. All meal options include a drink.
For guests not purchasing a Saturday meal pass, you may bring your own food into the event or take a short drive into town to find local restaurant options.
We aim to accommodate a range of dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Options may vary by meal or vendor, so please make your food selections during registration if purchasing a Saturday meal pass. You are also welcome to bring your own food to best account for your dietary needs and restrictions.
Meal availability may be limited closer to the event. We recommend selecting meals during online registration.
No. On-site meals are optional. You’re also welcome to bring your own food or explore local dining options in town (approximately a 10–15 minute drive from the festival grounds).
Yes. Prairie Festival welcomes people at all stages of familiarity with the perennial movement, from those deeply engaged in the work to those just beginning to explore it. During registration, you’ll have the option to indicate if you’re new, and we’ll help create opportunities to connect with others—whether you’re looking to meet fellow newcomers or engage with more experienced participants. Our team will also be available throughout the weekend to support your experience.
Please share any accessibility needs through our contact form, and our team will follow up as needed to support your experience. We will have a select number of handicap parking spots available near the event venue, as well as cart transportation from the parking lot to the festival grounds for those who require assistance. Service animals are allowed at Prairie Festival.
Please note that the festival grounds will consist of mowed grass on mostly flat surfaces, but uneven ground may be present at certain spots since the event takes place outdoors. Guests are encouraged to bring their own mobility aids, as The Land Institute does not provide them on-site. If you foresee any issues that may prevent you from having a smooth event experience, please reach out to us through our contact form, and we will do our best to support you.
