From local talents to internationally-renowned stars, FIFA Fan Festival’s entertainment lineup is giving global visitors a taste of the city’s unique culture, energy and sound. The big news? Missouri’s homegrown superstar Sheryl Crow is set to headline the main stage on July 10.
In addition to other headliners like Abby Barrett and The All-American Rejects, over a dozen KC bands will perform at the free festival and watch party held at the National World War I Memorial and Museum. “We want to create an authentic Kansas City entertainment experience,” says Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026, the organization managing Fan Fest and other aspects of the World Cup.
Among the performers with local ties are Deshica Rage, a collaboration between hip-hop artist Kadesh Flow and singer-songwriter Jessica Paige, and Hembree, a Los Angeles-based indie-rock band that got its start in Lawrence. Both groups will perform on July 10 before Crow takes the stage.
Beyond the bands, more than twenty open format DJs will perform throughout the course of the festival. Spinning discs from a wide range of genres, emcees like DJ Ashton Martin will showcase an authentic Kansas City experience, connecting the shared energy of visitors and locals alike.
Martin was selected to perform after impressing festival organizers with his set at the National World War I Memorial and Museum’s annual Stars and Stripes picnic. “There was already a partnership with the museum going on because of that,” Martin says. “Then FIFA came out to one of my Stars and Stripes performances in 2025 and loved what they saw.”
Now, Martin will return to the venue for another Independence Day performance. “What I’ll curate there is playing to a nice open format crowd,” he says. “There will be kids, like my five year old who is going to be there, so it’s going to be very family forward, but also with sing-alongs and things that you would imagine hearing at any picnic. It’s all done in a nice DJ friendly way. High energy, but definitely family fitting, all the way up to the fireworks.”
For Martin, part of the thrill is pushing the envelope and encouraging audiences to dance to something unfamiliar or unexpected. “It’s about taking chances with the crowd and building that relationship on the fly—getting their trust and taking them on a journey with you,” Martin says.
That approach will shape his upcoming July 4 set, which will feature a wide range of global sounds. “But you know, I always try to play something for everybody,” he says. “That’s what’s great about Kansas City. It is a melting pot. We do have a lot of cultures. So I do pay attention to that and I love catering to each and every person in the crowd.”
