Boots in the Park has a new format. Get the most out of Fresno’s party weekend

Steve Thacher wasn’t expecting Boots in the Park to hit like it has.

The formula was there: an amped-up version of the $5 Country Concert Series that had been happening at Fresno’s Woodward Park Amphitheater for years.

The crowds were there, too. First inside Woodward’s amphitheater and also Chukchansi Park, then at the city’s regional sports complex and Granite Park.

“And then, we’re outgrowing the venues,” says Thacher, CEO of Activated Events, which brings the concert series to Woodward Park on Saturday.

Still, he didn’t expect it to become a signature event: “I thought Boots in the Park would live and die in Fresno.”

Instead, it’s now being replicated in nine cities across California, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada.

And it’s spawned a spin-off festival, Party in the Park, which launches Sunday following Boots in the Park on Saturday.

Thacher expects over the two days as many as 30,000 people could show up.

What you have is a pair of curated, day-long music festivals.

Gates open at 1 p.m. both days, and the music starts almost immediately with DJ Luwiss Lux (that’s Fresno restaurateur Lewis Everk for those who know).

You’ll want to arrive early, Thacher says.

“Guy like the Ying Yangs Twins, come on at 2:30 p.m.,” he says. The Atlanta rap duo plays on a Sunday lineup topped by Latin rap star Pitbull (who played the Save Mart Center just last year).

“It’s big name artists from open to close,” Thacher says.

Boots in the Park lineup

Saturday is the “Boots” part of the weekend and is for country music fans, obviously.

Blake Shelton headlines the night with a lineup that includes Kevin Smiley, Bryce Leatherwood (”The Voice” Season 22 winner), MacKenzie Carpenter and Brett Young.

Young has some history in Fresno. He played baseball at Fresno State in 2003 on a team that included major leaguers Matt Garza and Casey McGehee. Young made a career switch into music following a career-ending injury.

Shelton is a county-music veteran, who just this week landed two CMA nominations. He has his own ties with the central San Joaquin Valley, having coached Rudy Parris on Season 3 of “The Voice.” Shelton’s wife, Gwen Stefani, coached Fresno’s Alyssa Witrado on Season 22.

Shelton played the Save Mart Center on his Back to the Honky Tonk tour last year.

Party in the Park lineup

Sunday is a hip hop-heavy lineup, with Pitbull and the Ying Yang Twins, plus Neon Union, Fat Joe and Lil Jon. Fat Joe is credited with helping discover Pitbull in the U.S. and collaborated with him on several tracks in the 2000s. That includes the 2004 song “That’s Nasty,” which also includes a feature from Lil Jon.

Now, Thacher can’t make promises about any guest spots or on-stage collaborations, but says it’s rare to have these guys together in the same place at the same time — so he suggested staying through to the end Sunday night.

“Not to oversell it,” he says, “but it’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime-like situation.”

On-site entertainment

Of course, as the company name suggests, these are “activated events” and that means they exist as more than the typical concert-night out.

This is a music festival with all the trappings: giant staging, lights, screens and sound, plus the auxillary food trucks, merch vendors and art instalations (let’s call them Instagram opportunity zones).

Add to that:

* A county line dancing tent on Saturday. Lessons are free.

* The Whisky Barrel Saloon (on Saturday) and Cactus Cantina (on Sunday). There will be 101 whiskey options on Saturday, with an equal number of tequila choices on Sunday. Concerts-goers can get a tasting experience add-on when they buy tickets.

* Woodward Sports Bar (sponsored by The Woodward American Grill). There will be multiple large-screen TVs for the concert-goer who’s worried about missing their favorite game, Thacher says. This could be an important spot, what Fresno State playing at home on Saturday and NFL on Sunday.

Also, be prepared for a special 400-unit drone show prior the final act each night: “Look up at the sky just 20 minutes before the headliners.”

Tickets and parking

The concert grounds are set up on an eight-to-nine-acre patch of grass field on the southeast side of the park, near the entrance off Audubon Drive and Friant Road. There are VIP tickets that include express entry, a special viewing area and upfront stage access (plus flushable restrooms and top-shelf alcohol at the bars), but mostly this is general admission.

Just “grab your spot and throw down a blanket or beach towel,” Thacher says.

Folding chairs are allowed, even made available in advance through a special “party-pack” ticket add-on.

Tickets are available online for Saturday (at $105) or Sunday ($125). Two-day festival passes are $171.

Because the event utilizes a city-run park, there is no pre-paid or priority parking. On-site parking is limited and first-come, first-served.

So, rideshare options are encouraged, as is the city bus, which has $1 fares out to the park and operates late on weekends (check the FAX schedule online for details). Courtesy shuttles will be running throughout the park to get people to venue gates.

“The earlier you arrive,” Thacher says, “the smoother it is getting in.”

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This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 11:00 AM.