The American Royal's first season at its new Kansas City, Kansas, campus ended with the Fall Livestock Show, which ran through Oct. 25. The Royal's next big public event won't be held there. The UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show runs Nov. 16 through 21, and its event page lists the venue as Hale Arena, not the new campus.
The Royal opened one piece of a much larger campus at State Avenue and 118th Street, and for the next few years it will split its events between Wyandotte County and its longtime West Bottoms facilities, which are owned by Kansas City, Missouri. If you live here, it helps to know which half is which when you're deciding where an event will be, what it will cost, and how the area near Kansas Speedway will change.
What opened at 118th and State is a barn complex, built for exhibitors first
Phase one is five livestock barns plus an exhibition hall, 390,000 square feet in all, on about 80 acres just northwest of Kansas Speedway. The permanent address is 1899 American Royal Way. According to KSHB, the five barn gables form one connected exhibition hall. Inside are 3,774 cattle ties, 1,528 horse stalls and room for up to eight temporary arenas.
Those numbers tell you who the building serves. A cattle tie or a horse stall is for the people bringing animals. The spectator seats come later. The organization says the first phase "will serve as the hub for livestock, equine and other events," and the arenas will open in later phases.
It's still a milestone. In its 127 years, the Royal had never held events on a campus it owned, and the West Bottoms property belongs to the City of Kansas City, Missouri. It also took a while. Ground broke in 2023, and work stopped when the money ran out. American Royal Association President Jackie McClaskey told KSHB, "What we thought in the last round would take us about a year or so to finish took us three."
The barbecue weekend showed what a partly finished campus can host
The first fall lineup went like this. An invite-only debut on Sept. 10 came first. Then came the Royal Showcase Horse Show on Sept. 12 and 13, a Cutting Horse Show on Sept. 18 through 21, the World Series of Barbecue from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, and the Fall Livestock Show.
The barbecue is where the limits showed. Because construction was still going on around the barns, the Royal said the 2026 World Series of Barbecue would be "a limited onsite experience for invited guests," with no main stage and no public activities. Guests came by invitation to specific team or corporate parties.
The competition itself was full size. Fox4 reported 360 teams, 22 of them from other countries, and more than 400 judges across Saturday's invitational and Sunday's open contest.
For the public, the one way in was PigaPalooza on Friday, Oct. 2, a ticketed night in Barn 2. It included a whole hog competition, a barbecue buffet with Zarda sides, a full bar, and live music from Outlaw Jim & The Whiskey Benders. There was no public parking on the campus. Guests parked in the gravel lot at Azura Amphitheater off 130th Street for $25 a car and rode shuttles over.
Parking on a different property and riding a shuttle is how a venue under construction handles a crowd. The Royal warned about this in its own FAQ before the season. Landscaping and permanent signage wouldn't be finished, and "there will also be some limitations on parking while construction continues." The Fall Livestock Show was open to the public, at $5 per person per day plus $20 per car per trip for parking. Its Junior Premium Livestock Auction was held Oct. 17.
The calendar now runs on both sides of the state line
Now that the barns' first season is over, the Royal's published schedule moves back and forth between the two sites. Here's what's listed as of late October 2026.
| Event | Dates | Listed location |
|---|---|---|
| UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show | Nov. 16–21, 2026 | Hale Arena |
| Royal Roundup, annual meeting and volunteer awards | Feb. 25, 2027 | New campus, KCK |
| Tablesteaks | April 8, 2027 | Hobbs Building, West Bottoms |
| American Royal Youth Rodeo | April 20–22, 2027 | Listed only as "American Royal" |
The pattern follows a rule the Royal has stated. "Any events that can be safely and effectively held in the barns and exhibition hall will move first," and more events will move as more of the campus is finished. The UPHA show is a good example. It crowns national champions in Saddlebreds, Hackney Ponies and Road Horses, and its ticketed sessions start at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, ending with the Five Gaited National Championship on Stake Night. A show like that sells tickets to evening sessions, and none of the KCK campus's seated arenas has been built yet.
The Royal plans to keep using the West Bottoms buildings until the move is done. Its headquarters will stay put "until the new campus is fully complete, with a move expected no later than March 2029." After that, Kansas City, Missouri, will decide what happens to the old site.
What still has to be built at 118th and State
Most of what will make the campus a public venue is still on the drawing board. The full project includes:
- Barns and exhibition hall, 390,000 square feet, opened fall 2026
- Main indoor arena, 5,000 to 8,000 seats
- Multipurpose indoor arena, 3,000 to 6,000 seats
- Covered outdoor arena, 3,000 to 6,000 seats
- Outdoor plaza, 270,000 square feet
- Food and Agriculture Learning and Engagement Center, 80,000 square feet
The Royal says work on the arenas, plaza and learning center will continue "over the next two to three years," with the full campus expected to be complete by March 2029.
Paying for that timeline is its own project. KSHB reported the total cost at $375 million. That's funded by $155 million in STAR bonds, which are paid off with sales tax revenue generated in the district, plus private fundraising the Royal is doing to match it and finish the arenas and the learning center. The Royal's own update says more than 75% of the total is in place through charitable gifts, private financing and public commitments, and fundraising for the rest continues. KSHB also reported that the organization is seeking a property tax exemption from the state Board of Tax Appeals. It couldn't file until the facility opened, because a building under construction isn't eligible.
Between now and the arenas, the barns are for rent
The busiest days at the barns over the next two years may not be American Royal events at all. McClaskey told KSHB the flexible design can host livestock shows, equestrian events, trade shows, sporting events and conventions, sometimes at the same time. In another layout, the hall fits 29 volleyball courts. In the same August report, before opening, the team said more than 200 organizations were looking at booking the space.
The Royal says the facility "will also begin hosting outside rental events as it becomes available." Its online event-hosting page asks for trade show, equestrian and meeting inquiries. For people in western Wyandotte County, that's the date to watch. The first outside tournament or trade show listed at 1899 American Royal Way will be the first time the barns host a crowd brought in by an organization other than the Royal, and it will probably come before any of the arenas open.
Until then, the current split still applies. Barns and barbecue are on the Kansas side, and the big seated horse show is at Hale Arena. If you're going to the UPHA show next month, check the Royal's Plan Your Visit page for Hale Arena directions before you leave.
At The Johns Family Team, we keep track of projects like the American Royal campus because they shape how the neighborhoods around them grow. If you live near 118th and State and want to know what your home is worth as the area changes, ask us for a free home valuation.
