KINGMAN — The City of Kingman is thrilled to announce the success of the 4th annual I Love Route 66 Festival, which attracted approximately 7,000 attendees this year. Preliminary figures indicate that the 2024 festival surpassed last year’s revenue, particularly in wristband sales and vendor participation. According to Josh Noble, Kingman’s Office of Tourism Manager, the event saw an increase in attendance compared to last year, marking a significant milestone for the City’s growing tourism sector.
The festival, organized by the City’s Office of Tourism in partnership with local non-profits Kingman Main Street and the Pharaoh’s Car Club Arizona, offered a diverse range of entertainment and activities that appealed to a broad audience. Highlights included craft beers from Kingman’s three breweries, the Queen of the Mother Road Pin-Up Contest, a Kids Zone featuring Kingman’s only zip-line and euro-bungee, six live bands, a performance by the traditional Japanese marching band Bentenya, and the ever-popular 66 Classics Car Show and Tow ‘N Show Campout with vintage trailers.
One of the most exciting additions this year was the unveiling of the Leaning Kingman Route 66 Shield, a new photo-op monument located at Lewis Kingman Park. This attraction quickly became a social media favorite, with visitors eagerly sharing their photos and experiences online.
This year’s festival also welcomed out of town and international attention, with 16% of attendees being non-locals and an 8.4% increase in hotel occupancy. In collaboration with the Arizona Office of Tourism, the City hosted an international press trip on that Saturday, where journalists from Mexico, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, and the UK experienced the festival and dined in Kingman’s newly renovated downtown area. These journalists are set to feature Kingman in upcoming Route 66 Centennial stories, further boosting the city’s global visibility.
