Route 66 Festival Stopping

U.S. Route 66, known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, is one of the original highways within the U.S. Highway System. The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in America once it was established in November 1926, originally ran from Chicago through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before ending in Santa Monica, covering a total 2,448 miles.

It served as a major path for those who migrated West, supporting the economies of the communities through which it passed. It underwent many improvements over its lifetime, and was officially removed from the United States Highway System in 1985. Portions of the road that passed through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico and Arizona are designated by a National Scenic Byway of the name Historic Route 66. Several states adopted significant bypassed sections of the former U.S. 66 into the state road network as State Route 66. Travelers passing through the eight states have the opportunity to see and experience a plethora of events and sights.

If traveling the length of the route is on your bucket list, be sure to stop by some, or all, of these festivals: Aug. 11–12, Birthplace of Route 66 Festival, Springfield, Mo.; Aug. 12, Oldham County Roundup, Vega, Texas; Aug. 23–26, Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo, Vinita, Okla.; Sept. 8–10, Fiesta de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, N.M.; Sept. 8–10, Route 66 Association of Missouri Motor Tour, from Springfield to Eureka; Sept. 22–24, International Route 66 Mother Road Festival, Springfield, Ill.; Oct. 1, Mother Road Marathon, from Commerce, Okla., to Joplin, Mo.; Oct. 7, Czech Festival, Yukon, Okla.; Oct. 7­–15, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta; Oct. 19–22, Miles of Possibility Conference, Joliet, Ill.; Nov. 2–5, Will Rogers Days, Claremore, Okla.; Nov. 18–19, Route 66 Marathon, Tulsa, Okla.; and Jan. 1, 129 Rose Parade, Pasadena, Calif.