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Joplin previews busy 2026: Route 66 centennial, World Street Painting festival, Great Race and more
Summary
Patrick Tuttle gave the council a preview of major 2026 events including a World Street Painting Festival with 20+ artists and 3-D art installations, a Great Race overnight stop on Father's Day, a Route 66 hot-air balloon festival, and a June 8 world-record bicycle run passing through Joplin.
Patrick Tuttle presented a 2026 events preview to the informal Joplin City Council meeting on Nov. 17, outlining a full calendar of centennial and celebratory programming tied to the Route 66 Centennial and USA 250.
Tuttle said the World Street Painting Festival will be staged at the old Walmart site on 7th Street with at least 20 artists and up to 10 student participants through a partnership with the World Street Painting Foundation; he said the city expects "33 plus 3D art in the ground" for a short time and called it a major public-art showcase.
He confirmed The Great Race will return and overnight in Joplin on the event’s second night (Father's Day timeframe) as the route moves from Springfield, Illinois, toward Pasadena, California. Tuttle also noted the World Cup’s presence in the broader Kansas City market and listed other scheduled attractions, including a four-weekend expansion of the Silver Sage Renaissance, a Route 66 hot-air balloon and kite festival at the fairgrounds, and a full rodeo planned for Memorial Day weekend.
Tuttle highlighted a planned world-record bicycle attempt by Joe Barr, who will pass through Joplin on June 8 as part of a 2,440-mile transcontinental ride that Tuttle described as "2,440 miles in 206 hours on 12 hours sleep." He also said the city has applied for a UCI pump-track qualifier at the new bike park and expects Veil Solutions’ decision by Dec. 10; if approved, the qualifier would be scheduled in June, July, or August.
Tuttle directed residents to Visit joplinmo.com and said printed event calendars would be available at City Hall and the convention bureau office. The mayor invited council members to pick up copies; there were no formal motions or votes connected to the preview.
