Forge Announces Headliner for Second-Annual ForgeFest

Topeka’s premier young professionals’ group, Forge Young Talent, is preparing to host its second-annual ForgeFest on Aug. 27, from 8-11 p.m. at Evergy Plaza. Following a strong showing in 2021, Forge is excited to announce that this year’s headliner will be Kansas City-based indie-rock group Jean Claude and the Eclairs.

“We can’t wait to see Jean Claude and the Eclairs take the stage come August,” said Rhett Flood, executive director of Forge Young Talent. “They’ve opened for folks like Jesse McCartney and played at venues across the country, so it should be a really great performance. Beyond the music, we hope this year’s ForgeFest draws lots of young professionals to downtown Topeka for a night of food, drinks, games and a whole lot of fun.”

ForgeFest is designed to appeal to area young professionals, ages 18-40. Festival organizers hope to see many Washburn University students attend, as it will take place near the end of the university’s back-to-school “Welcome Week.” In addition to live music, this year’s ForgeFest will feature yard games, an Instagram selfie station, a beer garden, specialty cocktail vendors, food trucks and more! A big “thank you” goes out to presenting sponsor R&S maintenance for making the event possible.

“Both R&S Maintenance and Topeka have seen so much growth the last few years. It made sense for us to show off that growth together by partnering for this year’s ForgeFest,” said Zac Surritt, business development director for R&S Maintenance. “As a member of both R&S Maintenance and Forge, I can confidently say that ForgeFest is one shining example of how we work with our community to ensure young professionals stay engaged in the Greater Topeka area. The overall goal is to create an environment locally where young adults want to live, work and play.”

“We want our students to understand and celebrate our close ties to this community,” said Patrick Early, Washburn University’s director of public relations. “We want them to think of Topeka as their home and consider building their careers here once they finish their degrees. We think meeting the young professionals of Forge will help them understand all of the opportunities this city has to offer.”

ForgeFest is open to the public and free to attend. For updates on the festival and other Forge events, be sure to follow Forge on Facebook at Facebook.com/TopekaForge.