RAPID CITY, SD – A seasonal Thursday night staple in downtown Rapid City may return this year with a redesigned layout intended to ease traffic congestion. Mayor Jason Salamun announced Wednesday evening that event organizers and city stakeholders have reached a preliminary agreement to relocate the Summer Nights concert series to 6th Street.

“Summer Nights is looking to make a comeback this summer. The plan is for the Thursday night event to move to 6th Street, with the stage on Kansas City Street. Main and St. Joe would remain open for traffic and access,” Salamun said in a statement shared on social media.

After the Mayor’s social media post the Summer Night’s social media page posted “…the cat’s out of the bag. We are very close to a come back and we will keep you posted.”

The proposed shift addresses long-standing concerns regarding the closure of the city’s primary east-west thoroughfares. By utilizing 6th Street, the event can maintain its downtown presence while allowing Main Street and Saint Joseph Street to remain open for motorists and access to local businesses.

Salamun noted that finding a compromise was a collaborative effort. “It’s never easy to balance everyone’s needs in a vibrant area like ours, but I appreciate the downtown stakeholders and the Summer Nights team for working together on a reasonable approach that keeps things moving forward,” he said.

He stated concert series is scheduled to run every Thursday throughout June and July.

The festivities have been absent from the downtown landscape since the Rapid City Council’s denial of a permit application in December of 2024.

“Summer Nights has been working with Visit Rapid City and Main Street Square to bring back Summer Nights at a location that fits the perimeters of the City Council’s directions.” Said Summer Nights’ board member Sandy Schwan. “This new footprint does fulfill those requirements and we are committed to open communication with the businesses in the area to minimize any inconvenience. We truly believe that the cooperative effort of Summer Nights and Main Street Square will have a positive effect for downtown Rapid City.”