Grab the tie dyes and the hula hoop and beat it on down the line: Lawrence's Wakarusa Festival is headed to Arkansas.

The four-day music and camping extravaganza will move to Mulberry Mountain, near Ozark, Ark., for its sixth go-round next year, the festival's promoter said Wednesday. The move comes after a sometimes rocky relationship between the festival and its hosts at Clinton Lake State Park near Lawrence.

Promoter Brett Mosiman said the move will be good for the festival, which typically attracts more than 10,000 each day. The new, privately owned 600-acre venue, he said, boasts canoe-ready rivers, hiking trails and mountain vistas.

"We were just blown away by this site," he said. "There are stunning waterfalls... It really is the most incredible festival site. It's definitely not a cornfield. We have a lot more freedom to throw an incredible event."

The event, set for June 4-7, boasts hundreds of bands performing on multiple stages, scores of vendors and features such as a disc golf course and family-friendly campgrounds. Next year, Mosiman said, he may add a tethered hot-air balloon ride.

As for the festival name, Mosiman says he plans to keep it, even though the festival is leaving the banks of the Wakarusa River behind.

Mosiman said he had tried to work out a deal to keep the festival in Kansas. Last month, Jefferson County officials rejected a proposal to host the festival. Mosiman said he also looked at sites in Missouri and Colorado.

"I'm a lifelong Kansan so there's a little bit of me that wished it could have stayed here," he said. "But every closed door is another opportunity."

The move came as a surprise to Lawrence City Commissioner Mike Amyx.

"I know they were working to keep it here but I'm guessing the promoters were trying to put together the best deal they could," he said.

The loss of the event is a blow to Lawrence's efforts to attract more visitors, according to Judy Billings, director of the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau.

While many attendees chose to sleep in tents, she said they still spent money at stores, restaurants and gas stations, and returned home with positive impressions of Kansas.

"It's really been a great event," she said. "This is a guy (Mosiman) who owns a local business and brings people to Lawrence. There were unfortunately some things that happened that gave the perception that it was the kind of event that we wouldn't want. But those issues got resolved. We're very sorry they couldn't work it out."

Wakarusa had a troubled relationship with its host community ever since it began in 2004. Business owners welcomed the out-of-town visitors, but some residents complained about the crowds and drug activity.

Mosiman and the state's Department of Wildlife and Parks - which manages the state park - argued over park rental fees and limits on daily attendance.

In 2005, a 29-year-old man died of a drug overdose at the festival, leading authorities to crack down the following year. Police made more than 100 arrests in 2006, searching cars coming in off the highway, and erecting hidden video cameras throughout the state park.

Last year, however, police reported few problems - aside from some violent Kansas storms - and acknowledged that the festival had grown more family friendly.

Wakarusa memories
2004: The first festival draws hippies, toddlers, grandmas, freaks and frat boys, The Star reports.

2006: The festival draws big crowds, but also an increased police presence that slows traffic entering the grounds as some cars are searched for illegal drugs.

2008: A kinder, gentler police presence pleases festival-goers, who can only complain about dangerous spring weather that shortens one night's programs.