LARCHWOOD—Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort northwest of Larchwood wants to be known as “the entertainment destination,” according to marketing director Greta Brower, especially as its growing “exponentially” in 2026.
The casino lies near the Iowa-South Dakota border and is a less than 30-minute drive from the heart of Sioux Falls, SD. Grand Falls features an Event Center, which holds 1,124 people, and offers a variety of entertainment, with many acts still to be announced for 2026.
The casino and golf resort used to cease entertainment in the summer but noticed the growing market of entertainment and the amount of entertainment offered increased.
“We’ve got a lot of musicians and artists coming to Grand Falls in 2026,” Brower said. “Some big names in country, classic rock. Those are really our bigger genres as well as comedians. We have an entertainment weekend scheduled for April and also we are going to dabble into the realm of perhaps bringing a medium.”
Grand Falls plans to host at least two concerts every month at the Event Center in 2026 as well as a big, outdoor concert in June to celebrate the casino and golf resort’s 15th anniversary.
“Our anniversary in June is going to be really fun,” Brower said. “We have a lot of fun things planned, not only on the casino floor, but just around the venue itself.”
The anniversary celebration is planned for June Saturday, 6, with fireworks and a gaming promotion June 12-14.
A lot goes into booking entertainment. Grand Falls works with an in-house agency and an entertainment manager, connecting the venue to different managers across the United States.
Grand Falls receives a list from the managers and looks at who is available and touring.
“We start negotiations from there,” Brower said. “We kind of have a big want list, and then we kind whittle it down from there.”
It’s a balance of expense, ticket pricing and interest that brings people to the Event Center.
“You would be shocked as to how much some artists cost,” Brower said.
The Event Center has to account for hotel rooms and ticket prices. Ticket prices should not be too high, or else the Event Center might “price ourselves out,” according to Brower.
As of early December, Grand Falls Casino has seven booked entertainment acts for 2026, from musicians to group acts to comedians, available on its website, including the Johnny Holm Band, which will perform on New Year’s Eve.
The other acts scheduled to perform in 2026 are:
- Johnny Holm’s Band, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31-12:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 1
- Great White and Slaughter, 8-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17.
Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two Woman Show and Tommy James & The Shondells are rescheduled events.
Lawrence’s original date to visit the Event Center was Oct. 11 and later rescheduled to Nov. 22. The November date was postponed due to Lawrence not feeling well.
Tommy James & Shondells’ Nov. 15 performance was postponed due to “circumstances beyond anyone’s control,” according to Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort’s website.
Tickets events are available at https://grandfallscasinoresort.com/eventcenter.html.
Brower said she could not disclose any events that are not listed on the website, but she encourages people to watch for more to be added.
“Just keep an eye on the website for new announcements. They will be coming fast and furious, especially as we head into the new year,” she said.
Tickets may be purchased on the Grand Falls’ website or its on-site box office. The casino and golf resort does not accept tickets purchased through third-party websites, resellers or brokers.
The casino and golf resort plans to celebrate Beef Month in May and participate in Porktober in October. Grand Falls also wants to be a destination to watch popular sporting events, like the Super Bowl and March Madness.
“We really want to be known as the entertainment destination,” Brower said. “We’re so much more than just a casino. We’re an entire resort.”
The Event Center also can serve as a reserved space for parties, corporate events or wedding receptions.