KC's Labor Day Weekend Fun Guide

The three day weekend is a great excuse for more fun! These special events and attractions make our top picks for the holiday weekend:

Labor Day Weekend Festivals and Special Events:

Sunflowers at Grinter Farms All Weekend, Grinter Farms (24154 Stillwell Rd. Lawrence, KS). It is expected that the sunflowers will be in bloom at this Kansas Landmark over Labor Day Weekend. See tremendous fields of gigantic sunflowers in full bloom - perfect for unforgettable memories and photos.

Just Between Friends Sale Sept 1-4 Overland Park Convention Center. FREE Admission with our coupon! Thur & Fri 9am-8pm. Sat 9am-10pm. Sun 9am-5pm Half Price Sale! Shop the consignment sales event where you and your friends can save BIG on everything you need to raise  confident, stylish, good-looking kids!

DeSoto Days Festival Sept. 1-4, DeSoto, KS. Enjoy class-act entertainment, Evans Midland Carnival, great food and many vendors. Saturday, September 3rd, starts at 10a.m. with the De Soto Days Parade, which will include our Car Cruise & the 4th Annual Dog Walk! This year's theme, "Country Nights & Western Lights", is a last hurrah to summer and a friendly welcome to autumn. The Car Show will will be set up in Field A for display after the parade.

Kansas City T-Bones vs.Sioux Fall Canaries Sept. 2-6, CommunityAmerica Ballpark. See the Kansas City T-Bones in action at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.  Enjoy affordable family entertainment and unique, fun between-inning events. Friday, September 2nd is 90’s Nickelodeon Night at Kansas City T-Bones! Wear your best 90’s gear and be prepared to get slimed! The T-Bones have fun in-between inning games and prizes all centered around Nickelodeon! They’ve also got the Falcon Skydivers and $1 dogs with the purchase of a beverage! Kick off Labor Day weekend the right way with some #FunWellDone!

Booms & Blooms Sept. 3, Powell Gardens. This festival got rained out in July, so we're trying it again. Pack a picnic, grab your lawn chairs and join us for a concert by Kelley Hunt & Friends, fireworks and more! You can also check out the dinos in the Jurassic Garden exhibit (portions of the exhibit will close early due to the fireworks). Festival admission applies: $12/adults; $10/seniors 60+; $5/children 5-12; free/children 4 and younger. Rain date: Sunday, September 4 (let's hope we don't need it).

American Royal Youth & Open Horse Show Sept. 3 -4, Hale Arena. The American Royal is proud to host the Youth & Open Horse Show each year. The Youth Show is an all breed horse show and the exhibitors competing in this show range in age from 8-18. The Open Show is for anyone 19 years old and older. Youth & Open Horse Show exhibitors compete in a number of divisions including Showmanship at Halter, Western Pleasure, Western Horsemanship, Hunter Under Saddle, Hunt Seat Equitation and Versatility!

Kansas City Renaissance Festival Sept 3- thru Oct 16, Weekends. Travel back in time and partake in a Kansas City Tradition since 1977. Pay heed to the exploits of Jousting Knights on thundering steeds, roam the village shops for unique crafts, delight in comedy, music, magic and more on our 20 stages of non-stop entertainment, and feast on delicious food and drinks from the far reaches of the globe! There’s something for the whole family in our enchanted 16-acre village. 

Superhero Weekend Sept 3-4, Kansas City Zoo. Meet your favorite superhero at the Zoo! On Saturday and Sunday, September 3 & 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. you can meet and take your picture with Ant-Man, Spider-Man, Hulk and female superhero Black Widow in our Tropics Tent. On Saturday: meet Ant-Man and Hulk and  on Sunday meet: Spider-Man and Black Widow.

Science City KidFest Sept. 3, Science City at Union Station. A one of a kind family-friendly day full of science play geared toward early childhood learning! This event is open to the public and includes special pricing for children 12 and under. kidFEST activities will include: Funky Mama, Cathy Conley & Her Steel Drums, Science Demos, Sensory Activities, Bubbles, Balloon Artists & Face painting, Maker Activities, Special Planetarium Schedule, AND MORE!

Kansas City Irish Fest Sept. 2-4, Crown Center. With over 30 bands on seven stages, heritage workshops and displays, comedy, genealogy, a massive children's area and so much more, there is no better way to celebrate Celtic Pride in Cowtown than Kansas City Irish Fest! Sign up for our email newsletter or follow us on social media and never miss a thing.

1st Saturday at Shoal Creek Sept. 3, Shoal Creek Living History Museum. FREE family event. The Shoal Creek re-enactors will bring the village to life with Gunfighters, Outlaws, Soldiers, and Mountain Men roaming the streets. The year will be 1880 with the election coming near. The town is rampant with corruption and the townspeople are tired of it. The town Marshal does not seem to care. Enjoy family fun activities and historical demonstrations of life in Missouri during the 19th century. Rain or shine.

SantaCaliGon Sept. 2-5, Independence, MO.The 44th Annual Santa-Cali-Gon Days Festival in Independence Missouri commemorates the origin of the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon trails during the country’s great westward expansion by early pioneers. More than 300,000 attendees spend Labor Day weekend at the region’s oldest and largest festival.

Trails, Rails, and Tales Sept. 3 - 4, Abilene, KS. Trails, Rails & Tales celebration, featuring the McPherson Silver Buckle Saddle Club, Kansas Cowboy Mounted Shooters Association, Diamond W. Wranglers, Dennis Rogers Spirit Dancer, Red Steagall, and living history performances all weekend long. Plus, pictures with Howdy the Longhorn, Kids Buckaroo Camp, gun show fights and much more!

Live at the Legends: FREE Concert Sept. 3, 5-7pm, Legends Outlets, Kansas City, KS. Featuring Fast Times. Five talented musicians & vocalists come together for the most genuine 80's sound around! 

Hatch Chile Festival Sept. 3, Port Fonda, KC, MO. BLOCK PARTY including outdoor full bar, roasted fresh hatch chiles, hatch chile food and drink specials, live music from The Grisly Hand from 7-9pm and DJ set by Keenan Nichols from 9-close.

FREE Community Concert: Kansas City Symphony’s Pops in the Park Sept. 5 from 7-8pm, The Theatre in the Park at Shawnee Mission Park. Be here for the debut of the Kansas City Symphony’s new Assistant Conductor Jason Seber as he leads this FREE Labor Day concert program filled with familiar classics and fun movie music. Bring your family and friends, plus blankets, lawn chairs and a picnic dinner. The parking lot opens at 4:30 p.m. Gates and the Symphony’s Bush and Jamie Helzberg Instrument Petting Zoo open at 5 p.m. Pre-concert entertainment provided by the Youth Symphony of Kansas City begins at 6 p.m. 

Meet President Truman on Labor Day Sept. 5, Truman Presidential Library, Independence, MO. Mr. Truman, as portrayed by re-enactor Niel Johnson, will be on hand from 10:30 - 2:00 pm to greet visitors.

Be Sure to Catch these Special Attractions and Exhibits:

Some of these attractions close after Labor Day, others will be ending this fall. Some start for the season. The three-day weekend is the perfect chance to enjoy them once more!

Apple picking begins at our favorite local orchards Labor Day Weekend! Read our Apple Picking Guide to find the best orchard around!

Check out ​Jurassic Garden: A Prehistoric Adventure at Powell Gardens thru Oct. 3. Travel back millions of years to explore the lost world of dinosaurs and prehistoric plant life! You will encounter incredibly realistic dinosaur replicas, designed by Missouri's Guy Darrough, a well known fossil collector, fossil preparation expert and illustrator. From his Lost World Studios in Arnold, Mo., Guy creates realistic models of prehistoric animals using fossilized bones and other materials. The lifelike dinosaurs, large and small, will be placed throughout the Gardens and include a 32-foot T Rex, 30-foot Hypsibema—Missouri's state dinosaur, and many more! On May 28 & 29, participate in Digging for Dinos. Dig into the paleontology field and experience hands-on how hard it is to dig fossils out of stone! Drop by any time from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. And don't miss Jurassic Garden: A Prehistoric Adventure! See incredibly realistic dinosaur replicas scattered throughout the Gardens. Visit powellgardens.org/JurassicGarden for details.

​Explore the newest exhibit at Union Station, BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life. The exhibit invites you to consider the form, function and beauty of the human body through all stages of life. 

Local outdoor pools close for the season on Labor Day Weekend. Our faves are featured in our KC Water Fun Guide or visit KCParent.com and click “Going Places” for a complete guide.

​Cool Crest offers great Labor Day specials! Enjoy classic family fun, whether you love go-karts, miniature golf or arcades. Cool Crest is the place for fun.​ Friday-Monday

Enjoy our holiday token sale!  No coupon required! Must purchase tokens at the ticket counter. 100 Arcade Tokens for $15. 120 Arcade Tokens for $20. 300 Arcade Tokens for $40. Or, Enjoy 3 Hours of Unlimited Attractions! Unlimited Mini Golf, Unlimited Go-Karts* Only $20.99 Per Person + tax (under 56" tall). Only $25.99 Per person + tax

(56" tall and over). *Parents must also purchase a pass to ride with child on double-seater go-karts. On Monday, enjoy the All-You-Can-Play Day Special! Unlimited Mini Golf

2 Go-Kart Rides, 10 Arcade Tokens, Only $10.99 per person!