Autumn means Fall Festivals in Kansas City! From apples to pumpkins, crafts to carnivals, ethnic festivals, and much much more… celebrate everything autumn at a local fair.
Note: This is your Guide to Fall Festivals in Kansas City 2019. This list was compiled by the staff of KC Parent Magazine and may not be reproduced in print or online without permission. If you know of changes or additions to this guide, please email kristina@kcparent.com.
Late August – September Festivals in Kansas City
Tiblow Days August 22-24 at Downtown Bonner Springs, Bonner Springs, KS. The city’s annual heritage festival. Craft Fair, Carnival, Parade, Mayor’s Dinner, City Band Concert, and Ice Cream Social, Bonner Springs Rotary Tiblow Trot, Group Performances, Model Train Display, Car Show, Special Film Viewing Documentary, and Live Music by 455 Rocket, Johnny Dollar Band, and headliners, THE RAINMAKERS!
Universal Film Festival 2019 Aug. 22 – 24, Alamo Draft House (11400 Main Street in the Power & Light District, Kansas City, MO). More than 40 films nominated from 15 countries expected.
Parkville Days August 23-25 at Downtown Parkville, Parkville, MO. Browse and enjoy 75+ arts and crafts, retail, food, and specialty booths. Enjoy live music on the McKeon stage in beautiful English Landing Park and also on Main Street in Pocket Park. Participating downtown shops will host their End of Summer sidewalk sales and specials. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to enjoy a relaxing day at English Landing Park.
Wine Walk for Wildlife Aug. 24, Kansas City Zoo 6800 Zoo Dr., Kansas City, MO. Enjoy a summer evening at Wine Walk For Wildlife at the Kansas City Zoo. Guests will stroll through the Zoo, sip and savor more than 20 wine varietals, enjoy live music, and hear from our animal experts. Custom wine bottles supporting our conservation projects will also be available for purchase.
Raytown Arts & Music Festival August 24 at Kenagy Park, Raytown, MO. This event showcases products like Dick Smith Ford, KCP&L, Fun House Pizza, Saber Cycle, Raytown-Brooking Eagle, Teetering Rocks and Raytown-Lee’s Summit Teachers Credit Union. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets and coolers and settle in to listen to some great music, etc.
India Fest August 25 at Overland Park Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS. Celebrate with artifacts, food, jewelry, clothes, sales, dances, and a gala fashion parade!
De Soto Days Festival August 29-31 at Miller Memorial Park, 32400 W. 83rd St., DeSoto, KS. This 4-day festival will bring Excitement, Fun, and Connection, promoting our local history and home town flavor! Enjoy the Magnificent Vintage Showcase, the Evans Midland Carnival. Saturday Morning, watch the Parade featuring a Classic Car Cruise, and candy.
KC Irish Fest August 30-Sept. 1 at Crown Center Square, 2500 Grand, Kansas City, MO. Commemorate Kansas City’s proud Celtic heritage with three days of music, dancing, and exhibits. The festival will feature more than two dozen locally and nationally known bands, playing traditional music and Celtic rock.
Santa-Cali-Gon August 30-Sept. 2 at Historic Independence Square, Independence, MO. The 47th Annual SantaCaliGon Days Festival in Independence, Missouri, commemorates the origin of the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon trails during the country’s great westward expansion in the 1800s by adventurous pioneers. Today, it celebrates family and fun! More than 300,000 festival-goers spend Labor Day weekend at the region’s oldest and largest 4-day festival.
Science City’s PNC kidFest Aug. 31, Science City at Union Station. kidFEST is full of interactive, early-childhood science education. This event is dedicated to hands-on learning for your youngest STEM explorers, so prepare for hands-on activities, demonstrations, and more that will engage and inspire your little ones. It’ll be a science-filled fun day, all you need to bring is a BIG imagination and a smile! Plan ahead, and purchase tickets to experience the joys of messy learning, today!
Chisholm Trail Days Aug 31 – Sept 1 at Old Abilene Town, 100 SE 5th Street, Abilene, KS. Live music, longhorns, food trucks, drinks, and kids activities.
Kansas City Renaissance Festival Weekends Aug. 31 – Oct. 14 at KC Renaissance Festival Fairgrounds, 633 N 130th St, Bonner Springs, KS. King Henry VIII and his royal court invite one and all to his 16th Century European village featuring something for the whole family. Pay heed to the exploits of jousting knights on thundering steeds, roam the village shops for unique crafts, delight in entertainment on one of our 25 stages, and feast on delicious food and drinks from the far reached of the globe!
Port Fonda’s Hatch Chile Fest Aug. 31 at Port Fonda, 4141 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO. Outdoor bar featuring full-service outdoor seating for guests, ice-cold canned beers, multiple margaritas, fire-roasted fresh hatch chiles and hatch chile food and drink specials. Super dog and kid-friendly during the day as long as your dog’s and kids are super friendly. Live music throughout the day/night!
Tonganoxie Sunflower Stroll Aug. 31 at Downtown Tonganoxie, KS. Over the weekend, participate in a Sunflower Run, Sunflower Yoga, and Sunflower Stroll. Enjoy craft vendors, live music, food vendors, games, a street dance, and activities all weekend long.
Concordia Fall Festival Sept. 3-7 at Concordia, MO. Highlights of the week include the queen contest, three parades and a variety of exhibits, bake sales and contests for children and adults. Midland Empire Shows provides entertaining rides such as a carousel, Ferris wheel, and giant slide. Concordia’s heritage is put on display at the fair when visitors can eat German-style food in the outdoor Heidelberg Gardens. Visitors also dance to live bands and browse the tables at a country store selling hand-crafted items.
Johnson County Old Settlers Festival Sept. 5-7 at Downtown Olathe, Kansas Ave. & Santa Fe, Olathe, KS.Nationally recognized musical entertainment, a huge carnival, classic auto show, arts and crafts vendors, over 20 excellent food booths operated by local non-profit organizations, and much, much more. The largest parade in Kansas begins 10 am Saturday!
Topeka Huff ‘n Puff Balloon Festival Sept. 6-8 at Mount Hope Cemetery, Funeral Chapel & Reception Center, Entrances from SW Fairlawn and SW Huntoon, Topeka, KS. Vendors, activities, hot air balloons and fun.
Greek Festival Sept. 6-8 at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 120th and Wornall, Kansas City, MO. Live entertainment, music and delicious food. Come for the FOOD, enjoy the FUN, leave as FAMILY! Free admission and free parking. OPA!
Art Westport Sept. 6-8, at Westport, MO. The three-day event showcases original local art, one-of-a-kind jewelry, fine crafts and more.
Kansas State Fair Sept. 6-15 at Kansas State Fairgrounds, 2000 N Poplar St, Hutchinson, KS. Over 1,000 commercial vendor locations; for competition, with close to 30,000 entries in various competitive exhibit departments; for education, through its Kansas’ Largest Classroom field trip program; and for entertainment with strolling and stage entertainment in addition to the national acts performing at the Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand.
Belton Fall Festival Sept. 6-9 at Main Street, Belton, MO. Live entertainment, foods, beautiful art, handcrafted items, and many other interesting items to see and purchase.
Deaf Cultural Festival Sept. 7 at Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak St., Kansas City, MO. Explore ASL through live entertainment, hands-on art activities, storytelling, poetry and more! All are welcome. ASL interpretation, voice interpretation, and CART (live captioning) provided.
Lenexa Spinach Festival Sept. 7 at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, Lenexa, KS. This festival offers live music, an outdoor food court, numerous kids activities and competitions, antique and craft shopping and, of course, a spinach recipe contest. Events for kids include a baby crawling contest, inflatables, arts and crafts stations, a rock skipping contest, face paint and a visit from Popeye and Olive Oyl.
Westport Lost Arts Festival Sept. 7 & 8, Harris-Kearney House, Kansas City, MO. Sat. Visit Westport and Kansas City’s past with fun family-friendly crafters and demonstrations featuring historic “lost arts” with hands-on participation. On the grounds of the historic 1855 Harris House, 4000 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO. For more details see our website at www.westporthistorical.com/2019-lost-arts-fair.
Kansas City Chalk & Walk Festival Sept. 7 & 8 at Crown Center, Kansas City, MO. Professional, amateur and students artists create lively and powerful chalk “paintings” on sponsored brick canvas throughout KC.
Big Shoal Country Fair Sept. 7 at Atkins-Johnson Farm & Museum, 4109 N.E. Pleasant Valley Road, Gladstone, MO. Held at the historic Atkins Johnson Farm and Museum, the annual Big Shoal Country Fair in Kansas City, Missouri, is a community celebration that’s fun for all ages. The one-day event features attractions like period crafting demonstrations, live musical performances, carnival games, a petting zoo, bounce house, food, photos, and vendors. Admission is FREE.
Grinter Apple Fest Sept. 7 at Grinter Place, 1400 So. 78th St, Kansas City, KS. Have some summer fun at Grinter Place Applefest! Games, vendors and more to be announced! Apple Pie contest!
Gardens at Sunset Sept. 7 at Kansas City Community Gardens, 6917 Kensington Ave, Kansas City, MO. Enjoy a unique evening set in the wonder-filled Leanna Flandermeyer Beanstalk Children’s Garden featuring locally-sourced cuisine and beverages and live and silent auctions. Event proceeds benefit KCCG’s mission to inspire and empower low-income households, schools and community groups to grow their own fruits and vegetables.
Prairie Village JazzFest Sept. 7 at Harmon Park, 77th & Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS. Magical music, fabulous artistry, delectable food and drink, and fun! Critics have raved about our past festivals, and Prairie Village put itself on the map as the newest “destination jazz festival” in Kansas City.
Lawrence Fall Arts & Crafts Festival Sept. 8 at South Park, Lawrence, KS. This outdoor arts and crafts show is for non-commercial vendors only. Activities for children available too! Live music will sound throughout the park with multiple performances.
Edgerton Pioneer Days Festival Sept. 13-15 at 503 Aller Ave., Edgerton, MO. Free Admission. The festival features arts, crafts and food vendors, one of the largest parades in Platte County, live entertainment, artisans and demonstrations, shootouts by re-enactors, pony rides, a variety of contests, and good old-fashioned fun for the entire family. Other events have included a co-ed softball tournament, chain saw carving demonstrations, fundraisers sponsored by local organizations, cakewalks, fish fry, and fun.
Kansas Book Festival Sept. 14 at State Capitol Building, Topeka, KS. The presenting authors will be inside the Capitol building, and vendors/entertainment/children’s activities/book signings will be set up outside the Capitol, on the Northside by the Visitor’s Center.
Apple Fest Sept. 14 at Fellowship Raymore, Raymore, MO. The Apple Festival is an annual fundraising/public relations/family fun event that benefits the children of Missouri Baptist Children’s Home. This year we will celebrate the history of the Festival along with the quilters, craft makers and volunteers who have made it possible for the Festival to exist for the last 35 years. The Festival will feature a Quilt and Craft Auction beginning at 1:00 p.m. There will be no children’s area or craft vendors.
Winefest: Independence Uncorked Sept. 14 at Bingham-Waggoner Estate, 313 West Pacific Avenue, Independence, MO. Independence Uncorked will be one of the largest Missouri wine festivals in the state featuring 25 Missouri wineries sampling several of their wines, a guest spirits distiller, and over 2500 attendees. The day will also feature art, music, beer, food booths, and wine classes. The event hosted by the Rotary Club of Eastern Independence. The cost will be $30 in advance and $40 at the door and will include a wine glass and 4 bottle wine bag (for 1st 2000 people). The Bingham-Waggoner Estate is an 1852 mansion and estate once owned by George Caleb Bingham, the famous Missouri artist. Proceeds from the events will go towards various national and local charities supported by Rotary. Beneficiaries have included the McCoy Park all-inclusive Play Ground, Great Plains SPCA, Community Services League, Independence School District Character Plus Program, Special Olympics, Shoes for Orphan Soles, Shelter Box, Job One, CAPA, Hope House, Rotary Youth Camp, and the Rotary Foundation to name just a few. Last year’s charity of choice was Drumm Farm for Kids. No outside food or drink allowed, but food will be available for sale.
Brush Creek Art Walk Sept. 13-15 at Banks of Brush Creek from The Plaza to Elmwood, Kansas City, MO. Everyone is invited to attend this “plein air” painting competition along the walkways of Brush Creek. Though the artists will be taking home the prize money, everyone wins with the top paintings selected by a top juror on display and for sale at an exhibition at the Discovery Center through October.
Blue Springs Fall Festival Sept. 13-15 at Downtown Blue Springs, Blue Springs, MO. The 2019 Fall Fun Festival theme is Chamber and the Chocolate Factory! Experience three whole days of over 250 unique food and product vendors, a carnival, parade, live entertainment, a car show, and much more!
The Great Pumpkin Fest Weekends Sept. 14 – Oct. 27 at Worlds of Fun, 4545 Worlds of Fun Avenue, Kansas City, MO. his family-friendly event is all treats and no tricks and features special Halloween-themed activities for kids, plus PEANUTS-themed rides and attractions in Planet Snoopy! Also, don’t miss out on all the fun throughout the park-like Dinosaurs Alive! and the family favorite Nordic Chaser.
Hallmarket: A Hallmark Art Festival Sept. 14 at Crown Center Square, 2450 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO. Open to the public, this FREE, family-friendly event offers the opportunity to interact with one of the world’s largest creative communities at Hallmark and purchase their artwork. Back by popular demand to accompany talented Hallmark artists, the event will boast local musical acts, food, drinks, Kaleidoscope on the Square with activities for children, a card-sending station and more for the whole family to enjoy.
Fall Family Festival Sept. 14 at Kansas City Community Gardens, 6917 Kensington Ave, Kansas City, MO. Admission is free for this day of fun at KCCG’s lovely Beanstalk Children’s Garden. The day will include garden games, face painting, horse rides, and much more! Children can paint gourds, plant herbs to take home, and make peanut butter. Visitors can purchase lunch and drinks. Sales of garden crafts will raise money for the Beanstalk Children’s Garden, where each summer and fall children’s tour groups and families are encouraged to see, touch, smell and taste the plants in the garden as they learn about growing a garden, eating healthy foods and identifying plants and insects.
Fiesta on the Square Sept. 14 at Linden Square, 602 NE 70th St., Gladstone, MO. The evening will feature dancing and music by KC Latin and Jazz Allstars.
Higginsville Country Fair Sept. 14-21 at Higginsville, MO. Fun, food, parade, craft booths, entertainment and more.
Belton Oktoberfest Sept. 14 at Memorial Park, Belton, MO. Hold on to your lederhosen…Arvest Bank OktoberFest is coming back to Memorial Park! Enjoy live music, a beer garden, contests, craft vendors and more! Hope to see you there!
Great Topeka Duck Race Sept. 14 at Lake Shawnee, Topeka, KS. The 24th Annual SERTOMA Great Topeka Duck Race. No less than 10,000 “adopted” rubber ducks will be dropped into Lake Shawnee in the cove South of the swim beach, for a race to the finish line. Lucky winners will receive great prizes! You need not be present to win the top prizes. Ducks can be adopted for a $5.00 donation. Ducks are numbered corresponding to your adoption certificate. Your Lucky Duck Number is printed on your adoption certificate and is valid for single and/or multiple duck adoptions. Adopt your ducks on-line with a Visa or MasterCard. Join a team, adopt the most ducks and win!
Fiesta Hispana Sept. 14-16, Bartle Hall, Kansas City, MO. Fiesta Hispana’s mission is to promote wide recognition and appreciation for the significant role and contributions of Hispanics in the development of the United States through promoting cultural, educational and economic development advancement of the Hispanic community. Fiesta Hispana presents more than 75 professionally designed fiesta booths – among these is a large children’s area which provides special activities for small children and their parents and a number of area colleges and universities that conduct youth outreach efforts during the fiesta. As part of educating the public, there is an impressive historical exhibit which documents, with photographs and news stories, the history of many local Hispanic settlers, as well as an exhibit of fine art. A number of food vendors sell a variety of delicious authentic Latino and non-Latino foods from popular area restaurants and homes. Other booths offer internationally imported jewelry, clothes, games, activities, consumer information, employment opportunities, health services, and more.
Native American Cultural Celebration Sept. 15 at Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak St., Kansas City, MO. Performances and Activities are FREE and Open to the Public. Celebrate and honor the art, dance, and music of Native Americans from across the country. Experience a variety of longstanding traditions revealed in today’s artistic expressions.
Raymore Festival in the Park Sept. 19-21 at Memorial Park, Raymore, MO. Car show, volleyball, parade, bbq contest, live music, contests, dog show, and crafts.
Plaza Art Fair Sept. 20-22 at Country Club Plaza, 47th & Wyandotte, Kansas City, MO. the Plaza Art Fair encompasses nine city blocks and welcomes a crowd of over 250,000. Featuring 240 artists, the Plaza Art Fair is a top-ranked, national art event with three live music stages and over 20 featured restaurant booths. It continues to be a weekend of people simply celebrating art and each other, as well as Kansas City’s unofficial welcome to the fall season.
Edwardsville AutumnFest Sept. 20-21 at Edwardsville Community Center, 696 S. 3rd, Edwardsville, KS. The event this year will kick off Friday night with the ATMOS Energy Disc Golf Open. Also opening on Friday is the Bank Midwest Community Craft Fair at the Edwardsville Community Center (696 S. 3rd St.) beginning at 4:00 pm. Saturday will begin with the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast at Edwardsville Elementary School followed by a performance of the Edwardsville Elementary School Choir at the downtown stage at 11:00 am. From there, the craft fair will be open, the carnival will be up and running, food trucks will be serving, and folks will be enjoying the day! The event will have several attractions throughout the day, including Mouse Races, a Taekwondo demonstration, local bands, and more! The Saturday Night Concert, headlined by Royale Lynn begins at 5:30 pm. Remember, all this is completely FREE!
Life Fest Sept. 21 at Village Briarcliff. Wouldn’t you like to know what’s going on with your kid’s behavior? Come to Life Fest on Sept. 21 from Noon to 6 pm and hear Dr. Jill Rosbrugh address Anxiety, Stress, and Your Child,” and Rebecca Bolich of Brain Balance talk about The Developing Brain and How to Shape it.” Or hear a band, do yoga or watch take your kids to have photos with Sluggerrr, the face painting station or to create mandalas. Signature Psychiatric hospital is providing free counseling to all throughout the event to increase mental wellness and reduce suicides. Visit LifeFestKC.com for details.
Fall Fling Sept. 21 – Oct. 20 daily, Powell Gardens. Follow Alice down the rabbit hole and into the magical world of Wonderland where things are not always as they seem! Enjoy an artistic display of nearly 800 pumpkins and other fall botanical favorites, arranged to tell the story of Alice and her topsy turvy trip into Wonderland. Enjoy additional Garden activations, included with festival admission, on specific days.
Friends of Shawnee Town Arts & Crafts Fair & Fall Festival Sept. 21 at Shawnee Town 1929, 11600 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, KS. Shop over 130 vendors, showcasing their hand made, homemade and re-purposed items. There will be several food vendors on-site to meet the needs of your taste buds! There will be several areas for the kids to learn and play for FREE! Live music will be heard from the Gazebo throughout the day. We will have Anchovy Fishermen performing from 10am-12pm, followed by Darrell Lea from 12:30pm-3:30pm.
West Fest: Celebrating Kansas Cowboys Sept. 21, Kansas Museum of History, Topeka, KS. Meet Nevada the mustang and Sundance the miniature horse. Live music, face painting, and artist demonstrations. Fun activities for the family. FREE lunch sponsored by Dillon’s. Wagon or stagecoach ride included with Museum admission.
HCA FarmK | Family Fun Farm Run Sept. 21 at Finley Family Farm, 38660 West 167th Street, Edgerton, KS. This cross-country style 5K race takes place on a farm just west of Gardner, Kansas. The race will take you across a scenic landscape through crop fields and over rugged terrain. In addition to running or walking the scenic course: cuddle a chicken, climb Hay Bale Mountain, treat your ears to some good ole’ fashioned fiddle music and your mouth to tasty treats and refreshing drinks!
Annual Waldo Fall Festival Sept. 21 at Waldo, 75th and Wornall Rd., Kansas City, MO. This family-friendly event is a FREE neighborhood festival that includes kids rides, games, face painting, food trucks, local music, and a host of vendors to meet and mingle with throughout the day. The festival is located in the CVS parking lot at 75th Street and Wornall Road.
KC Zoo Run for Tree Kangaroos Sept. 21 at Kansas City Zoo. The Kansas City Zoo Run highlights a different featured species each year. 2019 is the Run for the Tree Kangaroos on Saturday, September, 21. You may participate in a 4-Mile timed event starting at 8:30 am or the Family Fun Run starts at 9:45 am. Both events are open to runners and walkers. All participants receive this year’s featured species t-shirt and finisher’s medal and free race-day entry into the zoo.
Troostapalooza Sept. 21, 30th & Troost, Kansas City, MO. Live Music, Food Trucks, Street Vendors, Sports Game, Live Art Installations, Kid Zone + More!
Jazz & Food Trucks Festival: Topeka Sept. 21 at Downtown Topeka, 9th and Kansas Ave, Topeka, KS. CoreFirst Bank & Trust presents the Jazz & Food Truck Festival! Gather in the area of 9th and Kansas from 3:30 p.m. Stay tuned for the music acts!
The UNplaza Art Fair Sept. 21-22 at Southmoreland Park, at Oak Street and Cleaver Boulevard, Kansas City, MO. Over 100 local artists featuring, ceramics, jewelry, glass art, wood carving, mixed media, fiber art, photography, and paintings! This year, there will be a performing arts space & community organization info tables. The UNplaza Art Fair is family & pet-friendly and food trucks will be on site. The fair is staffed by volunteers. All proceeds go to the artists and peace-related projects, such as conflict resolution training for the Urban Ranger Corps of KC, Mo., support for The Learning Club of KC, and peace studies awards for Avila University students.
Lee’s Summit Oktoberfest Sept. 27-28 at Downtown Lee’s Summit, 220 SE Main Street, Lees Summit, MO. Transport yourself to the heart of Munich with all the excitement of this wundervoll fall festival in downtown Lee’s Summit. Grab your lederhosen and dirndl and join 70,000 festival-goers for this festival. Enjoy Kids Street, arts and crafts, German meals, beer and brat tents, the Biergarten, carnival, the Sportzelt, live entertainment, contests, a Rootbiergarten, homebrew tasting, German dancers and much more. There’s no cost to attend the festival.
Shawnee Great Grillers’ Blues and BBQ Contest Sept. 27 & 28 at Shawnee Town 1929, 11501 W 57th St, Shawnee, KS. In addition to great-tasting BBQ, there will be activities for your kids and the whole community to enjoy.
Library in the Park Sept. 28 at Big Eleven Lake Park, Kansas City, KS. Free (including the tacos). Library in the Park is back for the 5th year! Come celebrate our community with live music, fun activities, and the return of the taco contest. The featured author this year Christine Taylor-Butler, award-winning author of children’s literature: fiction and nonfiction for all ages. She has authored over eighty titles and counting. Join us as Christine Taylor-Butler will give a book signing and perform two science experiments with kids. We’ll be giving away free copies of her books. Other activities will include Blind Date with a Movie, Music Sampling, Book Fortune Teller, the Yearbook Project, a drum circle, bubbles, face-painting, and l