Kansas City adorns spring and summer with fabulous festivals celebrating our local heritage, the arts, music and food. These are a few of our favorites. You’ll find a complete Festival Guide on KCParent.com.
Passport to India
April 15 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak, Kansas City, MO, nelson-atkins.org/events/festival-passport-india/
Journey to India and get your passport stamped along the way as you experience its sights, sounds and flavors. Food, music, dancing, live performances and art are all part of this free event.
Brookside Art Annual
May 4-6 in the Brookside District, 63rd & Wornall, Kansas City, MO, BrooksideKC.org/Art-Annual
This annual art show features hundreds of artists, children’s activities, live music and food booths.
Northeast Arts 11th Annual Chalk Walk
May 19-20 at the Concourse Fountain, St. John Avenue & Benton Boulevard, Kansas City, MO, NorthEastArtsKC.org/ChalkWalk
In the tradition of European 16th-century street painting, the Chalk Walk transforms the dull, grey concrete of the sidewalks and surface of the Concourse Park fountain into colorful, pastel canvases.
Strawberry Swing
May 19-20 at Alexander Majors Barn, 8201 State Line, Kansas City, MO, TheStrawberrySwing.org
More than 100 vendors of handmade and vintage goods celebrate spring with food trucks, live music, a photo booth, kids crafts and more.
Turkey Creek Festival & Artisan’s Expo
May 19 at Antioch Park, 6501 Merriam, KS, Merriam.org
Activities include a petting zoo, delicious food, unique craft vendors, music, giant inflatables and more. Calling all crafters of handmade goods!
Illuminated Waters
May 25-26 at Theis Park, Oak Street & West 47th Street, Kansas City, MO, www.stonelionpuppets.org/festivals.html
Experience new artists, strolling musicians and activities before the show. Watch amazing giant puppets in a play, floating in the water and GLOWING! After the show, enjoy glowing art, glow performers, blacklight fun, music and interactive games alongside illuminated puppets.
Kansas City Symphony’s Bank of America Celebration at the Station
May 27 at Union Station Kansas City, 30 W. Pershing, Kansas City, MO, KCSymphony.org/Celebration
From a moving symphony concert to the city’s grandest fireworks display, nothing celebrates our military and veterans quite like Bank of America Celebration at the Station.
Old Shawnee Days
May 31-June 1 at Shawnee Town 1929, 11501 W. 57th St., Shawnee, KS, OldShawneeDays.org
Enjoy a carnival, parade, live music and entertainment, food trucks, arts and crafts and family fun.
Jazzoo
June 1 at the Kansas City Zoo, 6800 Zoo Dr., Kansas City, MO, JazzooKC.org
Jazzoo is the Kansas City Zoo’s largest fundraiser, and your attendance helps feed and care for more than 1, 700 animals and educate Kansas City youth through the Zoo Learning Fund.
Future Stages Festival
June 10 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO, KauffmanCenter.org/Open-Doors/Future-Stages-Festival/
This FREE community festival showcases hundreds of young performers on the Kauffman Center stages every year, and guests are invited to enjoy a wide range of diverse performance styles and engaging arts activities.
Crown Center Antique Festival
June 16-17 at Crown Center, 2500 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO, CrownCenter.com
The festival features pottery, china, toys, linens, collectibles, furniture, jewelry, books and much more. Shop from more than 40 vendors at nearly 100 booths.
Great Lenexa BBQ Battle
June 22-23 at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, 87th & Lackman, Lenexa, KS, Lenexa.com
Savor the flavor as 185 teams compete to prepare the best barbecue. Enjoy live music, entertainment and competition! The real contest begins Saturday as the judging tent buzzes with activity preparing for the first barbecue samples to arrive at noon.
Stems: A Garden Soiree
June 23 at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens 8909 W. 179th, Overland Park, KS www.opkansas.org/events/stems-agarden-soiree
Enjoy two bands, dancers, artists, over 25 featured restaurants, fine wines and beers, fireworks and a photo booth experience to entertain everyone at this fun summer party (rain or shine).
Maker Faire Kansas City
June 23-24 at Union Station, 30 W. Pershing, Kansas City, MO, KansasCity.MakerFaire.com
Celebrate things people create themselves—from modern technology and electronic gizmos to urban farming and slow-made foods, to homemade clothes, quilts and sculptures. This family-friendly event demonstrates what and how people are inventing, making and creating. It brings together makers, crafters, inventors, hackers, scientists and artists for a faire full of fun and inspiration.
Kansas City's Big Picnic
July 22, 4:00-8:00, on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak, Kansas City, MO, Nelson-Atkins.org
Celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month as KC Parks partners with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to host the biggest picnic the region has ever seen! Pack your own picnic or grab dinner from an on-site food truck!
Missouri State Fair
Aug. 9-19 in Sedalia, MO, MOStateFair.com
The 400-acre fairgrounds will present premier livestock shows and competitive exhibits, as well as first-class professional entertainment. Admission charged.
Ethnic Enrichment Festival of Kansas City
Aug. 17-19 at Swope Park, East Meyer Boulevard & Swope Parkway, Kansas City, MO, KCParks.org
Feel the world beat in the heart of America. This event is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the nation and features more than 60 different cultures selling native foods and crafts and performing ethnic music and dances. The festival is held near the front entrance of historic Swope Park.