There’s not a blank space on the calendar this weekend in Kansas City. Friday through Sunday, it’s wall to wall. Our Kansas City events calendar gives a fuller picture, but here are the highlights.
Jamaican Jam
July 19
Lee’s Summit is a hotbed for reggae—we all know this. And Friday night, you can catch Jamaican Jam at the Legacy Park Amphitheater.
Local reggae artists Jah Lion and Deepa Reality will take the stage at 6 p.m. The concert is free—just bring your blanket or lawn chairs.
Festival of Butterflies
July 19-21 (and ongoing)
Powell Gardens’ annual Festival of Butterflies starts Thursday and goes through August 4. That’s when the stunning botanical garden is dedicated to the admiration of (and education about) some of the world’s most beautiful pollinators. Gates open at 9 a.m.
Couples or families should consider grabbing tickets to the Latin American Cultural Night on Saturday. Los Bailadores de Kansas City will dance at the Missouri Barn from 7 to 8 p.m., and you’ll have opportunities to learn about Latin American butterflies throughout the night. Your ticket comes with two drinks; dinner is extra.
Sound Mandala
July 19-21 (and ongoing)
Perhaps more than any other KC Fringe event, Sound Mandala is hard to put into words. Nonetheless, here’s the experience’s creators description: “The Sound Mandala is a new way of listening to recorded sounds” that “imitates the visual trick of film motion by placing dozens of loudspeakers into a space organized into a matrix of lines and rows, then dividing … a sound along these lines and rows to create a sinuous ‘motion’ of sound.”
Sound Mandala overtakes the Olsen Performing Arts Center this weekend and runs through July 27. Here’s a full schedule of KC Fringe shows.
“East Meets West” with Latitude 39
July 20
If you haven’t attended a Charlotte House Series concert, Saturday marks your last chance of 2024. These concerts are hosted at private Kansas City-area residences that are only disclosed after you purchase your ticket.
Somewhere in Riverside, piano-violin-saxophone trio Latitude 39 will perform songs from both Eastern and Western traditions. The concert begins at 4 p.m. You can arrive 30 minutes early to socialize, then stick around after 5 for a wine reception and performer meet-and-greet. Grab your ticket here.
Kansas City’s Lawn Party
July 21
Kick back on the grass at Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park and Theis Park for Kansas City’s Lawn Party. From 4 to 8 p.m., enjoy an array of food trucks, yard games, kids’ activities, and live music. Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard will be closed, so you can freely explore everything from the south face of Nelson-Atkins to Brush Creek.
From 2 to 6 p.m., photographer Tom Styrkowicz will take your portrait for free in the lobby of the Bloch Building, the stunning white building adjacent to the Nelson’s reflecting pool. One print will go with you; another will be displayed in the lobby for the museum’s One by One Community Portrait project. Also, note that start time—early birds skip the line.