It’s fall in KC, baby. Beer, culture, theater, secret concerts—there’s a lot going on this first weekend of October.
KC Oktoberfest
Oct. 4-5
Last weekend brought a couple of Oktoberfests, but this is the big one. Crown Center will play the part of Munich, with nonstop music, wacky activities (like stein-hoisting competitions and games of Hammerschlagen), and German beer from the beloved KC Bier Co.
If you’re not a beer fan, worry not. There will be German apple cider and two German wines. (And just down Broadway, you can attend the Westport Wine Walk from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday.)
KC Oktoberfest starts at 5 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday—and it’s a rare event that ends at 11 p.m., not 10, both nights.
DISenchanted
Oct. 4-6 (and ongoing)
Friday is opening night for DISenchanted, a musical following a gang of fed-up fairy tale princesses. It’s not your typical fairy tale—it’s an irreverent comedy intended for audiences 17 and up—and it’s not in your typical theater. It’ll be in the intimate black box theater at Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center.
If you can’t make it this weekend, you can catch it October 11-13 and 17-20.
Greater Kansas City Japan Festival
Oct. 5
Experience Japanese culture on Saturday at Johnson County Community College. The Greater Kansas City Japan Festival is in its 26th year, and this year’s theme, Yōkai and Folklore, leans into spooky season. In Japan, “yōkai” are supernatural beings—be they ghosts, monsters, or another creepy creature.
Expect yōkai-themed activities as well as workshops in origami, calligraphy, martial arts, and other aspects of Japanese culture. Japanese food, Japanese dance—there’s a lot to this festival.
Jeremy Facknitz in the Charlotte House Series
Oct. 5
The Charlotte House Series, kicking off this weekend, is a series of concerts at private Kansas City homes. The homes aren’t revealed publicly—you only find out when you buy your ticket.
This Saturday, singer-songwriter Jeremy Facknitz will perform at a Roeland Park home at 3:30 p.m.
First Sunday of Walktober
Oct. 6
Need an excuse to get out and move this fall? Make Walktober a recurring character on your calendar. Each Sunday, there’s a new park—and at three out of the four, outdoor painting competitions line the trails. Take the guided tours or just explore on your own. Week by week, the views will only get prettier.
It starts this Sunday at Jerry Smith Park, a 360-acre park in south Kansas City that includes the only remnant prairie in city limits.