We’ve been excited about this weekend for a while. It’s one for the senses—where far into next week, Kansas Citians might still be able to feel it. Let’s break it all down.
Terra Luna (Weekend One)
September 12-15
Terra Luna is a wild walk through the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens; performing arts group Quixotic uses lights, music, and performances to transform Gardens into a fantastical lunar landscape.
The first of two weekends starts this Thursday and runs through Sunday. It will be the debut of Celestial Fair, an expanse of vendors and food trucks outside the entry portal.
Tickets are $35 for adults, kids get a $10 discount, and kids 2 and younger get in for free. Learn more in our full Terra Luna preview.
913 Day Celebration
September 13
It’s the season of giving (ourselves props). Less than a month after 816 Day, we’ve got 913 Day, a celebration of the 913, particularly Wyandotte County.
The main party is in Kansas City, Kansas, on Minnesota Avenue between 7th and 8th streets; from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., that stretch is fully reserved for food, live music, activities, and you. There will be over 25 vendor booths, including La Chona Tacos and the Kansas City Current.
Several KC companies are celebrating the occasion with discounts. Urban Hikes KC is offering $9.13 discounts on its hikes of the Quindaro Ruins, Strawberry Hill, and Merriam for Friday and Saturday—just book with promo code 9.13. On Friday, the 403 Club is giving out three cans of PBR or Modelo for $9.13. Find a whole list of KCK specials here.
13th Annual Brush Creek Art Walk
September 13-15
Before the Plaza Art Fair packs the Plaza with artists and art buyers, you can walk along nearby Brush Creek and watch artists paint—or do some painting yourself.
Brush Creek Art Walk invites painters and spectators to three “quick paint” events in different zones of Brush Creek throughout the weekend. The zones start in the west and head east.
On Friday at 47th and JC Nichols Parkway, we have “Nocturne at Mill Creek Park.” A live band starts at 6 p.m. and the contest starts a 7. (Twenty-five artists are expected, and new artists can register just north of the fountain at 6:30). The next day, “Day at the Disco” starts at 10 a.m. at Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center. The final contest, “East Side Sunset,” is 5 p.m. Sunday at the Mary Williams Neal Community Center. Register here or spectate for free.
Stravinsky’s The Firebird and Alisa Weilerstein Plays Dvořák
September 13-15
The symphony experience is centuries old, but the Kansas City Symphony is giving us several firsts this year. They just toured Europe, for one, and their new music director and conductor Matthias Pintscher debuts this weekend with Stravinsky’s The Firebird and a special performance of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto by cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
And though it’s technically not the weekend, we have to mention that on Thursday, the Symphony will debut a new format, “On Stage.” That’s where 100 attendees sit on stage with the musicians—in this case, Alisa Weilerstein and the orchestra.
Kansas City’s Reggae Music and Jerk Festival
September 13-15
Head to Berkley Riverfront Park for Kansas City’s Reggae Music and Jerk Festival, a massive celebration of reggae music and Caribbean cuisine. It started in 1989 and has hosted Ziggy and Stephen Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and dozens of other popular reggae acts.
Each night will have a theme. Friday is World Music Night, where “fans are treated to a diverse mix from around the world,” the organizers say. Saturday will spotlight Jamaican dance hall music, and Sunday is all about roots and culture music. You’ll find Caribbean food and drinks everywhere, too. General admission is $20, and a weekend pass is $45.