Be a Barbie girl in a Kansas City world at these movie-inspired events around town
Come on, KC, let’s go party.
A few spots around Kansas City are celebrating the new “Barbie” movie starring Margot Robbie, which comes to theaters Thursday. Displays, themed drinks and even dream houses can be found around the metro ahead of the highly anticipated film.
The festivities began Saturday with a “Barbie-Q” at Char Bar in Westport. Here’s where else you can celebrate the Barbie world.
VIGNETTES POP-UP BAR
The pop-up space in North Kansas City had Taylor Swift, “Bob’s Burgers” and now “Barbie” as themes for the year. The “Malibu Dream Bar” is filled with decorations and photo opportunities that capture Barbie’s essence.
The space is pink and bright, and special drinks such as the PinkaColada, Fashionita Fizz and the Dollhouse Daiquiri help keep the party going.
Book a reservation here. It’s open for all ages every Sunday through Thursday, and reserved for patrons ages 18 and up every Friday and Saturday until the theme is over Aug. 12. It’s $5 per person for each reservation.
BARBIE PARTY AT UP-DOWN
Dress like Barbie or Ken at Up-Down’s “Barbie Party” at 7 p.m. Thursday. The retro video game bar will be playing modern music based on the doll and giving away free tickets to those with the best costumes. You must be 21 or older to enter.
UNION STATION
The Kansas City Museum is installing Barbie artifacts right in front of the Extreme Screen lobby at Union Station. Some of the items on display include Barbie’s “Enchanted Evening” outfit and Barbie and Ken closets.
You can see the display starting Wednesday for free. Union Station officials also said the front of the building will be turning pink and white from Wednesday through Friday.
If you’re in the area after seeing the display at Union Station, the Hallmark Visitor’s Center has classic Barbie ornaments and dolls on display for all to see. The center is next to Kaleidoscope at Crown Center.
Get your tickets to see “Barbie” at Union Station’s Extreme Screen here. It costs $5 for the noon matinee showing for all visitors and every other showtime is $8 for adults and $7 for children ages 3-11.
BARBIE TOY DRIVE
A “Barbie” movie party takes place before the 7 p.m. Friday film showing at B&B Theaters in Shawnee. Visitors can play games, enter giveaways and a silent auction to win prizes.
Purchase a VIP ticket and receive a swag bag of goodies, 20 raffle tickets and a souvenir photo. General admission tickets cost $30.80 after fees, and VIP tickets cost $53.85 after fees. You can buy your tickets here.
A portion of all proceeds go toward The Dream Gap Project, an initiative started by Barbie creators Mattel in 2018 to provide resources and support to help young girls continue to believe in themselves as they grow up.
Anyone who brings a new, unwrapped Barbie doll will receive an entry to win a Southwest Airlines gift card. According to event organizers, the dolls will be distributed to various organizations before Christmas.
ATOMIC BARBIE
Screenland Armour in North Kansas City is all-in on the “Barbenheimer” trend. The theatre is celebrating both “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” based on the creation of the atomic bomb, all weekend.
The Kansas City Film Club has a double feature scheduled starting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the theatre. The club said they aren’t associated with Screenland and want to support a small business.
The retro bar behind Screenland Armour, Rewind Video, is hosting a party at 6 p.m. Friday with specialty cocktails using J. Rieger & Co. spirits.
Screenland is also hosting two double features for both films, with one starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, and again on Sunday at 1 p.m. Social media’s come together to celebrate two movies on opposite ends of the film spectrum with shirts and other mashups.
Tickets are sold individually to each film for $13.
BARBIE PARTY AT THE SANDBOX
Wear all the pink you have in your closets at this party at 509 NW Barry Road. Visitors will hear their favorite songs from the 80s, 90s and 00s and can win a costume contest for being the best-dressed Barbie or Ken in The Sandbox.
The party starts at 7 p.m. July 29 and you must be 21 or older to enter after 10 p.m.
BARBIE COSTUME FUNDRAISER AT BAR-K
The dog bar on the Berkley Riverfront has put together a Barbie-themed costume fundraiser starting at 4 p.m. on Aug. 12. Tickets cost $15 and the first 30 bought get a free drink ticket.
Yes, you can dress up your dog as Barbie or Ken, and a purchase of the $15 ticket also gets your dog in for half-off. Local artist Kat King will also be performing during the fundraiser.
There will be a silent auction in support of Chain of Hope, a 501c3 organization focused on alleviating the suffering of abused and neglected animals within Kansas City. Bar-K and Chain of Hope are encouraging guests to bring donations in the form of pet food, toys and treats.
Are any other Barbie events happening around Kansas City this week? Let us know at kcq@kcstar.com
