Make sure these 20 Kansas City music and cultural festivals are on your summer calendar

Kynala Phillips
·4 min read

Warmer weather means it’s time for summer festivals. Whether you’re big on local music or look forward to the annual cultural celebrations, there’s a Kansas City festival for everyone.

This year, Kansas City’s annual Folk Festival will kick the season off at Washington Square Park on Saturday with lots of local music, poetry performances, food vendors like TC’s Fully Loaded, a craft market and even an open mic stage for people to show off their skills. Kansas City natives and Paseo Academy alumni Krystle Warren and Solomon Dorsey will be headlining.

Festival coordinator Mikal Shapiro said that Folk Festival is one of Kansas City’s most unique festivals because it’s a “people’s fest.”

“It’s a grassroots fest,” Shapiro said “The people have shown their support, and that’s why we can make it an admission-free, barrier-free festival for everybody in our neighborhoods to come out and bring their families and their friends.”

Kansas City Folk Festival line up
Kansas City Folk Festival line up

“It’s intergenerational. It’s not targeting one group or another,” Shapiro said. “There’s really a little something for everybody there.”

The following weekend, the local music trend keeps on with the fifth annual Manor Fest taking place in venues across Kansas City.

More than 50 bands will play 17 stages in both Lawrence and Kansas City to support the nonprofit record label Manor Records, which helps local artists release their music. Of the artists performing, 26 are represented by the label.

For the first time, the festival will also support other local nonprofits by giving 10% of door fees to partnering organizations including KC Tenants and Kanbe’s Markets.

“It’s like a ‘why not’ thing for us?,” Manor Records co-founder Shaun Crowley said. “I wanted to grow compared to just being just a local music festival, there’s other things we can be doing.”

The local and regional artists featured in this year’s festival will cover almost every genre, according to Crowley. Some names that will hit the stage include Sam Wells, Trevor Turla, Shy Boys and BigFatCat.

The stages will be sprinkled across the city at different venues and bars like Blip Roasters, Flagship Books, The Ship and Mean Mule. If you’re bringing any kids along, check to see if the venue is kid-friendly ahead of time.

“It’s a really cool way to go out and see new areas and businesses in our community and support local musicians that you could go see weekly for like, five bucks if you like them,” Crowley said.

Manor Fest 5 line up
Manor Fest 5 line up

Here’s a round up of 20 music and cultural festivals coming up this summer.

2023 music and performance festivals in Kansas City

KC Folk Fest: May 20, Washington Square Park, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. (free)

Manor Fest: May 19 to 20, various locations, Lawrence ($15-$50); May 25 to 28, various locations, Kansas City ($15- $50)

Kansas City Symphony Celebration at the Station: May 28, Union Station, 5 p.m. (free)

Heart of America Shakespeare Festival: June 13 to July 2, Southmoreland Park, 6 p.m. (free)

The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival at Southmoreland Park will present “Romeo and Juliet” beginning June 14.
The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival at Southmoreland Park will present “Romeo and Juliet” beginning June 14.

Boulevardia: June 16 to 17, Crown Center ($40+)

The list of Boulevardia’s 2023 performers, including national and local acts.
The list of Boulevardia’s 2023 performers, including national and local acts.

Kansas City Reggae Music/Jerk Festival: June 30 to July 1, Berkley Riverfront ($20-$45).

KC Fringe Fest: July 14 to 30, various locations (admission prices TBA)

Spotlight Charlie Parker: Aug. 19 to 26, jazz venue across Kansas City (times and admission prices TBA)

19th Annual KKFI Crossroads Music Festival: Aug. 26, Crossroads (times and admission prices TBA)

Plaza Art Fair: Sept. 22 to 24, Country Club Plaza (free)

2023 cultural festivals in Kansas City

AAPIconic Festival: May 20, Columbus Square Park, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (free)

Festa Italiana: June 2 to 4, Zona Rosa, (free)

Kansas City Pride: June 9 to 11, Theis Park ($5, free for kids 12 and under)

Sugar Creek Slavic Festival: June 9 to 10, Sugar Creek, ($5)

JuneteenthKC Heritage Festival: June 17, 18th & Vine District, (free)

Members of the KCK All-Star Marching Band and Drumline perform at last year’s Advocacy and Awareness Peace March and Rally in Overland Park.
Members of the KCK All-Star Marching Band and Drumline perform at last year’s Advocacy and Awareness Peace March and Rally in Overland Park.

Ethnic Enrichment Festival: Aug. 18 to 20, Swope Park, ($5, free for 12 kids and under)

Kansas City Irish Fest: Sept. 1 to 3, Crown Center, ($20-$35)

Santa-Cali-Gon Days: Sept. 1 to 4, Independence, (free)

Kansas City Renaissance Festival: Sept. 2 to Oct. 15, Bonner Springs, ($11-$24.95)

Fiesta Hispana: Sept. 15 to 17, Barney Allis Plaza, (free)

The Star’s Dan Kelly contributed reporting.

If we missed a local music or cultural festival that you’d like to see added to this list, email us at kcq@kcstar.com.