Taylor Swift heads our Kansas City summer fun guide, but what else makes our Top 10?
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This will be the Summer of Swift in Kansas City.
Area Swifties have been abuzz since November, when tickets to Taylor Swift’s two concerts at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium went on sale and immediately sold out. Now the final countdown has begun for the July 7-8 performances, which undoubtedly will be the biggest events of the summer season.
If not for Swift, however, several other music acts would be candidates for that honor.
Luke Combs, Ed Sheeran and a double header of Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks also will be visiting Arrowhead. Meanwhile, Shania Twain will highlight an impressive list of acts at the T-Mobile Center, and Starlight Theatre’s offerings will include The Doobie Brothers and ZZ Top (along with a full slate of Broadway plays).
Also, “Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing — The Exhibition” will draw crowds to Union Station, and annual events such as Celebration at the Station, Big Slick Celebrity Weekend, the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Boulevardia and the Kansas City Fringe Festival will return.
Of course, summer also is festival season, and most weekends will offer more than one in the region. Worthy of special mention is the Country Club Plaza’s Centennial Celebration, which will include live music, giveaways, children’s activities and more on June 3.
Here is a Top 10 look at the summer ahead:
Top 10 events
▪ Cirque du Soleil, “Corteo”: The show by the world’s most famous performance company will focus on a clown and a parade. 7:30 p.m. May 25-26, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. May 27, 1 p.m. May 28, T-Mobile Center ($49-$159). t-mobilecenter.com.
▪ “Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing — The Exhibition”: Learn the superhero’s story through original art, interactive displays and more. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, May 26-Oct. 1, Union Station ($15-$22). unionstation.org.
▪ Luke Combs: The Country Music Association’s 2021 Entertainer of the Year will perform with Riley Green, Lainey Wilson, Flatland Cavalry and Brent Cobb. 5:45 p.m. June 10, Arrowhead ($54.50-$277). ticketmaster.com.
▪ Taylor Swift: After breaking Ticketmaster with her The Eras Tour ticket release, the pop sensation finally will arrive in KC in support of her “Midnights” album. 6:30 p.m. July 7-8, Arrowhead (sold out). ticketmaster.com.
▪ Shania Twain: The country music legend is touring for the first time in nearly five years; with Mickey Guyton. 7:30 p.m. July 19, T-Mobile Center ($36.95-$216.95). t-mobilecenter.com.
▪ “1776”: A fresh take on an old musical with a multiracial cast of female, nonbinary and trans actors. 8 p.m. July 25-30, Starlight ($15-$100). kcstarlight.com.
▪ “Jagged Little Pill”: This musical about a messy modern family is based on Alanis Morissette’s Grammy-winning album of the year from 1995. 8 p.m. Aug. 1-6, Starlight ($15-$100). kcstarlight.com.
▪ Ed Sheeran: The popular British crooner, fresh off his court victory over copyright infringement, will be joined by Khalid and Cat Burns. 6 p.m. Aug. 5, Arrowhead ($39-$139). ticketmaster.com.
▪ Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks: You can see two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers for the price of one. 7 p.m. Aug. 19, Arrowhead ($84.50-$1,350). ticketmaster.com.
▪ Jelly Roll: Jason Bradley DeFord is a rapper who has become a country music star; with Ashley McBryde, Struggle Jennings and Josh Adam Meyers, 7 p.m. Aug. 26, T-Mobile Center ($25-$119.75). t-mobilecenter.com.
Top 10 annual events
▪ Kansas City Symphony, Celebration at the Station, 5 p.m. May 28, Union Station (free). kcsymphony.org/celebration.
▪ Big Slick Party and Show, 8 p.m. June 3, T-Mobile Center ($75-$375). The Big Slick celebrity softball game at Kauffman Stadium the night before is open to anyone with a ticket to the Royals game. bigslickkc.org.
▪ Kansas City International Dragon Boat Festival, 10 a.m. June 10, Brush Creek on Country Club Plaza (free). kcparks.org.
▪ Kansas City Symphony, Symphony in the Flint Hills, 1 p.m. June 10, Wabaunsee County ($50-$95). symphonyintheflinthills.org.
▪ “The Tempest,” Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, 8 p.m. June 13-July 2 (except Mondays), Southmoreland Park (free). kcshakes.org.
▪ Boulevardia, 4-11 p.m. June 16, 1-11 p.m. June 17, Crown Center ($40-$55). boulevardia.com.
▪ Stars and Stripes Picnic, 3-10 p.m. July 4, National WWI Museum and Memorial (free). theworldwar.org.
▪ Kansas City Fringe Festival, July 14-30, multiple venues (times and ticket prices TBA). kcfringe.org.
▪ Kansas City Air Show, 10 a.m. Aug. 19-20, New Century ($9-$58). kcairshow.org.
▪ Spotlight: Charlie Parker, Aug. 19-26, throughout city (times and ticket prices vary). spotlightcharlieparker.org.
Top 10 festivals
▪ Enchanted Faire, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. June 2-3, Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens ($8-$13.27; includes admission to gardens). artsandrec-op.org/arboretum.
▪ Centennial Celebration, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. June 3, Country Club Plaza (free). countryclubplaza.com.
▪ JuneteenthKC Heritage Festival, noon-10 p.m. June 17 (Cultural Parade, noon June 3), 18th & Vine District (free). juneteenth-kc.com.
▪ Kansas City Reggae Music/Jerk Festival, 5-11:30 p.m. June 30, 2-11:30 p.m. July 1, 2-9 p.m. July 2, Berkley Riverfront ($20-$45). friendsofreggae.com.
▪ Festival of Butterflies, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. July 19-Aug. 6 (except Mondays), Powell Gardens (admission prices TBA). powellgardens.orgs.
▪ Kansas City’s Lawn Party, 4-8 p.m. July 23, Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park and Theis Park (free). kcparks.org.
▪ Ethnic Enrichment Festival, 6-10 p.m. Aug. 18, noon-10 p.m. Aug. 19, noon-6 p.m. Aug. 20, Swope Park ($5; free for 12 and under). eeckc.org.
▪ Santa-Cali-Gon Days Festival, noon-11 p.m. Sept. 1, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Sept. 2-3, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 4, Independence Square (free). santacaligon.com.
▪ Kansas City Irish Fest, 5-11 p.m. Sept. 1, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sept. 2-3, Crown Center ($20-$35). kcirishfest.com.
▪ Kansas City Renaissance Festival, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 2-Oct. 15 (plus Sept. 4 and Oct. 9), Bonner Springs ($11-$24.95). kcrenfest.com.
Top 10 kids events
▪ Fortopia, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. May 25-Sept. 4 (except Mondays), Powell Gardens (included with admission, $5-$12). powellgardens.org.
▪ Fairy Tale Village, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. holidays, May 27-Sept. 4, Crown Center Showplace (free). crowncenter.com.
▪ “Disney’s Aladdin,” 7:30 p.m. May 30-June 2, 2 and 7:30 p.m. June 3, 1 and 6 p.m. June 4, Music Hall ($35-$125). broadwayinkc.com.
▪ KC Jurassic Farm, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, June 3-July 2, KC Pumpkin Patch ($22.95-$32.95). kcpumpkinpatch.com.
▪ Our Blue Planet — A Handmade Parade and festival, 2 p.m. June 4, 18th and Vine District (free). stonelionpuppets.org.
▪ “Madagascar — The Musical,” 7 p.m. June 16, Music Hall ($39-$100). kcconvention.com/events.
▪ “Bluey’s Big Play — The Stage Show,” 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. June 24-25, Kauffman Center ($41-$58). kauffmancenter.org.
▪ “Doctor Doolittle,” opens 11 a.m. June 27; runs through Aug. 6, The Coterie ($14-$18). thecoterie.org.
▪ “Revenge of the Space Pandas,” Theatre for Young America, opens 10 a.m. July 18; runs through July 29, City Stage ($12). unionstation.org.
▪ Kidz Bop, 7 p.m. Aug. 18, Starlight ($29.50-$79.50). kcstarlight.com.
Six bonus suggestions
▪ Roy Wood Jr.: “The Daily Show” regular and headliner of the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner. 7:30 p.m. June 2, 7 and 9:45 p.m. June 3, Kansas City Improv ($33-$43). improvkc.com.
▪ “Gypsy”: Featuring Broadway and TikTok star Tina Maddigan. Opens 7:30 p.m. June 15; runs through July 9, MTH Theater at Crown Center ($44-$65). musictheaterheritage.com.
▪ Pat Metheny: Jazz great from Lee’s Summit. 7:30 p.m. June 15, Kauffman Center ($56.50-$90.50). kauffmancenter.org.
▪ Melissa Villaseñor: Woman of many voices from “Saturday Night Live.” 7 and 9:30 p.m. June 23-24, Comedy Club of Kansas City ($25-$35). thecomedyclubkc.com.
▪ Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue with Ziggy Marley, Mavis Staples and Robert Randol: A ton of entertainment for one ticket. 6:30 p.m. July 22, Grinders KC ($62-$101). grinderskc.com/tickets.
▪ “A Chorus Line”: Will star TV and movie star Nathan Darrow, a Shawnee Mission North High School graduate. Opens 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10; runs through Aug. 27, MTH Theater at Crown Center ($44-$65). musictheaterheritage.com.
More at Starlight
Chicago, May 26
Louis Tomlinson, June 10
Barenaked Ladies, June 11
The Doobie Brothers, June 14
Tyler Childers, June 15
Matchbox Twenty, June 18
“Jesus Christ Superstar,” June 20-25
The Revivalists and The Head and the Heart, June 30
Young the Giant with Milky Chance, July 1
“Legally Blonde The Musical,” July 7-13
Tears for Fears with Cold War Kids, July 14
Foreigner with Loverboy, July 18
“Rain — A Tribute to The Beatles,” July 21-23
Boy George and Culture Club, Aug. 8
ZZ Top with Uncle Kracker, Aug. 16
The Black Keys, Aug. 25
Goo Goo Dolls and O.A.R., Aug. 27
“Come From Away,” Aug. 29-Sept. 3
More at T-Mobile Center
Impractical Jokers, June 17
Santa Fe Klan with Snow Tha Product and Tornillo, June 21
Dude Perfect, July 27
The Chicks with Ben Harper, Aug. 29
Zach Bryan, Aug. 30
Shinedown with Papa Roach and Spiritbox, Sept. 4
Azura Amphitheater
Illenium, June 8
Weezer, June 11
Dwight Yoakam with Aaron Lewis, June 22
Fall Out Boy, June 24
Breakaway Music Festival, July 14-15
Sam Hunt with Brett Young and Lily Rose, Aug. 4
Mudvayne with Coal Chamber, Gwar, Nonpoint and more, Aug. 10
Yallapalooza featuring Parker McCollum, Chris Lane, Travis Denning and Catie Offerman, Aug. 11
Incubus with Badflower and Paris Jackson, Aug. 19
Turnpike Troubadours with The Avett Brothers, Old 97’s and Kaitlin Butts, Aug. 26
Gojira and Mastodon with Lorna Shore, Aug. 30
More festivals and fairs
Lawrence Busker Festival, May 26-29, downtown Lawrence. lawrencebuskerfest.com
Los Monarchs Festival Latino, May 27-28, Legends Field. maxfunlive.com
Old Shawnee Days, June 1-4, Shawnee Town 1929 and Downtown Shawnee. oldshawneedays.org
Downtown Days, June 2-4, downtown Lee’s Summit. downtownls.org
Festa Italiana, June 2-4, Zona Rosa. unicokc.com
Strawberry Festival, June 3, Vaile Mansion. vailemansion.org
Greek Festival, June 9-10, St. Dionysios Greek Orthodox Christian Church. stdionysios.org
KC Pridefest, June 9-11 (parade 11 a.m. June 10 in Westport), Theis Park. kcpridealliance.org
Sugar Creek Slavic Festival, June 9-10, Sugar Creek. slavicfest.com
Frontier Days, June 16-17, Edgerton. edgertonfrontierdays.com
Lake Fest, June 16-17, Smithville. smithvillechamber.org
Tacos & Tequila Festival, June 17, Legends Field. kctacosandtequila.com
Q Kansas City BBQ Festival, June 23-24, Arrowhead Stadium. kcbbqfest.com
Waterfest, June 23-24, Excelsior Springs. visitexcelsior.com
Wyandotte County Fair, July 11-15, Kansas City, Kansas. wycofair.com
Platte County Fair, July 19-22, Platte City. plattecountyfair.com
Amelia Earhart Festival, July 21-22, Atchison. visitatchison.com
Johnson County Fair, July 30-Aug. 5, Gardner. jocokansasfair.com
Innovation Festival, Aug 3-5, Crown Center. facebook.com/theinnovationfestival
Heart of America Hot Dog Festival, Aug. 5, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. nlbm.com
Feastival, Aug. 18-19, Union Station. kcfeastival.com
Parkville Days, Aug. 18-20, English Landing Park. parkvillemo.org
India Fest, Aug. 20, Overland Park Convention Center. iakc.org
Roots Festival, Aug. 25-26, Paola. rootsfestival.org
De Soto Days Festival, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, De Soto. desotodays.com
10 more highlights
Clint Black, June 2, Yardley Hall. jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center/events
“Virginia Jaramillo: Principle of Equivalence,” June 2-Aug. 27, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. kemperart.org
“You’ve Got a Friend,” June 9-July 2, Quality Hill Playhouse. qualityhillplayhouse.com
Make Music Kansas City, June 21, citywide. makemusicday.org/kcmo
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” July 1-23, White Theatre. thejkc.org
“Dreamgirls,” July 6-Sept. 10, New Theatre and Restaurant. newtheatre.com
The Great Car Show, July 16, National WWI Museum. thegreatcarshow.com
Jinkx Monsoon, July 29, Folly. follytheater.org
“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Aug. 9, Midland. midlandkc.com
Kansas City’s Great Balloon Glow, Aug. 19, National WWI Museum and Memorial. theworldwar.org
