Here are sixteen great things to do in Kansas City this weekend, November 24-27, including A Christmas Carol, the Plaza Lighting Ceremony, and a holiday pop-up at Boulevard.
Monet & Friends Alive
Starlight Theatre is partnering with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to present Monet and other impressionists’ works in a new way that aims to channel them through “rich, dynamic display of light, color, sound and fragrance.”
November 1–December 31. Times vary. Starlight Theatre.
Evergy Festival of Lights at Powell Gardens
This unique festive outdoor experience follows a 1-mile walk through Powell Gardens’ immersive, botanically inspired light installations. On Fridays and Saturdays, patrons can create and deliver their holiday wish lists to Santa, who will be in a festive crib in the Children’s Garden, where he will also be posing for photos. There will also be live Christmas music performed by local favorites like St. Paul Ringers Bell Choir and Carolers of Note.
November 10-December 30. Times vary. Powell Gardens.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
The beloved cartoon comes to life as a live jazz trio plays the original Vince Guaraldi arrangements along with the holiday classic. Charlie Brown tries to direct the school Christmas pageant and tries to remind others of the season’s true meaning with a droopy, small fir tree. There will also be shows interpreted in ASL and sensory-friendly performances offered to include the whole community.
November 15–December 31. Times vary. The Coterie.
A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens’ all-time Christmas classic tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s redemption through visits from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. KC Repertory Theatre’s annual production of A Christmas Carol creates generations of memories and helps remind families of the meaning of the season.
November 18–December 24. Times vary. Spencer Theatre.
World Cup Pop Up
Messenger Coffee, States Soccer and No Vacancy collaborated to launch a unique pop-up concept in honor of the World Cup. Messenger’s second floor will be transformed into an “elevated, soccer-centric living room experience.” On the dates of the United States’ World Cup matches (November 21, 25 and 29) the space will become a watch party destination with No Vacancy’s renowned “Le Lounge” pop-up bar providing craft cocktails during the games.
November 18 – December 18. Messenger Coffee.
Immersive Nutcracker
The same company that brought the wildly popular touring Immersive Van Gough exhibit is bringing the same idea but making it festive for this immersive Christmas experience. Tchaikovsky’s iconic music, including favorites like “The March of The Toys” and “The Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy,” will be playing as 500,000 cubic feet of projections cover every surface.
November 18 – December 31. Times vary. Lighthouse ArtSpace.
Plaza Lighting Ceremony
Kansas City’s ultimate holiday tradition, the Plaza Lighting Ceremony, finds a celebrity guest throwing the switch to light up the century-old shopping district on the evening of Thanksgiving. The tradition started just after thePlaza opened and is now in its ninety-third year. There’s also holiday music and fireworks.
November 24. 5-8 pm. Country Club Plaza.
Arrival of Santa Claus & Gingerbread Station
The holiday season has officially started! Santa will kick off the season, arriving in a horse-drawn carriage to greet the crowd outside of Crown Center. He will then make his way to Santa’s Gingerbread Station (Crown Center Shops, level 1) where he will be available for families to meet and get their picture taken with until Christmas Eve.
Arrival, November 25. 10 am. Gingerbread Station through December 24. Crown Center.
Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
While a celebrity guest gets the honor of turning on the lights in Country Club Plaza, the city’s mayor gets the honor at Crown Center. Mayor Quinton Lucas will light up a hundred-foot tall pine tree from Oregon to kick off the busiest shopping day of the year.
November 25. 9 am. Crown Center Square.
Sensatia
Kansas City-born and internationally renowned performance art collective Quixotic brings an interactive multimedia performance this winter. Blending acrobatics, futuristic visuals, live music, and perfumery, Sensatia promises a wildly unique sensory experience.
November 25-26. December 2-3, 10, 16-17, 30. 8:30 pm. Quixotic Theater.
Época de Oro
A co-production with Ensemble Iberica, this special event is a celebration of the music and images from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. The event includes experts from various classics of the era presenting in this former movie theater which has been converted into a performance space.
November 25 and 26. 7:30 pm. The Ruby Room.
Cirque Dreams: Holidaze
This annual national touring tradition brings a whimsical, Broadway-style musical along with circus artistry for a unique holiday experience for the whole family.
November 25-27. Times vary. Kansas City Music Hall.
Merry Market
Every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, there will be an open-air shopping experience in River Market—the perfect place to find local, handmade gifts during the holidays. There will also be additional options in the market to sip on seasonal beers and canned cocktails, Kansas City Public Library’s Holiday Book Mobile popup, and performances from carolers and choruses.
November 25–27, December 3–4, 10–11, 17–18. 10 am-5 pm. River Market.
Rec Deck The Halls
For the second year in a row, the brewery will transform the fourth-floor into a fun holiday pop-up bar once again. The festive boozy experience will feature holiday-inspired cocktails and beers, along with keepsake glassware, Christmas-y bites, decorated shuffleboard courts, and various special holiday events throughout the season.
November 25- December 30. Fridays and Saturdays, 1:30-10pm. Boulevard Brewery.
Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, With Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto
An artist-in-residence at Park University, pianist Behzod Shokhakimov brings an amazing intensity to Prokofiev’s spiky score. Guest conductor Aziz Shokhakimov opens the concert with the sparkling overture to Bedřich Smetana’s opera “The Bartered Bride.”
November 25-26. 8 pm. November 27. 2 pm. Kauffman Center.
Chiefs vs. Rams
Fresh off of a narrow win from the other Los Angeles-based team, the Chargers, the Chiefs are a strong favorite to win with the Rams being at the bottom of their division in the NFC West. A Chiefs win at home will be the perfect way to wrap up the holiday weekend.
November 27. 3:25 pm. GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
