Here are fourteen things to do in KC this weekend, June 18—21 including JuneteenthKC Heritage Festival, FIFA World Cup: Ecuador vs. Curaçao and Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.
FIFA Fan Festival
After months of buzz (and construction), the World Cup has finally arrived in Kansas City. If you couldn’t get your hands on tickets to a match, FIFA Fan Festival is hosting watch parties across the month-long festivities—complete with live music, food and drink. Held downtown on the lawn of the National WWI Museum and Memorial, headliners include Flo Rida, Cimafunk and KC’s own Tech N9ne, as well as an extensive lineup of local talents like Hailes, Brass and Boujee, Making Movies and Hembree. Admission is free, but passes must be reserved ahead of time.
June 11—July 11. Times and dates vary. National WWI Museum and Memorial.
JuneteenthKC Heritage Festival
JuneteenthKC commemorates Freedom Day with a weekend of history, music, food, local artists and more in the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District. This year, which marks 15 years since the Heritage Festival’s inception, the lineup is headlined by hip-hop legend Common and also includes local talents like The Royal Chief and Roblo DaStar.
June 19 & 20. 12 pm. 18th and Vine Jazz District.
Third Friday Art Walk
Every third Friday through October, artists and businesses set up booths and exhibits starting at EPIC Clay Studio in Downtown KCK for the Third Friday Art Walk, a celebration of talent and creativity in the community. With local makers, live music, interactive art, food trucks and more, the event is great for the whole family.
June 19. 5 pm. 609 N. Sixth St., KCK.
FIFA World Cup: Ecuador vs. Curaçao
KC hosts its second match of the World Cup, welcoming Ecuador and Curaçao. Earlier this week, Ecuador faced a loss against Ivory Coast, while Curaçao—first-timers to the World Cup and the smallest nation to qualify in FIFA history—was defeated by Germany. A pivotal Group E matchup, both teams are seeking their first points of the tournament.
June 20. 7 pm. Kansas City Stadium (GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium).
Make Music Day
In 1982, a grassroots celebration of music—Fête de la Musique—made its debut in Paris. Now, over 1,000 communities across the world participate in this event, also known as Make Music Day, each year on the summer solstice—including KC. Organized by Kansas City Parks and Recreation, the festivities bring free live performances from area performers to parks, local businesses, community centers and more across the metro.
June 21. Times and locations vary. Visit makemusicday.org/kcmo for more information.
Florida Vibe vs. KC Diamonds
Kansas City’s first professional softball team makes its debut. A part of the newly formed Professional Softball League, the KC Diamonds are among seven teams—like the New York Rise, Atlanta Smoke and Chattanooga Chill—to join the association’s inaugural season. The Diamonds’ roster of standout players includes pitcher Taylor Pannell (a Mizzou alum and Lee’s Summit native) and catcher Leah Boggs. This weekend, the team faces off against Florida Vibe in its first home series.
June 17—20. Times vary. Legends Field.
Heart of America Shakespeare Festival
Since 1990, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival has brought the Bard’s work to KC audiences for free on the lawn of Southmoreland Park. This year, the festival presents one of the playwright’s most famous and frequently adapted works, Macbeth. Pack a blanket or lawn chairs for this five-act tragedy, which is Shakespeare’s shortest.
June 16–July 5, Tuesdays–Sundays. 8 pm. Southmoreland Park.
Freedom, Soul & Sound: Amber “Flutienastiness” Underwood
Soul-jazz flutist Amber Underwood, known as Flutienastiness, has been taking KC stages by storm since she was just eight years old. Flutienastiness and the Soul Patrol will deliver a tantalizing combination of smooth jazz, R&B and funk as the Kemper celebrates Freedom Day.
June 18. 6 pm. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
Weird Al Yankovic
The king of musical parodies, Weird Al Yankovic, is coming to KC for an evening of laughs. The comedian-singer-accordionist has built his decades-long career on poking fun at pop songs, but he also performs an extensive catalogue of his own quick-witted, non-spoof songs. His Morton Amphitheater performance is a part of his Bigger & Weirder Tour.
June 19. 8 pm. Morton Amphitheater.
The Wiz
Ease on down the road to Music Theater Heritage’s production of The Wiz. When this interpretation of The Wizard of Oz made its Broadway debut in 1974, it took home seven Tony awards and was soon followed by a film adaptation starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Reimagined through the lens of the Black American experience, The Wiz follows Dorothy—a teacher in Harlem—as she’s transported into a fantastical, urbanized Oz. With hits like “You Can’t Win” and “Home,” she picks up a few friends on her journey back to Manhattan.
June 11–July 5. Times vary. Grand Theater at Crown Center.
“The World in Kansas City”
The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art celebrates the KC World Cup matches with its latest exhibition, “The World in Kansas City.” Representative not only of the global event but also of KC as a multicultural hub, the exhibit features a diverse array of artists with ties to the region. Curator Jessica S. Hong says the display aims to showcase “how we all belong to a shared, complicated and nuanced social and cultural fabric.”
March 6–August 9. Times vary. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
Rhapsody in Blue and Dvořák’s New World Symphony
The Kansas City Symphony closes out its season with two monumental orchestral works: George Gershwin’s iconic jazz concerto Rhapsody in Blue and Antonín Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony, the Czech composer’s tribute to the sounds and scenery of America. Led by guest conductor Peter Oundjian, featured pianist Michelle Cann joins the orchestra, also performing Florence Price’s sweeping, single movement Piano Concerto.
June 19–21. Times vary. Helzberg Hall.
Coffee Club At Central Park
Each Thursday morning throughout the summer, families can enjoy the fresh air in Zona Rosa’s Central Park while the kids play at the playground and splash fountain, along with rotating pop-ups and activities. This week, the series kicks off with a giveaway and a visit from Mid-Continent Library’s book mobile.
May 28—July 30. 9 am. Central Park (Zona Rosa).
Mini Golf At The Museum
It’s back! Art Course offers an artist-designed mini-golf adventure within the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Play nine unique holes, each offering a creative spin on a masterpiece from the museum’s collection.
April 10—October 25. Times vary. Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park at the Nelson-Atkins Museum.
