Here are thirteen things to do in KC this Halloween weekend, October 29—November 1 including the Nelson-Atkins’ Día de los Muertos Festival, The Rocky Horror Show and Art in the Loop Closing Reception.
Soft Clubbing at Elixir with DJ hunni bunni
Clubbing at a museum may be an unlikely pairing, but the Museum of Kansas City knows how to throw a party. On the last Thursday of the month, DJ hunni bunni spins an eclectic mix of R&B, house, funk and more in the museum’s cafe, Elixir. Sip a cocktail, enjoy ice cream from Fairway Creamery, or grab a coffee or soda while dancing the early evening away. Admission is free.
October 29. 6 pm. Museum of Kansas City.
Día de los Muertos Festival
The Nelson-Atkins celebrates Día de los Muertos, a Latin American holiday that honors the spirits of loved ones who have passed away, with a free festival. Throughout the day, enjoy folkloric dance and musical performances, traditional cuisine, art demonstrations, hands-on activities and more.
November 1. 10 am. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Apparition: Coffin Club
Sip themed cocktails among vampires and werewolves at this immersive murder mystery bar. Though the bar is an experience in itself, it’s the ideal spot to grab a drink before visiting one of the West Bottoms’ many haunted houses.
September 18—October 31. Times vary. Fountain City Winery.
The Rocky Horror Show
Theater wiz Nick Padgett seems to do it all. Each October for the past decade, the Tony Award-winning producer directs and produces a local production of The Rocky Horror Show—and slips into his fishnets to play the leading role of Frank-N-Furter. This year, the production pays tribute to the most well-known and beloved portrayal of Frank-N-Furter: Tim Curry’s.
For those more familiar with the cult-classic film adaptation, which stars the late Curry, Padgett says the campy musical differs slightly (though you can still expect to hear earworms like “Time Warp” and “Hot Patootie”).
October 2–31. All showtimes at 8 pm. The Grand Theater at Crown Center.
In My Jazz Era: Nosferatu
Celebrate Halloween with a frightful screening of the pioneering 1922 silent film Nosferatu, accompanied by a new score from the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. An unauthorized spin-off of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the film became the blueprint for the horror genre, despite most copies being destroyed as a result of a copyright lawsuit.
October 31. 6 pm. Tom’s Town Distillery.
Dark Forest
In need of an adrenaline rush? Head to Dark Forest for an eerie evening of performance art in the great outdoors. A collaboration between Powell Gardens and cirque company Quixotic, attendees take a one-mile, after-hours stroll through the botanical gardens among special effects and live performers like acrobats, musicians and dancers.
October 16–31. Gates open at 5:30. Powell Gardens.
Visions of the Flint Hills
At this annual art benefit and sale, celebrate the beautiful plains of Kansas, portrayed through art pieces inspired by the Flint Hills’ landscapes—the largest tallgrass prairie in North America. Artists from around the country find themselves inspired by the region and present their pieces at the Buttonwood Art Space this fall. Half of the proceeds go to the artists themselves, while the other half benefit the Friends of Konza Prairie, which promotes environmental education for the region.
September 28–December 9. Times vary. Buttonwood Art Space.
Art in the Loop Closing Reception
Art in the Loop—an outdoor exhibition that welcomes dancers, painters, illustrators, musicians and poets alike—closes out its 13th year at Kansas City Public Library’s Central Library. At the closing reception, Art in the Loop reflects on this year’s selected theme, “Home,” which “invited artists to explore the places, people, and dreams that help us reconnect with ourselves.” The event features music from Ernest Melton and Friends and work from multimedia artist Socorro Reyes Ramirez.
October 29. 5:30 pm. Kansas City Public Library (Central Library).
Local Thursdays: Alber
Each Thursday evening through October, non-profit organization Manor Records spotlights KC musicians with concert series Local Thursdays. Alber, a trumpeter who blends electronic music with jazz, closes out the series this week. Admission is free.
October 29. 6 pm. J. Rieger & Co.
Between Image and Sound: Farhad Ostovani
At Between Image and Sound, art, music and nature converge. Centered around the Nelson-Atkins’ current exhibition, Farhad Ostovani: Goldberg Variations, the museum welcomes the Paris-based Iranian artist to KC for this multidisciplinary event. A visual interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s compositions of the same name, Ostovani put ink and watercolor to paper for this collection, using botanical imagery of roses, Iran’s national flower.
The evening kicks off with a performance by pianist Dr. Yi-Yang Chen, premiering a new work from local composer Yunfei Lei written just for the occasion. Following the performance, Ostovani will appear alongside his editor, Robert Bemis, and the Nelson-Atkins’ director and CEO, Julián Zugazagoitia. Together, they’ll discuss the artist’s life, career and his fascination with the intersection between art, harmony and the natural world.
October 29. 6 pm. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. nelson-atkins.org.
Barbara Takenaga: Awestruck
New York City-based artist Barbara Takenaga, known for her abstract and meticulous dot paintings and print work, will have her first career retrospective, Awestruck, at the Kemper. Her work is held at institutions across the nation including the The Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Broad in Los Angeles. The Awestruck exhibit will feature the past 25 years of Takenaga’s work.
October 9–April 11, 2027. Times vary. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
Sombr
Celebrating his 2025 breakout album, I Barely Know Her, Sombr embarks on an international tour. The up-and-coming star performs in KC for one night as part of the You Are the Reason Tour, singing fan-favorites including “Back to friends” and “Undressed.”
October 31. 7 pm. T-Mobile Center.
Snap Space: The Distance Between
In M. Willie Garcia’s mixed media print installation The Distance Between at the Kansas City Artists Coalition, the printmaker explores what it means to live alongside the unknown. Garcia draws from science, science fiction and personal identity to explore space and invites viewers to reflect on their place within a universe that has been expanding for 13.8 billion years. As a printmaker, Garcia has worked throughout the Kansas City area and has had work featured abroad in the “Sumi-Fusion” Mokuhanga exhibition in Nara, Japan.
September 18—November 6. Times vary. Kansas City Artists Coalition.
