Festivals + Celebrations
Our Favorite Spring & Summer Festivals & Events in the Midwest
Kansas City is the place to be, offering unforgettable experiences and making it the perfect destination year-round. With family-friendly fun and cultural events, the city celebrates in style. Loews Kansas City Hotel puts you right in the heart of it all, nestled in the city's vibrant arts district. Explore exciting events and everything else the city has to offer, all just steps away.
Kansas City International Airport (MCI) - 22 mi, less than a 30-minute drive away.
Kansas City Event Highlights
Kansas City Renaissance Festival | Weekends August 31 - October 12th, plus Monday, October 13th
Step back in time at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, a medieval-themed village home to jousting knights, thrill-seeking acrobats, and beautiful maidens.
The 94th Annual Plaza Art Fair | September 19 - 21
The Plaza Art Fair encompasses nine city blocks and welcomes a crowd of over 250,000. Featuring 240 artists, the Plaza Art Fair is a top-ranked, national art event with three live music stages and over 20 featured restaurant booths. It continues to be a weekend of people simply celebrating art and each other, as well as Kansas City’s unofficial welcome to the fall season.
Fall Fun Festival | September 19 - 25
The 56th Annual Fall Fun Festival, presented by Saint Luke’s East Hospital and the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, is back September 19-21, and this year we’re taking you “Around the World”! Stroll down Main Street and explore over 200 unique vendor booths, enjoy live music, mouthwatering food, a classic car show, a high-energy parade, carnival rides, the fan-favorite Beer Garden, and the return of the Dog Garden! Whether you’re here for the shopping, the eats, the entertainment, or just to soak up the festive vibes, there’s something for everyone at this can’t-miss community tradition.
Fan Appreciation Night: Kansas City Royals vs Toronto Blue Jays | September 20
It’s time to celebrate the best fans in baseball! Fan Appreciation Night is our way of saying thank you—we’ve got some exciting activities planned. Join us on Saturday, September 20, as the Toronto Blue Jays fly in to take on your boys in blue at 6:10 p.m. But first, snap some Photos on the Field with your favorite Royals players. Gates will open at 3pm for the first 3,500 to claim their place in line to take pictures. Photos on the Field will end at 4:30pm to give the players time to warm up for the Saturday night showdown.
And back again this year, we’re hosting the Hot Dog Race Championship Tournament presented by Underdog. Finally, be one of the first 10,000 fans inside the ballpark to take home our final Royals Bring Out the Blue T-Shirt Giveaway of the season, produced by Charlie Hustle.
Freedom Festival | September 20 - 25
History comes alive at the Freedom Festival. Historical reenactors around the country come to Osawatomie to recreate the Battle of Osawatomie, a key moment in the fight to make Kansas a free state. Visitors are welcome to observe the action while enjoying local fare and listening to live music.
KC Fall Festival & Pumpkin Patch | September - October 24
Featuring over 60 farm fun adventures, right in Kansas City’s backyard. At KC Pumpkin Patch, fun is always in season! Bring the whole family out to the farm for a day of smiles, laughs, and making memories.
East Side Street Art Walking Tour | September 20 - October 25
Kansas City boasts an impressive collection of over 200 murals, showcasing museum-quality masterpieces crafted by talented local artists and creators from around the globe. Venture out to explore this vibrant canvas and immerse yourself in the techniques, styles, and compelling stories behind each artwork. With many new additions constantly enriching the urban landscape, there’s always something fresh and inspiring waiting to be discovered!
KC Oktoberfest | October 3 - 4
Head to Crown Center to experience a two-day celebration of KC Bier Co. craft brews, traditional European food, engaging games, activities, and Bavarian-style entertainment.
Missouri Town Living History Museum Festival of Arts, Crafts, and Music | October 4
Enjoy wagon rides, reenactments, crafts, and more in this annual festival that takes place at the Missouri Town Living History Museum, where guests can travel back in time to experience life in the 1850s.
Scarecrow Festival | October 4
Kick off Fall at the annual Scarecrow Festival at City Hall on Saturday, October 4, from 9am - 12pm. This free family-friendly event has something for everyone, including scarecrow making, pumpkin decorating, a Farmers' Market, and seasonal displays. Supplies and decorations will be provided at no cost. Downtown Shawnee will be transformed as businesses and merchants participate in a scarecrow contest. Come and check out all of the creative displays along Johnson Drive and in front of City Hall. City Hall, 11110 Johnson Drive. This event will be held rain or shine.
Fall Fun Festival | October 4 - 5
Missouri Town Living History Museum is your destination for Fall Fun! Come join us from 10am - 5pm on October 4th and 5th for our 49th Annual Fall Festival of Arts, Crafts, and Music. Explore the sights and sounds of the harvest season in the mid-1800s at this popular two-day festival. Living history interpreters in period attire, along with artisans, musicians and crafters, will highlight different aspects of life in the fall of the mid-1800s. Check out our lost arts area, where vendors show skills from a bygone era. Hitch a ride on a wagon, play 19th-century games, shop for unique gifts, and try out delicious foods. Make memories to last a lifetime!
Louisburg Cider Mill Ciderfest Fair | October 4 & 5
Visit the Louisburg Cider Mill during their Cider Fest weekend to take part in fun, family-friendly activities! From arts and crafts, a maze, vendors, and hard cider with fresh cider donuts, you can be sure there will be something for everyone!
Brew at the Zoo | October 11
Enjoy a 21+ evening of live music and free sampling from over 30 local breweries and wineries, plus food trucks available to tame your belly’s roar! Your 2025 Brew at the Zoo ticket also includes access to GloWild: Time Traveler, Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium’s immersive lantern festival featuring a 1-mile walk through handmade steel and silk sculpture works depicting nineteenth-century Paris, the American centennial, a sci-fi-themed trip to the future, and much more!
MO River Murals Festival | October 11
Phase III of MO Rivers Murals in Berkley Riverfront kicks off the week of October 5. We are celebrating the completion of seven murals on the levee walls near the Town of Kansas Bridge on Saturday, October 11. Food trucks, live music, and art vendors will be a part of the celebration. You are invited to come out and watch the artist put their final touches on their massive murals.
Garmin Kansas City Marathon | October 18
Featuring several distances, the Marathon is the area’s largest and most exciting annual race event, taking runners on a tour through the coolest neighborhoods and past some of KC’s most iconic landmarks, including the National WWI Museum & Memorial, the Country Club Plaza, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and more.
Boo at the Zoo | October 25 & 26
Celebrate Halloween with us at Boo at the Zoo! Bring the kiddos in their family-friendly costumes and join us for this not-so-scary, safe trick-or-treating experience on Saturday and Sunday, October 25 - 26, from 9:30am - 5pm. Bags will be provided at the entrance for children 12 and under.
Friends of the Zoo (FOTZ) members may join us from 8:30am - 9:30am for an exclusive hour! Activities are included in the price of Zoo admission or membership.
Halloween Haunt | October - November 1
Brace yourself for a screaming good time at Worlds of Fun Halloween Haunt, the Midwest’s Largest Halloween Celebration. Everything in your deepest, darkest fears is right here. As night falls in the park, hundreds of creatures from the underworld emerge to make your worst nightmares come true. Spine-chilling haunted mazes and elaborate scare zones will force you to sleep with the lights on. Spooky live shows and seasonal drinks and eats add to the screamingly good fun.
Crown Center Ice Terrace Opening | Date TBA
The Crown Center Ice Terrace is a favorite family destination during the winter months thanks to the outdoor skating rink that offers fantastic, festive views.
Cornucopia | Date TBA
Kansas City’s downtown fall festival fills the streets of the Kansas City Power & Light District. Free to attend and designed for all ages, Cornucopia features three days of carnival rides, pumpkin decorating, face painting, favorite fall treats, and many more festivities along Grand Blvd. and beyond.
Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) | November 2
A lively festival celebrating Mexican art and culture, including an altar installation, features art activities, live music entertainment, and Mexican food. A fall tradition for many families.
American Royal World Series of Barbecue | November 5 - 9
The world’s largest barbecue competition includes live performances, a festival full of entertainment, and plenty of other activities, making it one of fall’s signature events.
Energy Festival of Lights | November 20, 2025 - January 3, 2026
More than 20 miles of holiday lights comprise installations that highlight the natural forms of Powell Gardens’ tree collection, show off the exceptional architecture and landscape design of the gardens, and provide Instagram and holiday card-worthy photo stops along the way.
Each event in Kansas City offers a unique way to experience the city's vibrant culture. For more details, visit our front desk.
