Annual Events in Kansas City, Month by Month

At a glance

• Where: Kansas City, Missouri: the Country Club Plaza, Brookside, Waldo, Midtown, Crown Center, 18th & Vine and Swope Park
• When: Events recur from January to November; each entry gives the usual month
• Cost: Varies: the Plaza Lighting Ceremony is free, while races and some festivals charge; check each official site
• Dates: Exact dates change every year, so confirm on the official site linked under each event

The annual events in Kansas City, Missouri run from Kansas City Restaurant Week in January to the Plaza Lighting Ceremony on Thanksgiving night, with the CCVI Trolley Run in April, the Brookside Art Annual in May and the Plaza Art Fair in September. This calendar gives each event's usual month, not one year's dates, and links the official site so you can confirm the current schedule.

We left out any month where we could not verify a recurring Kansas City, Missouri event on an official source, so February, October and December are not padded. For what is on right now, use the Kansas City events calendar or check this weekend's events.

What are the biggest annual events in Kansas City?

The four events most locals mean are the Plaza Lighting Ceremony in November, the Plaza Art Fair in September, the Brookside Art Annual in May and the CCVI Trolley Run in April. Each one belongs to a specific Kansas City neighborhood, which makes them easy to plan a day around.

Think of the calendar as two art fairs, one race and one light switch, with a festival filling almost every month in between. The rest of this page walks through the year in order.

January: Kansas City Restaurant Week

Kansas City Restaurant Week is held every January at participating restaurants across the Kansas City area, rather than at a single venue. The official site, kcrestaurantweek.com, counts the 2027 edition as its 18th consecutive year, which puts the event's run back to 2010.

Participating restaurants serve multi-course menus at a handful of fixed price points, and 10 percent of menu sales goes to charitable partners named on the official site. Menus go up before the event starts: browse them, pick two or three, and book early for the popular dining rooms. For more places to eat the rest of the year, see the food and dining listings.

March: Kansas City St. Patrick's Day Parade

The Kansas City St. Patrick's Day Parade is held each March on St. Patrick's Day in Midtown Kansas City, Missouri. According to the official site, kcirishparade.com, the parade has run since 1974, started downtown, and moved to Midtown in 2009, where it heads south on Broadway from Linwood Boulevard to 43rd Street.

The parade keeps the March 17 date even when it lands on a weekday, so expect a daytime crowd of people who took the morning off. Confirm the start time and theme on the official site, then claim a spot along Broadway early.

April: CCVI Trolley Run

The CCVI Trolley Run is a four-mile, USATF-certified road race held each April through the Waldo, Brookside and Country Club Plaza neighborhoods of Kansas City, Missouri. It is the largest annual fundraiser for the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI), and registration runs through the race's official page on RunSignup.

The name is literal: the course follows the old streetcar and trolley tracks, and the race dates back to an idea proposed in 1989. The organizers describe the route as flat and downhill, which is part of why it draws first-time racers. Entry fees step up as race day gets closer, so register early.

If you would rather cheer than run, Waldo and Brookside both line the course and have plenty of coffee and breakfast spots for spectators.

May: Brookside Art Annual

The Brookside Art Annual is an outdoor art festival held on the first weekend in May at 63rd Street and Brookside Boulevard in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. The official site, brooksideartannual.com, marked its 40th show in 2026.

It opens the local art-festival season, and Visit KC says it draws more than 70,000 visitors each year. Go on the Friday evening or early Saturday for lighter crowds, and pair it with a walk through the Brookside shops.

June: JuneteenthKC Heritage Festival

The JuneteenthKC Heritage Festival is held each June in Kansas City, Missouri, around the June 19 holiday it celebrates. The official site, juneteenthkc.com, listed its 15th annual festival in 2026, with a Cultural Parade held earlier in the month.

The official site posts each year's schedule, so check it for the location, lineup and any ticketed portions before you go. The 18th & Vine Jazz District, the historic heart of Black culture and jazz in Kansas City, is a natural place to spend the day.

July: Kansas City Fringe Festival

The Kansas City Fringe Festival is a multi-venue performing arts festival held each July across Kansas City, Missouri. The official site, kcfringe.org, says the festival has run since July 2005 and calls its 2026 run the 22nd season.

Shows spread across several venues over about two weeks, so build a route from the schedule on the official site and group shows that are close together. Performers apply through the same site, with applications for the following year opening January 1.

August: Ethnic Enrichment Festival

The Ethnic Enrichment Festival is held over a weekend in August in Swope Park, 4177 Pavilion Road, Kansas City, Missouri. The official page at eeckc.org shows the 47th festival in 2026, running Friday evening through Sunday afternoon.

It is a three-day showcase of food, music and dance from the many cultures that call Kansas City home. Admission has typically been a small fee for adults, with children under 12 free and free parking; confirm current prices on the official page.

September: Plaza Art Fair and Kansas City Irish Fest

September is the busiest month on the calendar, with two of the city's biggest weekends.

The Plaza Art Fair is held each September on the Country Club Plaza, 400 Nichols Road, Kansas City, Missouri. The official site, plazaartfair.com, counts the 2026 fair as the 95th, calls the event the city's unofficial welcome to fall, and has featured around 240 artists. See the Country Club Plaza page for parking and nearby restaurants.

The Kansas City Irish Fest is held in early September at Crown Center, at Pershing Road and Grand Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri. The official site, kcirishfest.com, sells tickets and posts each year's Friday-to-Sunday hours. Dates for the following year go up later, and the Crown Center page covers the surrounding district.

November: Plaza Lighting Ceremony

The Plaza Lighting Ceremony is held on Thanksgiving evening on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri, and it is free to attend. According to Visit KC, the first ceremony took place in 1930, the 2026 ceremony was the 97th, and the night ends with the switch flip and fireworks.

The lights shine nightly from Thanksgiving through mid-January, typically from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m., so you can come back on a quieter night if the ceremony crowd is not for you. The whole display grew from a single strand of lights hung over one shop entrance in 1925.

How we chose

We started from the city's researched profile and the Visit KC annual events page. Each event had to recur every year, take place inside Kansas City, Missouri, and still be active on its own official site or organizer page.

We dropped events that did not qualify. The American Royal World Series of Barbecue is now held in Kansas City, Kansas, and the Kansas City Japan Festival is held in Overland Park, Kansas, so neither is in this Kansas City, Missouri calendar. Others were left out because we could not confirm the month, venue or recurrence on an official source.

Save this: a year of Kansas City events

• January: Kansas City Restaurant Week, citywide.
• March: Kansas City St. Patrick's Day Parade on Broadway in Midtown.
• April: CCVI Trolley Run through Waldo, Brookside and the Plaza.
• May: Brookside Art Annual, first weekend of the month.
• June: JuneteenthKC Heritage Festival.
• July: Kansas City Fringe Festival.
• August: Ethnic Enrichment Festival in Swope Park.
• September: Plaza Art Fair and Kansas City Irish Fest at Crown Center.
• November: Plaza Lighting Ceremony on Thanksgiving evening.

Do these dates change every year?

Yes. The usual month stays steady, but the exact days move, so check the linked official site before you plan. Several organizers post next year's dates only after the current event ends, and races like the Trolley Run open registration months ahead.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main annual events in Kansas City?

The main annual events in Kansas City, Missouri are the CCVI Trolley Run in April, the Brookside Art Annual in May, the Plaza Art Fair in September and the Plaza Lighting Ceremony on Thanksgiving evening. Kansas City Restaurant Week in January and Kansas City Irish Fest in early September are also long-running.

When is the Plaza Lighting Ceremony in Kansas City?

The Plaza Lighting Ceremony is held on Thanksgiving evening each year on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. It is free, and the lights then shine nightly through mid-January.

When is the Plaza Art Fair held?

The Plaza Art Fair is held each September on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. Check plazaartfair.com for the current year's dates.

When is the Brookside Art Annual?

The Brookside Art Annual is held on the first weekend in May at 63rd Street and Brookside Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri. Check brooksideartannual.com for the current dates.

Where does the Trolley Run in Kansas City take place?

The CCVI Trolley Run is a four-mile race in April that runs through Waldo, Brookside and the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. The course follows the old streetcar and trolley tracks, which is where the name comes from.