As summer continues in full swing, you may have an eye toward family activities in Kansas City for the Labor Day weekend. You’re in luck, as the area features some great activities that celebrate regional culture as well as provide oodles of entertainment for everyone. Here’s a look at what is on the list for this year’s events.
For the 20th year, this marquee event is held at the Crown Center. While it celebrates Irish culture with music and dance, there’s plenty more that makes this event such a distinctive experience. It takes place Sept. 2-4.
For this year’s music, there are dozens you can choose from. Among those performing are big names like The Elders, Gaelic Storm, We Banjo 3, The Narrowbacks, Byrne and Kelly, and Shane Hennessey. There are also three dance companies to entertain: the Kansas City Irish Dance Academy, O’Riada Manning Irish Dance and Driscoll School of Irish Dance.
The event also features a culture and travel area that gives details on all things Ireland. There’s also an entire area dedicated to Irish genealogy, including presentations from researchers and displays with lots of vital information. The festival also includes a full range of children’s activities, artist displays and plenty of food and drink on hand.
The Kansas City Renaissance Festival
Labor Day is also the opening weekend for this annual fun festival, which kicks off on Aug. 31 with its traditional opening cannon blast. The festival takes place in Bonner Springs, about 15 minutes away from Kansas City.
This popular festival is the place to be if you want to visit vendors, often featuring more than 200 selling crafts and artwork. It also includes a food and drink section, 20 different stages for live music and theater presentations, blacksmithery, and daily armored jousting events among the many other activities. Check out kcrenfest.com for more details.
From Sept. 2-5, the nearby town of Independence hosts an amazing festival that takes place at Independence Square. It’s a real history lesson as well as a great time.
Besides a community stage featuring area performers, there are also musical headliners each night of the festival. On Sept. 2, it’s the country-rock band Little Texas, while country legends Lonestar bring their sound to the Sept. 3 stage. It’s also a fun time on Sept. 4, as the music portion closes with tribute bands to Bob Seger, Bad Company and Steve Miller, as well as “The Rock Gods,” a show that covers the whole history of legendary rock and roll.
The event also includes some demonstrations of how life was lived in the area in the mid-1800s. There’s also a vendor village with artists and other groups, a cornhole competition, children’s activities and a food and drink section including a beer garden.
Sports in Kansas City for Labor Day
Two of the city’s sports teams are planning to take their respective fields as part of the holiday events. This includes the Kansas City Royals, who will be at Kauffman Stadium to face two of their top rivals in two different series.
First at The K are the Cleveland Indians, who play the Royals from Aug. 31 through Sept. 2. Right after that three-game series is another one featuring the Chicago White Sox, taking place Sept. 3-5. Learn more about these games and the team at royals.com.
There is also the popular women’s soccer team in town, the KC Current. For their time on Labor Day weekend, they will be playing the North Carolina Courage on Sept. 5 at Legends Field in Kansas City, KS. Learn more about the team at their website: kansascitycurrent.com.
Keep us in mind for your property needs
We hope you enjoy the weekend with your families and friends, taking advantage of the best that Kansas City has to offer. Please remember that we are here to make sure you’re getting all that you can from your property investment. Learn more about what we do on our website.
