Where to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Kansas City? Many events canceled, but not all
New Year’s Eve is probably the holiday celebration most devastated by the pandemic. Dec. 31 events with crowds ringing in the new year will be few and far between — literally, given social distancing.
Some NYE activities will proceed, though most are online.
One place where in-person offerings will be available is at Kansas City Live! downtown. Select restaurants, including Guy Fieri’s Dive & Taco Joint, McFadden’s, PBR Big Sky and The Dubliner, will be open with outdoor heated seating options that provide room to social distance. Other safety protocols will be in place and, because of local regulations, they will include a 10 p.m. closing time.
Check it out at powerandlightdistrict.com/nye.
Some area restaurants also will offer NYE packages, but all the usual celebratory extravaganzas have been canceled.
Here are five online ways you can celebrate the new year:
▪ The Quality Hill Playhouse’s New Year’s Eve Virtual Cabaret featuring vocalists Christina Burton and LeShea Wright and pianist/emcee J. Kent Barnhart will be available to stream through Jan. 1 ($35). qualityhillplayhouse.com.
▪ An Irish New Year Celebration with Eddie Delahunt, in support of the Kansas City Irish Center, will welcome in 2021 live as it occurs in Ireland, 5-6:30 p.m. Dec. 31 ($15-$50). irishcenterkc.org.
▪ From the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts comes “Good Riddance 2020!” with Pink Martini. The virtual worldwide concert will begin at 8 p.m. Dec. 31 ($15) and remain available for 48 hours. ourconcerts.live.
▪ The Youth Symphony of Kansas City will present a New Year’s Day Virtual Concert featuring Academy Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra with PercussionKC, 2 p.m. Jan. 1 (free). youthsymphonykc.org.
Here are four in-person options over the next week:
▪ Both the Comedy Club of Kansas City (Michael Palascak, 7:30 p.m., $20-$30) and Kansas City Improv (Rocky Dale Davis and Terry Thomas Jr., 7:45 p.m., $20-$50) will have New Year’s Eve shows. Palascak also will perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 1 and 6 and 8:15 p.m. Jan. 2. KC Improv will kick off the new year with major star D.L. Hughley at 5 and 7:45 p.m. Jan. 1-3 ($48). thecomedyclubkc.com and improvkc.com.
▪ The Chiefs have clinched the AFC’s first-round bye and home-field advantage for the playoffs, but given their penchant for playing close games, their regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers might still provide some excitement. 3:25 p.m. Jan. 3 ($165-$370). chiefs.com.
▪ For those whose idea of a good start to a new year is to run 13.1 miles in the freezing cold, the Hangover Half Marathon is just the ticket. The Kansas City Running Club event at 137th and Antioch in Overland Park also will include a 10K at 9 a.m. Jan. 1 ($24-$32). runsignup.com.
▪ The first day of 2021 also is First Friday, and the West Bottoms plans to hold its monthly Festival of the Full Moon Weekend, with stores open Jan. 1-3. westbottoms.com.
