Kansas City things to do: The Rep’s outdoor ‘Ghost Light,’ Holiday Mart, Oktoberfest
Kansas City Repertory Theatre, which introduced “Ghost Light: A Haunted Night of Songs and Stories From KC’s Cultural Crossroads” last year when the pandemic limited indoor shows, will bring back the outdoor production this fall.
The hybrid concert and ghost-story event will feature Making Movies musicians Juan-Carlos Chaurand and Enrique Chi and a bevy of storytellers on the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s south lawn. Showtimes for “Ghost Light” are 7 p.m. Sept. 30 and Oct. 2-3, 6-7, 10, 13-14 and 16-17.
.jpg "Enrique Chi and Juan-Carlos Chaurand of Making Movies at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Photo by Don Ipock).jpg")
Tickets ($30) and information are available at kcrep.org. Audience members must provide their own lawn chairs and blankets.
Music
▪ Azura Amphitheater will have a huge week with concerts by folk rockers The Avett Brothers (7 p.m. Oct. 1; $44.50-$69.50) and rapper Machine Gun Kelly (7:30 p.m. Oct. 3; $35-$112.50). azuraamp.com.
▪ 311 with Iration and Iya Terra, 7 p.m. Sept. 30 ($45-$99). GrindersKC. grinderskc.com.
▪ Firewater Festival, 5:30 p.m. Sept. 30, 1:15 p.m. Oct. 1 and 1:45 p.m. Oct. 2, La Cygne ($144.97-$449). firewatermusicfestival.com.
▪ Madeleine Peyroux and Paula Cole, 7 p.m. Sept. 30 ($50.50-$80.50), Kauffman Center. kauffmancenter.org.
▪ Bonzo Bash with Brandon Miller and Danielle Nicole, 8 p.m. Oct. 1, Knuckleheads ($25). knuckleheadskc.com.
▪ Slaughter with L.A. Guns, 8:30 p.m. Oct. 1, Ameristar ($27-$45). ameristarkansascity.com.
▪ The Missouri Riverboat Carnival Concerts series will premiere at Kaw Point with Freight Train Rabbit Killer and Of Tree performing aboard “The Kansas City Lady” as the audience watches from shore, 4 p.m. Oct. 2 ($15). rajmahall.org.
▪ Violinist Joshua Bell, joined by pianist Alessio Bax, will open the Harriman-Jewell Series’ 57th season at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m. Oct. 2 ($25-$85). hjseries.org.
▪ Tommy Castro and Marcia Ball, 8 p.m. Oct. 2, Knuckleheads ($25-$45). knuckleheadskc.com.
Festivals
▪ KC Oktoberfest, 5-11 p.m. Oct. 1 and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Oct. 2, Crown Center ($12-$55). kcoktoberfest.com.
▪ Into the Night Fall Festival, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 1, Ironwoods Park ($5). leawood.org.
▪ Gladfest, 5-10 p.m. Oct. 1, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Oct. 2 and noon-4 p.m. Oct. 3 (carnival only), Downtown Gladstone (free). gladstonechamber.com/gladfest.
▪ Scarecrow Festival, 9 a.m. Oct. 2, Shawnee City Hall parking lot (free). shawnee-ks.com.
▪ Silver City Day Celebration, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 2, Emerson Park, Kansas City, Kansas (free). facebook.com.
▪ Fall Festival of Arts, Crafts and Music, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 2 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 3, Missouri Town 1855 ($10 per car, $20 for bus or van). makeyourdayhere.com.
▪ Troostapalooza, noon-8 p.m. Oct. 2, 30th and Troost (free). troostapalooza.com.
▪ Merriam Drive Live, 1-6 p.m. Oct. 2, Downtown Merriam (free). merriam.org.
▪ Weston AppleFest, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 2-3, Weston (free; parking $10). westonmo.com.
Three for free
▪ First Friday will include a Lyric Opera Soundscapes in the City performance at its Crossroads Campus, 1725 Holmes, 6 p.m. Oct. 1 (free). kcopera.org. Also, “Visions of the Flint Hills” will open at Buttonwood Art Space, 5-8 p.m. Oct. 1; runs through Dec. 16 (free). buttonwoodartspace.com.
▪ Jewish gospel singer Joshua Nelson will give free concerts at Unity Temple on the Plaza, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 2, and Jamison Memorial Temple CME, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 3, eventbrite.com/event/168824664115 and eventbrite.com/event/166999747741.
▪ Poets and dancers will collaborate on Westport Center for the Arts’ “The Dancing Word” at Artstech Performance Space, 7 p.m. Oct. 2 and 2 p.m. Oct. 3 (donations accepted). wcakc.org.
More entertainment
▪ The Kansas City Holiday Mart at Bartle Hall will provide dozens of vendors for early Christmas shopping, 9 a.m.-noon (preferential shopping) and noon-8 p.m. Sept. 30, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Oct. 1, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 3 ($14-$35). jlkc.org.
▪ The Williams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company will celebrate its 30th anniversary with “Let Your Body Sing,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1-2 ($30), UMKC James P. Olson Performing Arts Center. wylliams-henry.org.
▪ Theater in the Park will present the Broadway musical “The Full Monty” at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, opens 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1, runs through Oct. 17 ($14.85-$16.50). theatreinthepark.org.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
