July day-by-day calendar for Kansas City
July’s schedule of events in Kansas City has something for everybody.
The biggest event undoubtedly is a performance July 28 at Arrowhead Stadium by One Direction, which will have the area’s teenage girls agog, even with the defection of Zayn Malik from the British boy band.
If your musical tastes run a bit less boyish, the Dave Matthews Band, Patti LaBelle and two-thirds of Peter, Paul and Mary also will perform here in July.
Somewhere in between those extremes lies the KC Fringe festival, which enters its 10th year of eclectic performances. More traditional festivals in July will include a slew of Fourth of July celebrations, highlighted by KCRiverFest, and several county fairs.
Meanwhile, baseball and soccer seasons will heat up for the Royals and T-Bones and Sporting Kansas City and FC Kansas City.
And, regardless of whether you consider professional wrestling a sport, a July 20 visit by WWE Raw to the Sprint Center is bound to be entertaining.
Here then is our day-by-day listing of things to do.
July
1“Emmet Gowin: Photographs” (through Nov. 8): Many of his works feature his wife. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak. Free; nelson-atkins.org, 816-751-1278
2Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota (also July 3-5): The battle in the American League Central continues. 7:10 p.m., Kauffman Stadium, 1 Royal Way. $12-$94; kansascity.royals.mlb.com, 816-921-8000
3Booms & Blooms Festival: Fireworks will close out a big day that also will include more than 400 varieties of daylilies and live music by the KC Variety Band Trio and the Lee’s Summit Symphony. 9 a.m., Powell Gardens, 1609 NW U.S. 50, Kingsville. $5-$12; powellgardens.org/booms, 816-697-2600
4KCRiverFest: You’ll get your money’s worth with two stages of music and what is billed as the “largest fireworks show in the Midwest.” 4 p.m., Richard L. Berkley Riverfront Park, 1298 Riverfront. $5; kcriverfest.com, 816-561-7555
5Will C. (also July 1-4): The Kansas City native’s full name, William Clifton, just isn’t all that funny. 7 p.m., Stanford’s Comedy Club, 7328 W. 119th, Overland Park. $10-$35; stanfordscomedyclub.com, 913-400-7500
6Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: Edward Sharpe is a fictional character, but the band is real. Its sound is a blend of roots rock, folk and other stuff. 7 p.m., CrossroadsKC, 417 E. 18th. $28-$83.75; crossroadskc.com
7Kansas City T-Bones vs. Grand Prairie (also July 8-9): The season started poorly for the T-Bones, but it started even worse for Grand Prairie. 7:05 p.m., CommunityAmerica Ballpark, 800 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, Kan. $6.50-$16; tbonesbaseball.com, 913-328-5618
8“A Year With Frog and Toad” (through Aug. 2): This musical for kids follows, you guessed it, a year with a frog and a toad. 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Coterie Theatre, 2450 Grand. $10-$15; thecoterie.org, 816-474-6552
9Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey: Peter, Paul and no Mary, but she’ll no doubt be on hand in spirit. 7:30 p.m., JCCC Yardley Hall, 12345 College, Overland Park. $48-$135; jccc.edu/theseries, 913-469-4445
10“Mary Poppins” (also July 11-12): Check out everybody’s favorite magical nanny. 8:30 p.m., Gladstone Theatre in the Park, Oak Grove Park, 76th and North Troost. Free; gladstonetip.com, 816-423-4091
11Summerfest Chamber Music Concert (through Aug. 2): This is the first performance of the four-week extravaganza that takes place at White Recital Hall on Saturday evenings and at Country Club Christian Church on Sunday afternoons. 7:30 p.m., White Recital Hall, 4949 Cherry. $7-$27; summerfestkc.org, 816-895-2920
12“Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” (also July 7-11): Musical adds some new twists to an old tale. 8 p.m., Starlight Theatre, 4600 Starlight Road. $14-$143; kcstarlight.com, 816-363-7827
13“Paleo Kansas City” (runs June 22-Sept. 12): See what this part of the world was like 300 million years ago when it featured beachfront property. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Linda Hall Library, 5109 Cherry. Free; lindahall.org, 816-363-4600
14Dave Matthews Band: Instead of having an opening act, the band will play two sets. 7 p.m., Cricket Wireless Amphitheater, 633 N. 130th, Bonner Springs. $40.50-$91.45; cricketwirelessamp.com, 913-825-3400
15FC Kansas City vs. Houston: The home team will try to move up the National Women’s Soccer League standings. 7 p.m., Swope Park Soccer Village, 6310 Lewis. $11-$25; fckansascity.com
16KC Fringe festival (through July 26): Performing arts, visual arts and film are all part of the 10-day celebration. Multiple venues. Prices vary; kcfringe.org
17Patti LaBelle: The Godmother of Soul has been performing for more than 55 years. 7:30 p.m., Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway. $49-$129; kauffmancenter.org, 816-994-7200
18Sporting Kansas City vs. Montreal: The first 10,000 fans will receive a Graham Zusi poster. 7:30 p.m., Sporting Park, 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, Kan. $36-$76; sportingkc.com, 913-387-3400
19Kansas City’s Big Picnic: Bring your picnic basket or buy food on-site while enjoying live music and other entertainment, including the StoneLion Puppet Theater. 4 p.m., Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park and Theis Park, between Oak and Rockhill on Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. (closed 2 to 8 p.m.) Free; kcparks.org/event/kansas-citys-big-picnic
20WWE Raw: A six-man tag-team match featuring John Cena, Seth Rollins and Big Show is scheduled for the televised event. 6:30 p.m., Sprint Center, 1407 Grand. $17-$107; sprintcenter.com, 816-949-7000
21Fall Out Boy and Wiz Khalifa: The Boys of Zummer Tour combining a rock band with a rapper will make a stop. 7 p.m., Cricket Wireless Amphitheater, 633 N. 130th, Bonner Springs. $29-$72.10; cricketwirelessamp.com, 913-825-3400
22Wyandotte County Fair (July 21-25) or Platte County Fair (July 22-25): Two of the area’s biggest and oldest fairs, one in each state and both with lots of entertainment, get underway. Wyandotte County Fairgrounds, 13700 Polfer, Kansas City Kan., and Platte County Fairgrounds, Tracy. wycofair.com and plattecountyfair.com
23Rocky Laporte (also July 24-26): If you watched “Last Comic Standing” last year, you’re familiar with this guy’s dry sense of humor. 7:30 p.m., Kansas City Improv, 260 NW 87th. $16; improvkc.com, 816-759-5233
24Kansas City Dance Festival (also July 25): Local, national and international performers will share the stage. 7:30 p.m., Folly, 300 W. 12th. $25-$35; follytheater.com, 816-474-4444
25Graham Nash: The Buzz Beach Ball at Sporting Park on this date is sold out, but this isn’t a bad alternative. 8 p.m., Uptown, 3600 Broadway. $36-$100.30; uptowntheater.com, 816-753-8665
26Kansas City Royals vs. Houston (also July 24-25): Could be a preview of the American League playoffs. 1:10 p.m., Kauffman Stadium, 1 Royal Way. $12-$81; kansascity.royals.mlb.com, 816-921-8000
27Derek and Julianne Hough: This has got to be the best brother-sister dance act since … ever? 8 p.m., Music Hall, Thirteenth and Central. $43-$92.25; ticketmaster.com
28One Direction: Icona Pop will open for everybody’s favorite boy band. 7 p.m., Arrowhead Stadium, I-70 and I-435. $39.50-$117.55; ticketmaster.com
29Johnson County Fair (runs July 27-Aug. 1): This is the fair’s first full-schedule day, including all sorts of critters being judged. 9 a.m., Johnson County Fairgrounds, 36 E. Washington, Gardner.
Info: jocokansasfair.com, 913-856-8860
30Dwight Yoakam: He hasn’t had any big hits in a while, but, hey, the concert is free. Part of Hot Country Nights. 7 p.m., Kansas City Live! Power & Light District, 13th and Walnut.
Info: Free; powerandlightdistrict.com
31“Equus” (through Aug. 16): Drama deals with a psychiatrist who treats a 17-year-old boy with an unhealthy fascination with horses. 7:30 p.m., Barn Players Theatre, 6219 Martway, Mission.
Info: $12-$18; thebarnplayers.org, 913-432-9100
This story was originally published June 28, 2015 at 5:00 AM with the headline "July day-by-day calendar for Kansas City."