Summer 2016 highlights: KC PrideFest, Sarah Silverman, Boulevardia, Drake and more

The national men’s team is preparing for this summer’s Copa America Centenario with a series of friendly matches, including this final one against Bolivia. The U.S. team will open Copa America Centenario play June 3 in Santa Clara, Calif., against Colombia.

7 p.m. Saturday, May 28. Children’s Mercy Park. 800-745-3000. ussoccer.com. $38-$250.

You know summer has arrived when the Kansas City Symphony presents its annual Memorial Day weekend concert. This will be the 14th year for the event, which features plenty of pre-concert activities and culminates with fireworks.

8 p.m. Sunday, May 29. Union Station. 816-471-0400. kcsymphony.org. Free.

Country singer Ty Herndon and the Heartland Men’s Chorus are among the live entertainment during this three-day event. Food trucks, vendors, health workshops, animal adoptions and volleyball are other activities, which also will include a kids’ zone with an obstacle course and moonwalk.

6 p.m.-midnight June 3; noon-11 p.m. June 4; noon-7 p.m. June 5. Berkley Riverfront Park. 816-960-3400. gaypridekc.org. $5.

With her little-girl voice (she voiced Vanellope in “Wreck-It Ralph”) and naughty-girl persona, (she won an Emmy for the video “I’m F**king Matt Damon” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”), comedian Sarah Silverman appears to have no boundaries as she takes on taboos that no other comic would consider addressing. And she usually gets away with it. Also appearing will be Lizz Winstead.

8 p.m. June 8. Uptown Theater. 816-753-8665. uptowntheater.com. $39.50-$69.50.

The shorter half of Simon and Garfunkel has done quite well since the breakup of that 1960s folk rock duo. Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” and “Graceland” were albums of the year at the Grammy Awards, and he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame both as a solo artist and for Simon and Garfunkel. His 13th solo studio album, “Stranger to Stranger,” is scheduled for a June 3 release.

8 p.m. June 11. Starlight Theatre. 816-363-7827. kcstarlight.com. $44.95-$134.95.

The dream of bringing a free Shakespeare festival to her hometown became a reality in 1993 for former Broadway producer Marilyn Strauss, and it now enters its 24th season. This summer’s production is “Twelfth Night,” a comedy about twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck.

8 p.m. June 14-July 3 (except Mondays). Southmoreland Park. 816-531-7728. kcshakes.org. Free.

Boulevardia is a music festival (Soul Asylum is scheduled to perform). It’s also a beer festival. And a food festival. Oh, yes, it also offers a bike ride (Ride2BLVDIA). And it raises money for charities. If you can’t find something to enjoy, you’re just not looking hard enough.

5-11 p.m. June 17; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. June 18; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. June 19. West Bottoms. boulevardia.com. $15-$100.

Few, if any, artists have had a greater impact on American pop music than Dylan, who will be 75 years old when he performs at Starlight. He has been a major influence since the early 1960s, when “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’ ” became anthems for a changing society. As if 11 Grammy Awards and an Academy Award weren’t enough, Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2012. Also performing will be Mavis Staples.

7:30 p.m. June 21. Starlight Theatre. 816-363-7827. kcstarlight.com. $49.50-$124.50.

From electronic inventions to handmade quilts, this event is a chance for people to show off the things they are creating. The festival will have displays and presentations all over Union Station, including in Science City and the parking lots.

10 a.m.-6 p.m. June 25; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 26. Union Station. 816-460-2020. unionstation.org/events/maker-faire-kansas-city. $11-$14.

Founder and lead singer Axl Rose recently has been filling in with AC/DC despite a broken foot, but he’ll be back with Guns N’ Roses this summer. The group’s Not in This Lifetime … Tour will feature his reunion with guitarist Slash. The two have not performed together in more than 20 years.

8 p.m. June 29. Arrowhead Stadium. ticketmaster.com. $45-$250.

At the age of 23, Selena Gomez shouldn’t have much to revive. But “Revival” is the name of both her current album — her second — and her current tour. Joining the former Disney Channel star on the North American leg will be the Joe Jonas-fronted band DNCE.

7 p.m. July 1. Sprint Center. 816-949-7000. sprintcenter.com. $35.75-$128.25.

As if the largest fireworks display in the Midwest wasn’t enough, Riverfest also will have two stages of music, children’s activities and food vendors. Among the musical groups scheduled to perform are the Patrick Lentz Band, Me Like Bees and the Zeros.

4-11 p.m. July 4. Berkley Riverfront Park. kcriverfest.com. $5 (free 4-5 p.m.).

“Invasion” is the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre’s annual summer festival of international plays. The offerings include a new British comedy, “Escape From the Planet of the Day That Time Forgot,” and “In the Window” by Northern Ireland comic Nuala McKeever.

July 13-23. Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre and Penn Valley Community College. 816-569-3226. cstkc.com. All-access pass $150; single tickets on sale July 1.

Have you ever wondered whether Kenny Chesney takes off his cowboy hat to sleep? Quintessential country singer that he is, Chesney has a hat for all occasions. The 48-year-old Tennessean also has a hit for almost all occasions. He will bring them — along with Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt and Old Dominion — to Arrowhead for his Spread the Love Tour.

5 p.m. July 16. Arrowhead Stadium. ticketmaster.com. $25-$225.

The name says it all. Organized by Kansas City Parks and Recreation and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, this is the region’s biggest picnic. You can bring your own food or buy it from one of the food trucks that will be on hand. The StoneLion Puppet Theater will provide entertainment, and there also will be musical performances, recreation stations and more.

4-7 p.m. July 17. Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park and Theis Park. 816-513-7500. kcparks.org/event/kansas-citys-big-picnic-201. Free.

If you’re looking for standard, mainstream acts, look elsewhere. The Fringe Festival provides edgy entertainment, with dozens of acts ranging from theater and dance to burlesque and spoken word, with music, film, visual art and comedy mixed in. The venues will include most entertainment spaces in downtown, midtown, Westport and the Crossroads.

July 21-31. Multiple venues. 816-359-9195. kcfringe.org. Fringe button $5; individual show tickets not yet on sale.

He’s Canadian and he got his show-business start on a teen TV drama (“Degrassi: The Next Generation”), but that hasn’t kept Drake from becoming one of the most popular hip-hop artists in the U.S. His newest album, “Views,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Future is scheduled to join him on his Summer Sixteen Tour.

7 p.m. July 23. Sprint Center. 816-949-7000. sprintcenter.com. $49.50-$129.50.

What with Dollywood Theme Park, Dixie Stampede, books and movies, Dolly Parton is more of an enterprise than an entertainer these days. But she still sings, and she’ll take her country music act on the road all summer with her first major U.S. and Canadian tour in more than 25 years. She released a double-disc album, “Pure & Simple,” earlier this year.

7:30 p.m. July 29. Sprint Center. 816-949-7000. sprintcenter.com. $49-$129.

A good, old-fashioned murderous musical comedy, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” closed this January after more than 900 shows on Broadway and now is touring America. It won four Tony Awards in 2014, including best musical.

8 p.m. Aug. 9-14. Starlight Theatre. 816-363-7827. kcstarlight.com. $14-$142.

After giving birth to her third son in 2014 and serving as a judge on NBC’s “The Voice” for two seasons, Gwen Stefani has returned to performing full time. The lead singer for No Doubt has released three solo albums, the latest of which, “This Is What the Truth Feels Like,” was released in March and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

7 p.m. Aug. 12. Sprint Center. 816-949-7000. sprintcenter.com. $27.95-$147.95.

You can sample more than 60 cultures on one day without leaving the country or even town. Although food is the main attraction, the annual festival also will feature native crafts, ethnic music and dances, cultural enlightenment and plenty more.

6-10 p.m. Aug. 19, noon-10 p.m. Aug. 20, noon-6 p.m. Aug. 21. Swope Park. 816-513-7553. eeckc.org. $3.

Even if you aren’t Irish, you might wind up feeling as if you were after a day at this festival. More than 30 bands are expected to perform, and there also will be comedians, heritage workshops and displays, genealogy, a children’s area and other activities. New this year will be the Culture Cafe, offering talks and performances about Irish contributions to society, and the Whiskey Area, with performances by bands while visitors imbibe.

5-11 p.m. Sept. 2, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Sept. 3, 9:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sept. 4. Crown Center. kcirishfest.com. $5-$18; weekend pass $30.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Summer 2016 highlights: KC PrideFest, Sarah Silverman, Boulevardia, Drake and more."