Kansas City festival’s move to 18th and Vine honors neighborhood’s jazz legacy
The Missouri Wine & Jazz Festival returns July 11-12 with a new home in Kansas City’s Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District, bringing nationally recognized performers, wine tastings and vendors to one of the country’s most significant jazz neighborhoods.
After a hiatus following the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers are relaunching the festival with what they describe as its strongest lineup to date.
Smooth jazz pianist Brian Culbertson will headline Saturday night, while Grammy-nominated saxophonist and flautist Najee closes the festival Sunday. Additional regional and local musicians will perform throughout the weekend.
Organizer Mitchell Sudduth said the caliber of performers reflects the direction he hopes to take the festival as it continues to grow.
“This festival is here to stay,” Sudduth said. “It says this festival is trying to bring the top-ranked talent to Kansas City. It says, ‘Hey, we’re trying to deliver for the people.’ We’re bringing the cream of the crop talent.”
The two-day event combines live music with approximately 100 wines available for tasting, along with food vendors, artisan merchants and retail exhibitors. Organizers expect the festival to draw visitors from across the Midwest while offering Kansas City residents an opportunity to celebrate the city’s musical heritage in the district where much of that history was shaped.
Saturday’s festival runs from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., while Sunday’s event runs from noon to 8 p.m. Brian Culbertson will headline Saturday, with Najee closing the festival Sunday. General admission tickets for attendees who are not participating in the wine tasting start at $25 per day. Wine tasting passes are $75 per day and VIP passes cost $150 per day.
The move to 18th & Vine marks a significant change from the festival’s previous location on the grounds of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. Sudduth said organizers wanted a venue that better reflected the event’s focus on jazz while also making it easier for visitors to navigate parking and nearby attractions.
The idea to relocate came after conversations with members of the Heartland Black Chamber, who suggested that the festival belonged in the city’s historic jazz district. The recommendation resonated with organizers, who saw the neighborhood’s musical legacy as a natural fit for an event centered on jazz.
Beyond the performances, attendees can expect continuous live entertainment throughout both days, a large vendor marketplace and an expanded VIP experience built around the wine tastings. The festival is open to adults 21 and older.
“What they can expect is a day of live entertainment throughout the day,” Sudduth said. “Between the VIP wine tasting, the caliber of artists and everything else, people are going to experience a magnificent time. This is going to be considered one of the best festivals they’ve been to in a long time.”
The wine portion of the festival will feature selections from around the world supplied through a single distributor. Rather than focusing exclusively on Missouri wineries this year, organizers opted for one distributor to simplify operations while still offering a broad selection of red and white wines from multiple countries. Sudduth said the long-term vision includes eventually expanding participation to wineries across Missouri.
He said the combination of wine and jazz was part of the festival’s original concept because the two naturally complement one another.
“If you go to any jazz club, a lot of people are drinking wine,” Sudduth said. “Most people are drinking wine in a jazz setting because of the laid-back nature of what wine does and what jazz does. They put you in a chill mood.”
Organizers hope attendance reaches 10,000 people this year, though Sudduth said anything between 5,000 and 10,000 would represent a successful weekend with attendance usually reaching a few thousand. Ticket sales have already come from across the region, including Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Michigan, suggesting the event is attracting audiences beyond the Kansas City metropolitan area.
For Sudduth, the festival’s long-term success will be measured not only by attendance but by its ability to strengthen 18th & Vine as a destination and encourage visitors to return year after year.
“I want them saying, ‘I had a great time, and I’ll be back next year,’” Sudduth said.
