‘Bigger and better every year’: Meet the Kansas City man behind phenomenon of 816 Day
No one calls Brian Benton by his government name. To everyone, he is, appropriately enough, “Bizzy” Benton.
And busy as he always is, working his day job, going out and about in the evenings, he used to always hear fellow Kansas Citians complain about a lack of fun around town.
So in 2014 he started a Facebook group, “KC Where You At?,” to promote the fun. It would grow to one of the largest local pages for all things in the city, with over 30,000 members.
That go-to resource allowed Benton to launch his own events — such as concerts, brunches and parties. As his following and influence grew, he started thinking even bigger. He wanted to bring his favorite things in Kansas City together for an event that was a love letter to the city he believes in so much.
He began to see the outlines for what would grow into a massive annual event, mixing vendors, artists, musicians and other entertainers. He would use Kansas City’s area code to give the celebration its name, 816 Day, and annual date, Aug. 16.
“People started to know my face and know my name. I started making all these connections around town,” says the 37-year-old Kansas City native. “The idea was something small and it grew into something so big now, and it all started from a Facebook page.”
The first one in 2017 was indeed small, at an 18th & Vine venue. The next year, then-Mayor Sly James officially proclaimed Aug. 16 as 816 Day. This year, with Aug. 16 on a Tuesday, Benton made it a two-day affair, with a big celebration the previous Sunday and more events two days later.
On that Sunday, Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted: “Spending a hot afternoon and some dollars out with my people. Thanks to Bizzy Benton for organizing another outstanding #816Day celebration, even if we started a few days early at 18th & Vine.”
A growing 816 Day
Benton, a graduate of Kansas City’s Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, has worked for the local nonprofit Connections to Success for the past eight years, helping low-income people become self-sufficient. He accumulated extensive contacts throughout Kansas City due to his constant support of local events and becoming a widely recognizable figure.
“I got the nickname ‘Bizzy’ for a reason,” he says. “I stay busy, I stay out. I like connecting with people and thrive off the energy. I have a love of people having a good time.”
So he started the Facebook page.
“I wanted to make something that was pretty much anything I would want to attend in the city,” he says. “I love live music, I love plays, I love concerts, I love parties, after-parties. Really just a place you can just find anything that you’re looking for to go to in the city you could find it on that page.”
As Benton enjoyed the best of Kansas City businesses, live music, food and dance, he wanted to share it with everyone. He began to lay the foundation of an entire day dedicated to celebrating KC in all its forms.
St. Louis already had its 314 Day on March 14 every year. It was a no-brainer for Benton that 816 Day would be the name here.
“Technically the first year was in 2017. We did it at the Juke House on Vine Street,” he says.
The next year someone contacted him to say a four-story building at 10th Street and Broadway was available for the event. “He said I could use the building, and everything was really organic,” Benton says. “I started reaching out to people and had something different on every floor.”
Each part of the building showcased different genres: poetry, jazz, R&B and hip-hop, along with vendors and an arcade.
After the first two years, Benton began to see similar events arising through the city in the spirit of his original idea. 816 Day events this year, for example, were held at the City Market, John’s Big Deck downtown bar and more, and plenty of businesses offered special deals.
Even the Kansas side has decided to get in on the fun. In 2020, Wyandotte County began its annual 913 Day. Look for it Sept. 13 in Kansas City, Kansas.
Benton is good with all of that.
“It is bigger than me,” he says. “I am not bothered about it at all. It is not about me, it’s about the city. I am really happy to see the city coming together and be on the ground floor and able to give people the inspiration to build off my idea.”
Thriving at 18th and Vine
For Benton, the success has been incredible but never surprising. For its third year, he moved his 816 Day outdoors in the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District, where it has remained every year. Since then, the festival has stood as one of the largest gatherings of the best of what KC has to offer in the urban core.
“I just try to make it bigger and better every year,” says Benton. “It has been such an amazing experience over the years, and I have heard so much positive feedback. I just try to provide experiences people aren’t able to see all in one place. It is kind of hard to top certain things.”
This year was no different, with multiple blocks dedicated to different genres, with activities to pique the interest of everyone from toddlers to the elderly. In addition to the dozens of vendors that lined Vine Street, the event was also home to a children’s area equipped with a bounce house, snow cones and face painting, all free of charge. An area was also dedicated to various nonprofit organizations.
For the first time, 816 Day designated an entire corner as an “Art Walk,” with live-painting and art for sale. Artist Remy Wharry welcomed the chance to display her work at one of the major yearly events in the metro.
“I really liked it. It was really good for local artists to come out and get some exposure,” says Wharry. “It was great they wanted to showcase the talents of local artists, especially Black artists like myself. Plus an opportunity to make some extra money which is much needed due to how inflation is.”
Wharry, a 30-year-old Kansas City native, specializes in paintings of Black women, with vibrant colors.
“It felt great to be among other like-minded individuals who are trying to find new avenues for people creating wealth and using their talents to follow their dreams,” she says.
Events like 816 Day offer small, Black-owned businesses the opportunity to not only sell merchandise but also make connections with other businesses and build bonds for future collaboration.
One vendor who was taking full advantage was Darrian Davis, co-founder of the Kansas City Urban Farm Co-op and co-owner of Beelicious KC, which sells local organic honey. Davis, who was there along with his fiancée Nicolette Paige and two children, Massa, 15, and Sedona, 7, says the event was a great opportunity to teach their kids about the importance of entrepreneurship and community involvement.
“We always try to instill the importance of business in our kids,” says Davis. “It is all about building something to leave to the next generation. We talk to them about credit and financial literacy. We want to make sure they know about ownership and control. We just want to give them the space to be able to know what you want out of life. Teaching them that you don’t have to work for someone else.”
Davis, a father of five who participated as a vendor for the second year, says this year was another success, selling more than 50 jars of honey. For the serial entrepreneur, 816 Day signifies a shift in community awareness and the importance of supporting Black-owned businesses.
“816 Day is always a good time,” he says. “A lot of people come out and want to support Black businesses. It is inspiring when you can see a bunch of young Black entrepreneurs in one place showing love and supporting. At the core of it is self-sustainability. In our community we are just seen as consumers. We are changing the narrative and showing people we are producers and creating,” he says.
Eat up, listen up
For many, the food is an essential hallmark of the 816 Day experience. Since 2018, Matthew Montgomery has become a fixture at outdoor events with his “Turkey Leg Man” food truck. Montgomery recently won the Kansas City People’s Choice Award for “Best Food Truck,” and the sight of people walking the street with enormous juicy turkey legs shows why.
“This is our third 816 Day,” he says. “It was a wonderful experience. We always have a great time, good food, good people, and great patronage. It’s always a pleasure being engaged with the community representing for our community on our soil.”
For Benton, the live music has become one of his favorite aspects of the event, allowing him to put on fresh and original shows for the people.
Last year, Benton treated guests to a 20-piece big band to play them into the evening hours, when the vendors pack up and two-stepping in the street begins.
This year Benton turned to local musicians who are helping the community. Soulful acts such as Kim Keys, Joseph Macklin, Mae C., Carlton Rashad and Asa Barnes all lend their talents to a one-of-a-kind show outside the Gem Theater.
Music artist Aaron “AY” Young took time out of his busy touring schedule and humanitarian work to attend.
At the age of 30, Young has had a long and productive career, achieving much since he emerged on the scene auditioning for the “X-Factor” television show in 2012. Since then, Young has made it his mission to use stored solar energy to power his shows.
“I wanted to make music that was motivational and inspired every aspect of humanity. I don’t really have a genre per se. I think what makes me special is how I deliver the music by powering all my concerts on 100% clean energy,” says Young.
For his work with his Battery Tour, he was selected by the United Nations to be one of their 17 “Young Leaders of the World,” each with their own social initiative.
“In 2013 I created the Battery Tour and wanted to use the idea of an outlet for people to use to plug in and connect with. I use my music to fund, build, develop and deploy solar batteries around the world to people who need them who don’t have access to electricity,” he says.
He has powered over 900 concerts on solar battery power since his clean energy crusade began. His show at 816 Day was no exception.
“It was pretty cool. I got to do some new singles off of my new E.P. like ‘Hey Mama’ and ‘Goal 7,’ which is about clean energy,” he says. “I love seeing Kansas City come together especially in the Vine District where there is so much history. To see it come alive like the old days because I think Vine Street could be great for the city.”
The Sunday 816 Day event, on Aug. 14, was the larger one, scheduled to give everyone the best opportunity to come out. Aug. 16, however, was not without its festivities. In addition to various venues hosting parties throughout the day, such as The Daiquiri Shop and a skate party, City Hall held a banquet, giving awards to community pillars.
Benton hopes to expand 816 Day to other entertainment districts, uniting the city in its celebration of KC. In the meantime, he’s planning on hosting other events, such as his Boats & Float party at Longview Lake on Sept. 5.
For Benton, 816 Day has never been about recognition or people acknowledging the credit he deserves as the driving force behind the celebration.
“I won’t lie, it was kind of nice to hear Mayor Lucas shout me out as the creator of 816 Day,” says Benton. “Everything I do is for the love of the city. It’s been a beautiful experience over the years. It’s tremendous, it is overwhelming the amount of love and support I have gotten. And I will always be thankful to my city for letting me do this.”
