Hallmark Channel will film holiday TV special in Kansas City
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that Brad Paisley will not perform live in Kansas City, after The Star received more information from Crown Center.
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Kansas City’s already over-the-top holiday celebrations will be broadcast nationwide for 2025.
The Hallmark Channel will be at the Hallmark’s Christmas Experience for the event’s opening weekend filming for “The Hallmark Christmas Experience: A Hometown Holiday Christmas Special,” which airs at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, on the channel. The special features Hallmark Channel movie stars Benjamin Ayres and Tyler Hynes, who starred in “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.”
Also included in the aired special will be country singers Brad Paisley and Mickey Guyton, the channel’s Instagram account posted Wednesday, Nov. 19. But a Crown Center representative said later Wednesday that Paisley’s performance will be pre-recorded and he will not actually be in Kansas City.
The recording of the special in Kansas City will also feature a special musical guest on Saturday, Nov. 29, coinciding with the lighting of the 100-foot-tall Mayor’s Christmas Tree, according to a press release from Crown Center.
Paisley has worked with Hallmark this year, writing and performing original music for the film “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas,” premiering Saturday, Nov. 29, and featuring a cameo appearance from Guyton. The Grammy award-winning Paisley will also write and record the anthem for the Hallmark Channel’s 2025 holiday campaign.
The Hallmark Channel will film moments at the Christmas experience, throughout Crown Center Square and inside The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center all weekend for the holiday special.
The experience opens at Crown Center on Friday, Nov. 28, bringing the Christmas spirit to midtown. Every weekend, the center turns into the North Pole with a card-sending station, photo opportunities, and shop at an outdoor Christmas market with sweets and drinks to enjoy while people walk around the square.
Visitors at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28, can also see the Mayor’s Christmas Tree light up for the first time this season, with a brand new light show and performance from local indie rock band Honeybee.
The Hallmark Christmas Experience is free for all to visit while it’s open Nov. 28-30, Dec. 5-7, 12-14, 19-21 and 26-28. Select events are paid access, like meeting some of the Hallmark movie and television stars, going on a walk through a festive light display and an early morning breakfast buffet.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 3:15 PM.
