The Kansas City Renaissance Festival begins Saturday in Bonner Springs. The festival runs weekends Sept.1 through Oct. 14. The opening weekend is Silk Road themed weekend, which includes belly dance lessons, martial artists and merchants. Bring five cans of food for the Harvesters and receive $5 off the ticket price. Other themed weekends include Highland Games, Pet Festival, Shamrocks and Shenanigans, Wine, Chocolate and Romance, Pirate’s Ale Fest and the Mystical Masquerade.
Santa-Cali-Gon Days begins on Friday in the Independence Town Square. The celebration includes food vendors, merchants and one of the largest arts and crafts festivals in the area. There will be entertainment nightly on three stages and include performers Lee Brice, Joe Diffie, Tyler Farr, Travis Marvin and Sunny Sweeney. Officials expect over 200,000 visitors to the four day festival.
The streets outside of Crown Center will be filled with visitors to the Kansas City Irish Festival. The festival will include over 20 Irish heritage workshops, a large children’s area, and seven stages with 30 Celtic rock bands. Some of the entertainers include Eileen Ivers, Millish, Young Dubliners and Sprag Session. Irish Fest runs from Friday through Sunday.
Live theatre Aug. 31 to Sept. 2:
- Fishtank Performance Studio: 1715 Wyandotte, “It’s a Gem!”
- H&R Block City Stage Theater: Union Station, “The Mousetrap.”
- Off Center Theatre: 2450 Grand, “The Music Man.”
- Uptown Arts Bar: 3611 Broadway, Fifth Friday Play Readings.
Music Friday Aug. 31:
- Aftershock Bar and Grill: 5240 Merriam Dr., Merriam, Kel Shira.
- Czar: 1531 Grand, Kan Eyed, Driving Wheel, Dirt Kings, Infinite Catfish.
- Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club: 3402 Main, Witch and Hare, Sneaky Creeps, Nature Boys.
- Jazz: 1823 W. 39, Max Groove.
- Kelly’s Westport Inn: 500 Westport Rd., Pat Lentz Band.
- Knuckleheads Saloon: 2715 Rochester, Elivs tribute with Jeff Bergen.
- Mike Kelly’s Westsider: 1515 Westport Rd., Eddie Delahunt.
- RecordBar: 1020 Westport Rd., Savage Seven, Conquerors.
Music Saturday Sept. 1:
- Aftershock Bar and Grill: 5240 Merriam Dr., Merriam, Othis.
- Beaumont Club: 4050 Pennsylvania, Untamed, No Safe Haven, Bleed the Victory, Love Lay Dying, Documentary, Autumn of Apologies.
- Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club: 3402 Main, SubFrozen, Slow Ya Roll, Itching Regret, Puritans, Chekhov’s Gun.
- Kelly’s Westport Inn: 500 Westport Rd., Lost Wax.
- Knuckleheads Saloon: 2715 Rochester Road, Leon Russell.
- RecordBar: 1020 Westport, Black Crack Review, Grant Hart, Rank Strangers.
- Riot Room: 4048 Broadway, Abigail Williams, Night Creation, In the Shadow, Ancient Creation, Koktopus, Caucasian Debris, Meatshank, Gornogrpahy, Marasmus, At the Left Hand of God.
- The Phoenix: 302 W. Eighth, A la Mode Quartet.
Music Sunday Sept. 2:
- Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club: 3402 Main, Deviator, Umber, Billion Headed Bastard.
- Californos: 4124 Pennsylvania, Rich Hill.
- Riot Room: 4048 Broadway, Paul Dipadova.
