Everything you need for a festive season in Kansas City is in our comprehensive guide. Discover all the top events and activities. For those born and raised in Kansas City and those just discovering it, our guide is your festive companion.
One event to explore is the Union Station Holiday Market, where local artisans and vendors showcase unique gifts and seasonal treats. With twinkling lights and the aroma of holiday delights, this market offers a charming shopping experience. Another highlight is Union Station Holiday Reflections, featuring stunning light displays that transform the historic site into a winter wonderland. And the KC Rep presents A Christmas Carol is something you definitely don't want to miss, bringing Charles Dickens' timeless tale to life on stage. See more details on these and other fun events and activities below!
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Top Holiday Events In and Around Kansas City
- Union Station Holiday Reflections
- Union Station Holiday Market
- KC Rep presents A Christmas Carol
- Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
- Christkindlmarket in Leawood (Leawood)
- Zona Rosa Holiday Market
- Evergy Plaza Lights
- Best Christmas Pageant Ever
- Maxine’s Christmas Carol
- Holiday Boutique (Overland Park)
See these and even more events listed below!
Kansas City Holiday Light Displays
Union Station Holiday Reflections
What to Expect:
Immersive VR sleigh ride experience.
Description:
Union Station's Holiday Reflections features sky-reaching lights, decorated trees, forest friends, and a model train gallery. Explore Santa's secret wonderland with a VR sleigh ride and enjoy the holiday spirit in Kansas City's historic Grand Plaza.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: Union Station Holiday Reflections
Evergy Plaza Lights
What to Expect:
Synchronized lighting of historic marketplace buildings.
Description:
Thousands of glimmering lights illuminate the 15 blocks of the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, creating a spectacular holiday display.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: Evergy Plaza Lights
Kansas City Holiday Markets and Shopping
Christkindlmarket in Leawood
What to Expect:
Traditional European Christmas market with handcrafted goods.
Description:
Christkindlmarket in Leawood offers a traditional European Christmas experience with handcrafted goods, German sausages, and live music performances.
Where: Leawood | More Info: Christkindlmarket in Leawood
Holiday Boutique
What to Expect:
Unique gifts from local artisans.
Description:
The KC Holiday Boutique is a premier shopping event featuring hundreds of vendors selling holiday decorations, apparel, toys, and more. Enjoy festive performances, unique gifts from local artisans, and beautifully decorated trees and centerpieces.
Where: Overland Park | More Info: Holiday Boutique
Kansas City Holiday Shows and Entertainment
Union Station Holiday Market
What to Expect:
Immersive VR sleigh ride experience.
Description:
Union Station's Holiday Reflections is a spectacular themed experience featuring sky-reaching lights, decorated trees, and forest friends. It includes a walk-through holiday village, a mini train ride, and an immersive VR sleigh ride experience.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: Union Station Holiday Market
KC Rep presents A Christmas Carol
What to Expect:
Haunting and joyous Candlelight Carol performance.
Description:
Join Ebenezer Scrooge on his redemptive journey with Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Meet the Cratchits, Tiny Tim, and the Fezziwigs, and hear the haunting and joyous Candlelight Carol. Rediscover the true meaning of the holidays in this classic adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: KC Rep presents A Christmas Carol
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
What to Expect:
Infusing seasonal classics with rock and symphonic elements.
Description:
Trans-Siberian Orchestra brings a spectacular holiday show with seasonal classics, rock flamboyance, and symphonic grandeur, featuring lasers and pyrotechnics in a visually stunning production.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
Maxine’s Christmas Carol
What to Expect:
Grumpy greeting card character turns Christmas season upside down.
Description:
Maxine's Christmas Carol is a delightfully grumpy take on the traditional tale, featuring Cathy Barnett as Maxine, the popular greeting card curmudgeon. This holiday event is full of laughs and memories for all ages, performed LIVE at Union Station.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: Maxine’s Christmas Carol
Best Christmas Pageant Ever
What to Expect:
Humorous take on the true meaning of Christmas.
Description:
Barbara Robinson's play, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, is a widely beloved Christmas tale, warm and incredibly funny, featuring relatable and unique characters.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Laser Holiday Magic
What to Expect:
Laser choreography with holiday music.
Description:
Vibrant laser choreography brings holiday tunes to life with vibrant animations and abstracts dancing above your heads, creating a cozy atmosphere under the dome.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: Laser Holiday Magic
The Polar Express
What to Expect:
Immersive train ride to the North Pole.
Description:
A young hero boy boards a powerful train headed to the North Pole, embarking on an extraordinary journey of self-discovery and adventure.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: The Polar Express
Noon Year’s Eve
What to Expect:
Interactive exhibits and live performances.
Description:
Celebrate New Year's Eve with family-friendly activities at Science City, including disco celebrations, firework twirler wands, and a balloon drop.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: Noon Year’s Eve
Kansas City Holiday Giving Opportunities
Canadian Pacific Holiday Train
What to Expect:
Raising money and awareness for community food banks.
Description:
The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train travels across North America, spreading cheer and raising funds, food, and awareness for community food banks.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: Canadian Pacific Holiday Train
Kansas City Other Holiday Activities
Zona Rosa Holiday Market
What to Expect:
Interactive fountains with programmable LED lights.
Description:
Zona Rosa Central Park Fountain offers a fun and interactive experience with 21 programable LED lighted spray heads, perfect for kids to play and cool off during the day.
Where: Kansas City | More Info: Zona Rosa Holiday Market
Festive Fun in Nearby Cities!
Discover Holiday events in hundreds of cities worldwide. Check out these nearby locations for more festive fun!
- Kansas City (3 miles)
- Gladstone (7 miles)
- Prairie Village (8 miles)
- Shawnee (9 miles)
- Independence (9 miles)
- Raytown (9 miles)
- Leawood (9 miles)
- Overland Park (10 miles)
- East Independence (12 miles)
- Lenexa (13 miles)
- Liberty (13 miles)
- Grandview (15 miles)
- Lee's Summit (17 miles)
- Blue Springs (17 miles)
- Olathe (20 miles)
- Belton (20 miles)
- Raymore (22 miles)
- Leavenworth (24 miles)
- Gardner (27 miles)
- Lawrence (36 miles)