Weekend Possibilities | KC Sunflower Fest, Taylor Swift Dance Party and Kendrick Lamar Let's Do It

Sunflower selfie opportunities, live music and a few cultural festivals make for quite a weekend in August.

Friday, Aug. 19

4 – 9:30 p.m. Kansas City Current supporters plan to show up as a squad for Friday night’s match against Angel City FC at Children’s Mercy Park, 1 Sporting Way. KC Crew’s All-Inclusive Tailgate will provide pick up and drop off services for fans interested in meeting at Johnny’s Tavern in the Power & Light District before heading to the tailgate. Food, drinks, tailgate games and live music will treat fans to pre-match fun. Party bus and tailgate ticket packages are $25. Tailgate only passes are $15. Tickets to the game are not included in the package. Seats are available starting at $12, plus tax and fees.

4 – 8 p.m. It’s that time of the year. KC Sunflower Fest is back at KC Pumpkin Patch, 13875 South Gardner Road, just in time for bloom. The best part is the sea of sunflowers is just a few miles outside of Olathe, Kansas. The closest flowers to Kansas City make for the perfect photoshoot backdrop, before getting into an afternoon of fun for all ages in the form of yard games, farm skeeball, giant bubbles, ziplines and much more. Tickets are $11.95.

6 – 10 p.m. The Ethnic Enrichment Festival returns to Swope Park, 3999 Swope Pkwy., this weekend. Three days of celebrating multiculturalism in Kansas City will have live entertainment, food, community resources, activities, arts, crafts and more dedicated to the tradition and contributions of dozens of ethnic groups represented at the festival. Be sure to check the stage schedule and vendor details online in advance. The festival is $5 per day and free for those 12 years old and under.

Saturday, Aug. 20

6 – 10:30 p.m. Kemper Museum Block Party 2022 is scheduled for Saturday night on the museum grounds, 4420 Warwick Blvd. The after-hours party is celebrating the first look at the museum’s new “Pepe Mar: Rising Sun” installation, plus offering art making opportunities of your own, all with food and drinks, live music and a family-friendly screening of “Twister” also in the cards. The Block Party is free.

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Whether your little one is a future triathlon champion or just looking for an outdoor activity, Lenexa Parks and Recreation’s Tiny Tot Triathlon should be a ton of fun and completely adorable. Kids ages 3 to 9 years old are invited to Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, 87th Street and Lackman Road, to bike, get wet, run and go down an inflatable slide to complete the triathlon course of their choosing. Be sure to bring a bike or tricycle, helmet, clothes that can get wet and a change of clothes. Registration for 20-minute course access is $5. Everyone gets a medal for participating.

5 – 8 p.m. Love a good collab? Longboards Wraps and Red Sash Brewing are joining together for a Pop-Up in the Crossroads District, 406 E. 18th St. If food from Longboards and live music wasn’t enough, Red Sash has plans to drop two new brews, including its Charlie Don’t Surf Tropical IPA. The event is free to attend.

9 p.m. Calling all “Swifties.” The Taylor Swift Party: Taylor Swift Night is coming to The Truman, 601 E. Truman Road, Saturday night. The 18-and-up dance party for ultimate fans of the country-turned-pop star will play all of the bangers for just one night only. Tickets online or at the door start at $25, plus tax and fees.

Sunday, Aug. 21

11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Regional organizations are coming together Sunday at Overland Park Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd., for India Fest 2022. The completely free festival celebrating India’s arts, culture, history and people will offer attendees the chance to experience many of the different tastes, sights, sounds of the nation and its people. 

Noon – 5 p.m. Parkville Days is back on the banks of the Missouri River this weekend with a massive schedule of live entertainment, downtown merchant sales, arts and crafts, carnival rides, beer and more. The three-day festival wraps up Sunday in and around Downtown Parkville and English Landing Park, 100 Main St. The festival is free to attend, but carnival wristbands are $25, cash only. 

7:30 p.m. Kendrick Lamar’s 2022 tour stops at the T-Mobile Center, 1407 Grand Blvd., Sunday night. Fresh off the release of “Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers,” Lamar’s fifth studio album, local fans of the Compton, California, rapper will have the chance to see his music live in Kansas City for the first time since 2017. Baby Keem and Tanna Leone are slated to open. Tickets are available starting at $65, plus tax and fees.

Clarence Dennis is audience and digital content strategist with Flatland.