Weekend Possibilities | Danielle Nicole’s Thanksgiving Blues, Lighting Ceremonies and Raiders Week

Whether you’re welcoming out-of-town guests or doing your best to make the long weekend of filling meals and football count, Weekend Possibilities is a roadmap for food, drinks and fun for the perfect Kansas City holiday weekend. 

Wednesday, Nov. 27

7 p.m. Danielle Nicole is back for yet another Thanksgiving Eve show at Knuckleheads Saloon (2715 Rochester Ave.). Kansas City’s own will play her fourth-annual turkey day eve show following a recent Contemporary Blues Album of the Year Grammy nomination for her latest, “Cry No More.” For more on Danielle Nicole, including live studio sessions and upcoming concert dates, head over to The Bridge 909 Artist of the Week page. Tickets start at $45.

9 p.m. Across town, Kansas City-based music collective Arquesta Del SolSoul is showing solidarity with indigenous people worldwide with Indigenous Peoples Day at The Brick (1727 McGee St.). The group will be joined by DJ Maxx Gruv and Ogechi for a night of defiant music and dance. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $10. 

Thursday, Nov. 28

9 a.m. Start Thanksgiving Day with a morning workout at The Kansas City Turkey Trot Run & Walk at Arrowhead Stadium (1 Arrowhead Drive). The Kansas City trot is coming together with Thanksgiving run/walks all around the country to connect over 60,000 runners with a national leaderboard and live streams. The Turkey Trot will support the United Way of Kansas City. Be sure to check online for information about packet pickup and starting times. Adult 5K registration starts at $50. The kids division 5K fun run is $10. 

5 – 8 p.m. Wobble away from the dinner table and out the door to the Country Club Plaza (Nichols Road & Pennsylvania Avenue) for the 90th Plaza Lights Ceremony. This year’s lighting will feature pre-ceremony giveaways and performances, a special appearance from Saturday Night Live’s Heidi Gardner, fireworks and a post-lighting performance from The Elders. Gardner flips the switch at 6:54 p.m., so plan accordingly. The event is free.

Friday, Nov. 29

2 – 2:30 p.m. No penguins at the North Pole, no problem. Santa Claus is taking the plunge for the perfect photo op this weekend at the Kansas City Zoo (6800 Zoo Drive) Helzberg Penguin Plaza. Santa Dives will happen on weekends throughout the holiday season. Tickets to the zoo are $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 3 to 11. 

5:30 p.m. The holiday cheer rolls on Friday evening with the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting at Crown Center Square (2425 Grand Blvd.). Mayor Quinton Lucas will be joined by Kansas City Royals General Manager Dayton Moore for the first tree lighting ceremony of his tenure. The 100-foot tree is a symbol of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund, which is dedicated to assisting the city’s less fortunate. Admission is free. 

Saturday, Nov. 30

9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Once Black Friday shopping is out of the way, head over to the City Market’s Merry Market (20 E. 5th St.), where more than 40 local artists and makers will have handmade crafts available for purchase. In addition to getting a jump on holiday shopping, market goers can enjoy tunes from carolers, in addition to special offers and activities in stores across the City Market all day long. Admission is free. 

6:05 p.m. Take a break from American football to watch the Kansas City Comets take on the St. Louis Ambush. Members of the Major Indoor Soccer League Eastern Division, the Comets will look to pick up their first win of the season against the cross-state rivals on the indoor pitch at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence (19100 E. Valley View Pkwy.). Tickets start at $17.

Sunday, Dec. 1

3 p.m. How about a matinee? Catch the closing show of Mary Poppins in Concert at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (1601 Broadway Blvd.) to wrap up Thanksgiving weekend. The classic film featuring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke will be screened in its entirety with the Kansas City Symphony performing the Academy Award-winning score along with the movie live in Helzberg Hall. Tickets start at $52. 

3:25 p.m. The Chiefs can put a stronghold on the AFC West Sunday afternoon against the division-rival Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. You can catch the action while enjoying game day specials at the Chicken N Pickle Chiefs watch party (1761 Burlington St. in North Kansas City). Expect $25 Boulevard buckets, $4 Boulevard pints, food deals like $5 street fries, a raffle giveaway and, of course, pickleball.