Weekend Possibilities | Grilled Cheese Fest, Chiefs Fantennial 5K, And KC Bier Co. Oktoberfest
Pick from multiple grilled cheese options | Contributed: Grilled Cheese Fest
Published October 3rd, 2019 at 10:00 AM
There are about 48 hours between leaving work on Friday and the time you start thinking about work once again on Sunday night. Weekend Possibilities is your roadmap for food, drinks and fun for the perfect Kansas City weekend.
Friday, Oct. 4
10 – 11 a.m. There’s a free Jazz Storytelling session at the American Jazz Museum (1616 E.18th St.) for anyone able to get away from work or school. Vocalist Lisa Henry, storyteller Brother John, bassist Tyrone Clark and drummer Mike Warren will be on hand to introduce different sounds and style of jazz. The event is free.
5 – 11 p.m. Kick off the weekend with KC Oktoberfest, running Friday and Saturday at Crown Center (2450 Grand Blvd.). The two-day Bavarian blast, presented by KC Bier Co., will feature 10 different types of beer, plenty of food options from spots like Johnny Jo’s Pizza and VegLife KC, plus games, a marketplace, live entertainment and more. Check out the festival’s website for complete menus and a schedule of events. Tickets are $10.
6 p.m. Kansas City’s eventful Friday evening also includes night one of Ink’s Middle of the Map Music Fest. Billed as an opportunity to curate and cultivate unique arts and creative culture of the Midwest, the festival will roll out 40 acts across six stages in multiple locations. Festival headliners beabadoobee, Snail Mail and Clairo will take the Uptown Theater (3700 Broadway) stage Friday evening. A complete festival schedule is available online. Festival passes are $39.50.
Saturday, Oct. 5
8 a.m. The Kansas City Chiefs are celebrating the NFL’s 100th season with a Fantennial 5K at Arrowhead Stadium (1 Arrowhead Drive). Runners and walkers will hit the Arrowhead parking lot well before Sunday’s tailgaters, before finishing at the Founder’s Statue in front of the stadium. Chiefs alumni and cheerleaders will be on hand to hang out and take pictures with participants. Expect a fan fest area with live music and tailgate games, plus food and beverages. Race participants will also get a fantennial shirt and race bib and be entered to win Superbowl LIV tickets — and who knows, maybe those will be tickets to see the Chiefs come February. Race registration is $40.
10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Get out to Johnson County Community College (12345 College Blvd.) for the 2019 Greater Kansas City Japan Festival. The celebration of Japanese culture has a jam-packed schedule of events, ranging from tea ceremony and karate demonstrations to a cultural village experience and cosplay contest. There will be plenty of guest speakers and storytellers, plus food and a kids area. Tickets are $15 for non-students, student tickets are $10 with an I.D., tickets for children aged 6-12 are $5.
12 – 4 p.m. The second-annual Kansas City Grilled Cheese Festival is giving the simple sandwich the spotlight this weekend at Ilus Davis Park (1000 Locust St). The family friendly festival will have live music, a cornhole tournament, cold drinks and, of course, all-you-can-eat grilled cheese from Smitty’s Garage Burgers & Beer and The Wheel Barrel. Alcoholic drinks will be available for those 21 and up. Tickets for the festival vary, however, day-of passes are $20.
7 – 10 p.m. Get ready to go “ooo” and “ahh” when the sun goes down at Theis Park (47th and Oak St.) when WaterFire KC lights up Brush Creek. The one-of-a-kind public art exhibition and Kansas City tradition opens with a lighting ceremony at 7 p.m. and rolls on with bonfires, live music and dance. The event is free.
Sunday, Oct. 6
12 – 3:30 p.m. Crown City Style The Kansas City Room at 28 Event Space (1300 W. 28th St.) is once again opening its doors for Sip, Style, Shop KC. Get ready for fall with 12 pop-up boutiques, food, signature cocktails and complimentary pampering. Attendees will get 20% off their final purchase, plus a reusable tote bag full of goodies. Tickets are $25 plus fees.
6 – 11 p.m. Close out October’s first weekend on a scary note with a few drinks at Apparition: The Spook Easy Pop Up Bar (406 Armour Road, North Kansas City). Located above Screenland Armour, Apparition will vanish November 1. Until then, pick from 13 especially spooky cocktails, keep an eye out for costume contests and get ready for candy giveaways all the way through Halloween.