Kansas events lineup starts Thursday with 19-show Wizard of Oz run
kansas City’s Mother’s Day weekend calendar starts Thursday with Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s 19-show run of The Wizard of Oz at the Spencer Theatre. The schedule also includes art fairs, a brewery gathering, a lantern festival, and brunch across May 8–10.
Tickets for The Wizard of Oz start at $44, and more than 50 individuals make up the cast and crew. For readers choosing between events, the week offers both free admission options and ticketed outings, with prices ranging from no cost to $68 for brunch.
Spencer Theatre and Lenexa Civic Campus
Judith Fertig, an IN Kansas City magazine contributor, listed four can’t-miss art events in the metro. Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s production opens first, while the Lenexa Art Fair follows with 50 regional artists at the Lenexa Civic Campus. The fair also includes jazz bands, food trucks, and face painters, and entry is free.
The art options are not limited to one neighborhood. Arterie Fest will take place Saturday on the Missouri side of the state line, bringing a block party, book sale, and brass band performance to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Kansas City Art Institute will host its End of Semester Exhibition + Sale during the same event, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art will offer art activities for all ages.
KC Bier Co and Frank A. Theis Park
KC Bier Co will host its third annual Neighborhood BOCK Party on Saturday, with eight local breweries and four home brewing clubs pouring unlimited samples. Admission starts at $30, and part of the proceeds benefits Happy Bottoms, which provides diapers for those in need.
The weekend closes with the Water Lantern Festival at Frank A. Theis Park on Saturday evening. Attendees can arrive between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. for food trucks and live music, and tickets start at $34.99.
Rozzelle Court Restaurant Brunch
Rozzelle Court Restaurant at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is also offering a special Mother’s Day brunch. The buffet-style meal has limited walk-in availability and costs $68 for adults and $28 for kids 4–12, giving families one more option before the weekend ends.
For readers planning ahead, the practical choice is between early-weekend theater and the Saturday cluster of art and community events. Those who want the widest range of options will find the most in one day, while the brunch offers a later, seated alternative tied directly to Mother’s Day.
