Best of KC 2024: Hallmark films a fictional Taylor/Travis Christmas rom-com during Missouri summer heat

Photo courtesy of Hallmark Media

Earlier this month, we published The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can take a peek at the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some local people, places, and things that we thought clearly won 2024. We’ll be publishing these items online throughout November. 

This summer, the Red Kingdom city had a sprinkle of green as filming took place for Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. The Hallmark Channel/Chiefs partnership filmed on location throughout Kansas City, using locals as extras and taking advantage of the holiday backdrop of Independence Square’s Christmas in July celebration. The film, which follows the narrative of a Chiefs player falling in love with the winner of a “fan of the year” contest, seems eerily parallel to the national obsession with a current tight-end and their high-profile relationship.

The big-budget film shoot saw a rare opportunity for folks in the metro to live out their Hollywood dreams. Shooting at the stadium for Christmas scenes (amid Missouri heat in July) tested die-hard fans by asking them to perform their hearts out—while bubbling under layers of winter coats, hats, and scarves. Everyone involved seemed to have the time of their lives, and we look forward to pointing at the screen on Nov. 30 and repeatedly shouting “OH I KNOW HER!” Not just confined to roles for fans in the audience, plenty of local actors were hired to perform as fictional Chiefs players. We’re trying to imagine how quickly we’d die of overstimulation if we were cast to run down the tunnel and celebrate on field for a major motion picture, all while our friends and neighbors scream (and silently broiled) in the stands around us.

Here’s hoping that more than a few familiar faces and locations will elevate this from standard holiday rom-com into future KC classic—worth memorizing and revisiting for years to come.