December Events Calendar

Ongoing

Dec. 1 – 31 

A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Coterie Theatre

Third Person: Storytelling as Cultural Construction, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Maya: The Exhibition, Union Station

Monet & Friends Alive, Starlight Theatre

American Art Deco Exhibit, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art 

Dec. 1 – 4, 8 – 11, 15 – 24, 26 – 31

Immersive Nutcracker, Lighthouse Artspace KC

Dec. 1 – 4, 7 – 11, 14 – 23, 26 – 30

Evergy Festival of Lights, Powell Gardens

Dec. 2 – 4, 8 – 11, 16 – 18 

Cinderella, Theatre Lawrence

Dec. 3 – 4, 10 – 11, 17 – 18 

Merry Market, City Market

Dec. 6 – 11 

Pretty Woman: The Musical, Music Hall

Dec. 7 – 24 

Milking Christmas, The Black Box

The Nutcracker, Kauffman Center

Fresh off a critically acclaimed run at the Kennedy Center in D.C., the Kansas City Ballet and Symphony return home just in time to spread some holiday cheer. The annual stage show brings the 130-year-old children’s tale to life with immaculate set pieces and costumes along with beautifully precise dancing, all accompanied by the Kansas City Symphony. “Ooh” and “aah” as the Nutcracker and Mouse King duel with tin soldiers and just try not to get enchanted by the Sugar Plum Fairy’s prance. The holiday tradition has 21 performances. Tickets start at $34.

Dec. 9 – 11 

Jurassic World Live Tour, T-Mobile Center

Dec. 12 – 18 

The Pitch’s Craft Cocktail Week, Across the City

Dec. 21 – 24

Elf, Kauffman Center

Watch Buddy travel through the seven levels of Candy Cane forest, past the sea of twirly-swirly gumdrops, and walk through the Lincoln Tunnel as Elf is played on the big screen at Helzberg Hall inside the Kauffman Center. The Kansas City Symphony performs John Debney’s score—playing loud for all to hear—live alongside the movie. The heartwarming tale of a cotton-headed ninnymuggins searching for his father as a fish out of water gets the orchestral treatment with three 7 p.m. shows followed by a Christmas Eve matinee at 11 a.m. Tickets start at $60.

EVENTS

Dec. 2

Strawberry Swing, J. Rieger & Co. 

18th Annual Ugly Sweater Benefit Party w/ Sugarhill Gang, The Truman

The Doo Wop Project Christmas, Kauffman Center

FIFA World Cup Watch Party, Kansas City Live! at the Power & Light District

Dec. 3

The Soul of Santa Tree Lighting, The Gem Theater

Nutcracker Ball, The Westin at Crown Center

Jackie Myers Quartet, The Black Box

12th Annual Holiday Swing, City Market

Cannibal Corpse, The Granada

Courtney Marie Andrews, recordBar

Larsen, Modeling, Jingram, The Rino

Dec. 4

‘Tis the Season w/ Heartland Men’s Chorus, The Folly Theater

Hudspeth and Taylor, BB’s Lawnside

Disney Princess: The Concert, The Midland

Dec. 5

The Piano Guys, The Midland

Cane Hill, The Bottleneck

Jayson Kayne, Jerry’s Bait Shop

Honky Tonk Monday, Knuckleheads

Dec. 6

Wet Leg, The Truman 

The Family ft. Lonnie & Chloe McFadden, Kauffman Center

Unique Eats & Eateries of KC w/ Matt Stewart, KC Central Library

Pop Culture Bingo, Rewind Video

Dec. 7

Lemonheads, The Madrid

Nearly Lear, Lied Center

Amon Amarth, Carcass, Obituary, Uptown Theater

Dec. 8

Josh Wolf, KC Comedy Club

The 1975, Cable Dahmer Arena

British indie synth-pop mavens The 1975 stop in Independence on their self-confidently titled tour, “The 1975 at Their Very Best” in support of their fifth album Being Funny in a Foreign Language. The band’s post-modernist show features a black-and-white aesthetic with a chain-smoking frontman (Matty Healy) theatrically belting reference-laden wistful lyrics accompanied by tight and bright instrumentation. Vice called The 1975 “the most hated and loved band in the world.” Decide for yourself Dec. 8. Remaining tickets start at $100. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m.

Guitar Elation, Green Lady Lounge

Dec. 9

Switchfoot: This is our Christmas Tour, Uptown Theater

Gullywasher, The Brick

David George Orchestra: Rock N Roll Christmas Show, The Madrid

Aaron Lewis, Ameristar Casino

He$h, recordBar

The Whale, Screenland Armour

Dec. 10

The Grisly Hand, Knuckleheads

Big Band Christmas, Liberty Hall

Trampled By Turtles, Uptown Theater

Sugar Plum Fairy Children’s Ball, Muehlebach Tower at Marriott Downtown

Midwest Poetics Winter Showcase, Charlotte Street Foundation

Dec. 11

Leo Kottke, The Madrid

KC Comets v.s. Milwaukee Wave, Cable Dahmer Arena

Dec. 12

Raw Storytelling, The Black Box

Hollywood vs. History: The Last Samurai, Plaza Library

200 Stab Wounds, Undeath, The Rino

Dec . 13

Madball, recordBar

Zack Mufasa, O’Dowd’s Gastrobar

Rainbow Kitten Surprise, The Midland

Frontwoman Ela Melo and guitarist Darrick Keller visited a friend in the hospital before their first open mic and let their recovering pal name the band. From the ether of a morphine drip came three words: Rainbow Kitten Surprise. The name stuck, and RKS quickly rose from dorm-room recordings at Appalachian State to thrilling audiences at Red Rocks, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits. The indie alt-rockers bring their energetic live show featuring quick-shifting ornate instrumentation and poetically confessional lyrics to the Midland Dec. 13. Tickets start at $39.50, with a dollar from each ticket going to local food banks. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m.

Dec. 14

Christmas Movie Trivia, Red Crow Brewing

Dec. 15

Kody West, Knuckleheads

J.E. Sunde w/ Such Lovely People & Fritz Hutchinson, The Ship

Dec. 16

David Koechner, KC Improv Comedy Club

Truck Noises, The Bird Comedy Theater

Midnight Market, The Bottleneck

Dec. 17

Nate Smith, Uptown Theater

Katy Guillen & The Drive, The Bottleneck

Joshua Ray Walker, Knuckleheads

The Office Trivia w/ Todd Packer, KC Improv Comedy Club

Michael Scott’s emergency contact Todd Packer hosts an afternoon of The Office trivia. Fans of the show know Todd Packer as Dunder Mifflin’s crude, traveling paper salesman, played by KC area native David Koechner. Several rounds of trivia laced (like his cupcakes) with behind-the-scenes stories are followed by Koechner awarding decidedly mediocre prizes to winners. Koechner—who’s in town for a week of standup shows at the KC Improv— will also be available for a meet and greet along with a Q&A portion. Seating is limited to two and four-person tables; $64 for two and $128 for four. The festivities begin at 3:30 p.m., though a 2:30 p.m. arrival is encouraged. 

Dec. 18

Murder Mystery Dinner, Belvoir Winery

Ramirez, The Bottleneck

Labrador Retriever Meet-up, Bar K

Dec. 19

Handel’s Messiah, Kauffman Center

Jeff Shirley Organ Trio, Green Lady Lounge

Dec. 20

A Drag Queen Christmas, The Midland

Hall N’Oke, Liberty Hall

Ashley Davis-Songs of the Celtic Winter, Lied Center

Dec. 21

Tony Holiday, Knuckleheads

KC Mavericks vs. Iowa Heartlanders, Cable Dahmer Arena

Classless Act, Lucia Beer Garden

Dec. 22

Having Funn w/ Damien Gunn, Johnnie’s Jazz Bar

The Vincents, Nighthawk

James Perryman Trio, O’Dowd’s Gastrobar

Dec. 23

Lonnie Fisher Album Release, The Brick

Radkey’s Xmas Evil Eve, recordBar

The M80s & Yachtly Groove, Knuckleheads

Dec. 24

Chiefs vs. Seahawks, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Game Day Experience, KC Live! at the Power & Light District

Americana Music Academy Open Mic, Replay Lounge

RSS Trio, Green Lady Lounge

Dec. 26

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, T-Mobile Center

Brian Baggett Trio, Green Lady Lounge

Dec. 27

Tyrone Clark Trio, Green Lady Lounge

Zack Mufasa, O’Dowd’s Gastrobar

Dec. 28

The Rainmakers, Knuckleheads

Bird Watching—Short Film Showcase, The Bird Comedy Theater

Dec. 29

KC Comets vs. Monterrey Flash, Cable Dahmer Arena

Womanish Girl, Nighthawk

Puppies’ Night Out, Bar K

Dec. 30

Ward Davis, Knuckleheads

The Bird Comedy Show, The Bird Comedy Theater

KC Mavericks vs. Iowa Heartlanders, Cable Dahmer Arena

Dec. 31

NYE w/ The Bad Ideas, The Brick

Zoo Year’s Eve, The Kansas City Zoo

NYE Live!, KC Live! at the Power & Light District

Irish New Year, Kelly’s Westport Inn

NYE w/ Deadman Flats, The Bottleneck