Downtown KC will be alive with activities for residents, visitors and workers this summer with event series co-produced by the Downtown Council, Downtown & River Market Community Improvement District (CIDs), Art in the Loop and our other partners! This year we are bringing 4 different art, music, and performance series to activate Downtown KC parks and open spaces throughout the summer!
The Downtown Community Improvement District is pleased to announce a new performance and event series for Downtown Kansas City, “Summer in the City”. Join us twice a month from May through September in Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park for music, dance, poetry, food trucks, games and other activities at Oppenstein Park, a pocket park located at 12th and Walnut Streets in Downtown Kansas City.
The Missouri Department of Transportation District (MoDOT) Buck O’Neil Bridge Project Team, Massman Clarkson Joint Venture in partnership with Art in the Loop Foundation (AILF), announces the selection of Kansas City artist Phil “Sike Style” Shafer to create a mural on the new Buck O’Neil Bridge in downtown Kansas City, MO. The mural will be located on a retaining wall at the south end of the bridge at the intersection of Broadway Ave. and 3rd St.
The future of downtown Kansas City took a major step forward today with the unveiling of the new official name of the South Loop Project: Roy Blunt Luminary Park. Two years after its initial introduction at the same event, the name was announced by the Project Partners – the Downtown Council of Kansas City, Kansas City, and Port KC – during the Downtown Council 2025 Annual Luncheon.
Downtown Kansas City is a thriving and diverse community, with 32,000+ residents, 122,000+ workers and 6.1 million annual visitors actively living their lives in the center of our city! Within this larger Downtown area, there are 25 parks, offering acres of open space for recreation and the positive environmental impacts of trees and green space. This Greater Downtown area includes grand spaces like Penn Valley Park, home to the National WWI Museum at the Liberty Memorial, and the more recently activated acre Berkley Riverfront Park which graces the banks of the Missouri River on the northern edge of Downtown.
The Art in the Loop Foundation (AILF) is seeking visual and performing artists to bring their creativity to Downtown Kansas City for the 12th Annual Art in the Loop Project. Through a competitive, open-call process, AILF selects local artists to exhibit their artwork, create site-specific artwork, or perform along and near the KC Streetcar route and at other sites in Downtown Kansas City from May to October.
A reimagined Barney Allis Plaza is taking shape in the heart of downtown Kansas City! Following a summer 2024 groundbreaking with Mayor Quinton Lucas and city officials, demolition and construction are well underway, with major changes already visible. The Barney Allis Plaza Redevelopment Project is led by the City of Kansas City in collaboration with McCownGordon Construction, LM2 Construction, HOK Architecture, and other vital contractors.
Art enthusiasts and the Downtown community celebrated the 2024 Art in the Loop Project: Convivencia with dance, poetry, and artist talks at the Kansas City Public Library Central Library last month as the curated outdoor exhibition and performance series, staged in partnership with the KC Streetcar Authority as the season came to an end.
Last month, my husband and I had the opportunity to take a 3-week, mini-sabbatical to walk the walk 150 miles along the Camino Portuguese from Porto, Portugal to Santiago, Spain. It was the trip of a lifetime and I am very grateful to my Downtown Council and Art in the Loop colleagues, family, and friends for “holding down the fort” while we were gone. The Camino Portuguese is one of many pilgrimage routes established over 1,000 years ago leading to Santiago. As we walked each day, we found time to observe the world around us, reflect, and converse with our fellow travelers from around the world.
The Downtown Council of Kansas City is a private, nonprofit membership organization representing Kansas City’s businesses, property owners, nonprofit organizations, and anyone invested in Downtown’s success. Through our work and partnerships, we ensure Downtown Kansas City is the clean, safe, and vibrant place where you work, shop, live, and do business. These efforts are made possible through the work of the staff, the Board of Directors, as well as many public and private partners.
The Downtown Council, through its affiliated organizations Downtown Community Improvement District and Art in the Loop, is presenting a unique and interesting set of performances to Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park and Garment District in September. These performances highlight talented local musicians and provide a refreshing break for Downtown employees, residents and visitors alike – bring a chair and your own refreshments or take advantage of the participating food trucks. All performances are free and open to the public.
816 Day is named after the city’s area code and takes place yearly on August 16th. On this date in 2018, Mayor Sly James signed Resolution 180592 to celebrate the newest holiday “816 Day,” thanks to a collaborative effort by the Downtown Neighborhood Association and representatives from the 816 Day Planning Committee.