Kansas City is the place to be this season for festive Holiday Celebrations. Each time we visit KC we find ourselves joining exciting events and meeting new friends. Now it’s your turn to create your own tradition in this amazing city. One place to begin is at the Crown Center’s American Heartland Theatre that will weave heart-tugging tale of George Bailey in a whole new direction for It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play until Dec. 27. The setting for the new interpretation is Kansas City’s WDAF television studios, circa 1946.
November 19, 2009 at 7:30 pm
In Dec. you can experience a classic tradition at the Kansas City Ballet. Featuring a cast of more than 200 dancers, the Kansas City Ballet’s enchanting presentation of The Nutcracker is the largest in an eight-state region and one of the hottest tickets in town. The same story gets a historical twist for A Kansas Nutcracker, a charming production at the Lawrence Arts Center. The rolling plains and prairies of the Sunflower State are the backdrop for this whimsical staging, which recounts the magical dreams of a young Kansas girl in the 1850s.
Eric Stonestreet, KC native and star of the hit ABC comedy Modern Family, will headline the festivities at the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, Nov. 27 at Crown Center. Home to Hallmark Cards, the creative complex pulls out all the stops each holiday season and the 100-foot-tall Mayor’s Christmas Tree as its centerpiece.
KC native and Saturday Night Live regular Jason Sudeikis will flip the switch on Thanksgiving night for the 80th Annual Country Club Plaza Season of Lights. The Plaza spends seven weeks each winter dressed up in jewel-colored lights that outline every shop, dome and tower of the Spanish-inspired shopping and entertainment district.
The Kansas City Repertory Theatre will present the world premiere of A Christmas Story: The Musical, Nov. 20-Dec. 27. Based on the iconic 1983 holiday film, this new musical follows the holiday hijinks of Ralphie and company—complete with BB guns, frozen tongues and, of course, that infamous leg lamp – if you’ve ever wanted to see this iconic piece of history, then this is your chance!
Contemporary vocalist Jim Brickman and American Idol star David Archuleta will both deck the halls of downtown’s revamped Midland by AMC. Brickman’s holiday showcase, Beautiful World Christmas, arrives Nov. 21, and Archuleta’s Christmas From the Heart takes place Dec. 8.
Straight from the mind of Dr. Seuss, The City Market will be transformed for Whoville Holidays, a yuletide celebration even The Grinch would love (Saturdays Nov. 29 & Dec. 6, 13, 20). Get your picture taken with the grumpy green one, plus take part in holiday art activities and a Cindy Lou Who Look-Alike Contest.
After bringing back the downtown tradition of gigantic holiday crowns, Zona Rosa will reintroduce another local favorite: the Kansas City Museum’s nostalgic Igloo (Nov. 21-Dec. 3). Now part of Zona Rosa’s winter wonderland, the chilly, crawl-through structure was once the centerpiece of the museum’s popular “Eskimoland” exhibit that opened in 1954.
As you can see there will be plenty of entertaining options for a festive holiday in Kansas City!
Visiting Kansas City has never been more affordable. This holiday season, KC’s premier attractions have come together to offer significant savings to visitors. The citywide deals include cool, money-saving discounts on everything from hotels to theater, plus several 2-for-1 specials. For a complete list of discounts, go to VisitKC.com and click on “Season of Magic.”