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, 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.

Traditional Music Society – Soundz of Samba will perform at Oppenstein Park on July 10 as part of the “Summer in the City” activation series produced by the Downtown KC Community Improvement District! Soundz of Samba truly depicts the color and pageantry of this four-day-long event in which marching bands come from all over Brazil to express their culture and the beginning of spring. 

The Art in the Loop Foundation is pleased to announce the 2024 Art in the Loop visual and performing artists. This year marks the eleventh year for the Art in the Loop Project and includes artwork based on photography, painting, digitized illustrations, and more. The Art in the Loop Project is a curated outdoor exhibition of temporary artworks presented in partnership with the KC Streetcar. For 2024, we asked artists to respond to the Spanish word Convivencia and what it means to them and their artwork. Convivencia is a shared life with others that is a constant practice, effort, negotiation, and joint achievement while recognizing friction or opposing energy. We recognize that artists and creatives are familiar with navigating space, energy, and time amongst one another and within their communities. Join us for the Kick -Off Event on June 12!

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.