Welcome to Downtown KC – There is much to see and do this week!

NEWS ALERT – March 11, 2020 – The Big 12 Conference announced on on Wednesday, that the men’s and women’s tournament games will go on this week and weekend at Sprint Center and Municipal Auditorium, but fans will not be permitted in the arenas due to coronavirus concerns. To learn more about the basketball tournaments, or activities at any Downtown arts, entertainment or sports venues, go the venue websites that are featured below.

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Downtown KC – March 8, 2020 – The return of the Big 12 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will turn up the heat in Downtown KC this week. Roll the highlight reel to see what’s cookin’ in the Big Town … from Monday to Sunday, March 9-15:

Bartle Hall, 301 W. 13th St. This week, featuring the popular Greater Kansas City Home Show – chalk-full of guest speakers, exhibits, special attractions and fun this weekend. The Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City (KCHBA) will feature two big-name presenters to headline the always popular Home Show, including designer Bobby Berk from Netflix’s hit series Queer Eye on Sunday, and KC’s very own TV celebrity designer Tamara Day from HGTV’s Bargain Mansions on Saturday. The Home Show will be open from noon-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at Bartle Hall.

The City Market, 20 E. 5th St. This week, explore Kansas City’s original marketplace connecting local businesses and regional growers to the community. City Market merchants are open daily , and Farmers Market vendors are open weekends only from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through March.

Crown Center, 2405 Grand. This week, featuring the LEGO Trolls World Tour beginning Saturday at the LEGOLAND Discovery Center. Whether you’re a pop diva or a rock god, prepare to get Trolls World Tour ready, as this Troll-tastic Adventure continues through April 19.

Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St. This week, the Harriman-Jewell Series presents pianist Daniil Trifonov in recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The Times (London) calls Trifonov “without question the most astounding pianist of our age.” In 2011, he won the First Prize and Grand Prix at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. Trifonov has since acquired a mountain of awards and has performed with every major orchestra in the world. 

Hale Arena, 1701 American Royal Ct.. This week, featuring Cowtown Showdown – THE championship truck and tractor pull – will rock the American Royal Complex from Wednesday through Saturday in the West Bottoms.

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway. This week, featuring eight breathtaking performances over five nights this week, including:

• Lucia di Lammermoor – The Lyric Opera of Kansas City invites you to … COME FOR THE WEDDING. STAY FOR THE FUNERAL… in this Italian opera from composer Gaetano Donizetti. Performances continue this week at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
• National Geographic Live presents Pursuit of the Back Panther with wildlife photographer and cinematographer Shannon Wild, whose most recent assignment might prove her most difficult yet: producing a documentary about a rare black panther – the only one living in 250 square miles of dense forest in southern India. Get an inside look at the challenges and dangers of tackling an assignment in an unforgiving environment, from the narrow dirt roads to extreme weather to unexpected injuries – and worse – at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Kauffman Theatre.
• Kansas City Youth Symphony presents the Kansas City Classic Orchestra and Band Festival at 12:30 and 6 p.m. Wednesday in Helzberg Hall. Over 400 local musicians from eight Kansas City-area orchestras will be on stage at the Kauffman Center for a day of free music.
• Music of the Rolling Stones – Mick and Keith 1969 – The Kansas City Symphony and Windborne present a full rock band with the orchestra to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Rolling Stones iconic albums, Beggar’s Banquet and Let It Bleed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Helzberg Hall.
• Celebrate the Jackson County Heritage Philharmonic on its 75th season at 3 p.m. Sunday in Helzberg Hall. This 75th anniversary performance will feature Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite,

KC Public Library, 14 W. 10th St. This week, featuring two programs at the Central Library including

• Driving While Black featuring historian Gretchen Sorin in a discussion of her new book, Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights, at  6:30 p.m. Thursday, and
• The Golden Lane: How Missouri Women Gained the Vote and Changed History featuring author Margot McMillen, as she draws from her book The Golden Lane in examining Missouri’s role in advancing and ultimately achieving women’s suffrage at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester. This week, KC’s favorite honky tonk will kick the East Bottoms with 12 rockin’ performances, including The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band with The Flying Buffaloes at 8 p.m. Wednesday; Bluegrass in the Bottoms and 90.1 The Bridge present Galactic at 8 p.m. Friday; Mardi Gras Party with Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band at 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and Michaela Anne (& Her Band) at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the Gospel Lounge.

March Madness – Downtown KC celebrates its claim to being one of the hottest college basketball meccas in the country with five tournaments this month – one for the national NAIA title and four for conference crowns in the Big 12 and MIAA. The action huts its stride this week with…

• Big 12 Men’s Conference Tournament – The Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship – currently featuring the nation’s #1 (Kansas) and #2 (Baylor) ranked teams – will once again take over Kansas City on Wednesday through Saturday at Sprint Center. Play tips off at 6 p.m. Wednesday and features two games Wednesday evening, four games on Thursday, the semi-finals on Friday evening, and the title game at 5 p.m. Saturday. The Big 12 Conference has announced the Championship will stay in KC through 2024.

• Big 12 Women’s Conference Tournament – The women are BACK in KC for the first time since 2012 and the 12th time overall.  The championship is set for Municipal Auditorium on Thursday through Sunday. Top-seeded Baylor won the 2019 title in Oklahoma City with a 67-49 victory over No. 2-seed Iowa State. The action gets started at 6 p.m. Thursday and features two games that evening, four games on Friday, the semi-finals on Saturday, and the championship game at 3 p.m. Sunday.

The Midland, 1228 Main St. This week, five, eclectic nights of big-time entertainment with:

• Dancing with the Stars Live! – TV’s biggest dance show returns on tour this winter featuring fan favorite professional and troupe dancers in a brand-new production showcasing every type of dance style as seen on ABC’s hit show. The fun begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
• The Bachelor Live on Stage – The most successful reality romance series in the history of television is coming to town, complete with all the drama, the gossip and the romance of your favorite TV show in one delightful evening for the ultimate fan party. The drama begins at 8 p.m. Thursday.
• Ryan Hurd – The Nashville-based country crooner will rock the house at 8 p.m. Friday. Special guests include Adam Doleac and Joey Hyde.
• Bob Weir and Wolf Bros – With a touring history that has made him one of the most traveled road musicians of all time through The Grateful Dead and a restless music personality that has kept him occupied for over 50 years, Weir knows a thing or two about staying fresh and living in the moment. That moment will unfold in KC beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
• Disney Dance Upon A Dream – Come and celebrate the dazzling world of Disney with dancer, social media, and television sensation Mackenzie Ziegler, as she goes on an electrifying adventure to find her own beat in the world. The dream begins at 4 p.m. Sunday.

National WWI Museum and Memorial, 2 Memorial Dr. This week, featuring a special exhibition on The Vietnam War. On display through May, this exhibit explores themes of patriotism, duty and citizenship through a remarkable collection of objects from the New York Historical Society.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 1616 E. 18th St. This week, the Centennial Celebration featuring a special Centennial Art Exhibition of stunning works of artist, Graig Kreindler. The exhibit serves as a visual history of the Negro Leagues through a showcase over 200 original portrait studies of Negro League greats commissioned by Seattle businessman and NLBM licensee, Jay Caldwell, owner of Dreams Fulfilled. The exhibition will also include rare artifacts from Caldwell’s personal collection. Click here for complete details on the NLBM centennial experience.

Power & Light District, 50 E. 13th St. This week, presenting the official Big 12 Basketball Miller Lite Fan Fest on Wednesday through Sunday in the KC Live Block.

The Truman, 601 E. Truman Rd. This week, presenting Caamp stops in Downtown KC on its By and By Tour with special guest Bendigo Fletcher at 8 p.m. Sunday.

Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Rd. This week, Genghis Khan – Bringing the Legend to Life – Discover how legends are made in this world-class exhibition that explores the culture, conquests and heritage of the world’s greatest conqueror . . . the man Time Magazine and The Washington Post named “The Most Important Person of the Last Millennium.” Journey back 800 years, to experience the treasures and stories of Genghis Khan’s 13th-century Mongol Empire, the exhibition is showing seven days a week through April 26. Click here to learn more.

LIVE THEATER – This week, featuring 6 performances on 5 stages, including:

• Broadway Through the Decades – Celebrate the best of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, and everyone in between in this Quality Hill Playhouse production that runs through April 5.
• Diary of a Worm, a Spider and a Fly – Theatre for Young America presents this entertaining musical that captures the droll humor and whimsy of the wildly popular books by Doreen Cronin. Diary continues through March 21 at the City Stage Theatre in Union Station.
• Frankenstein – A storyteller, accompanied by a live musician, unravels Mary Shelley’s iconic 200-year-old science fiction tale as a haunting and heartbreaking cautionary tale like none other. That this tale is as important today as it was then, speaks to the human condition. Performances run through April 5 on the Copaken Stage at H&R Block.
• Legacy Land, an honorable mention on the 2019 Kilroys List, is an unflinching dark comedic dive into the bizarre legacy that sexual abuse imprints upon the lives of sisters Barbara and Denise. KCRep is proud to be working with the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) in providing support and resources for the artists and patrons as it explores and engage with Legacy Land. Performances run through April 5 on the Copaken Stage at H&R Block.
• A Man of Her Own – Buckle up for a gripping story of lies, betrayal, deceit and love this Friday through Sunday at Just Off Broadway Theatre.
• Puffs – or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic – opens Tuesday at The Coterie in Crown Center. Calling all Potterheads! Enjoy the fun as the extras become the leading players in Puffs. This magical production runs through March 22.

LIVE MUSIC is on tap most nights at these Downtown clubs and joints: Blue Room Jazz Club, Black Dolphin, The Brick, Gem Theater,  Green Lady Lounge, Hush, The Majestic Jazz Club, Mutual Musicians Foundation, The Phoenix, Prohibition Hall , throughout the Power & Light District, The Record Bar and The Ship.

AND, UNIQUE TREASURES are plentiful via Downtown museums and attractions, including the Airline History Museum, Downtown Airport; American Jazz Museum, 18th & Vine; Arabia Steamboat Museum, River Market; Black Archives of Mid-America, 18th & Vine; Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity, Union Station District; Boulevard Beer Hall, Westside; City Market, River Market; College Basketball Experience, Sprint Center; Garment District Museum, Garment District; Kansas City Public Library, Central Business District; Hallmark Visitors Center, Crown Center; Hy-Vee Arena, West Bottoms; Kansas City Museum, Corinthian Hall; Money Museum, Federal Reserve Bank of KC; National Archives, Union Station District; National WWI Museum and Memorial, Liberty Memorial; Legoland Discovery Center, Crown Center; Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 18th & Vine; Riverfront Heritage Trail, River Market area; Science City, Union Station; Sea Life Aquarium, Crown Center; 21c Museum Hotel, Historic 9th District; TWA Museum, Downtown Airport; and Union Station, Union Station.

For more of what’s happening in Downtown and Kansas City, check out ArtsKCGo and VisitKC.com