Council Committee Approves Mayor’s Arts Festival Plan

The Finance and Governance Committee of the Kansas City Council has approved Mayor Sly James’ vision for a Kansas City Arts Festival that would celebrate the city as the nation’s “creative crossroads” of visual, performing and digital arts.

The full City Council is expected to vote on the measure on October 6.

In testimony before the Committee, James said, “Kansas City has tremendous artistic and cultural assets,” adding “The KC Arts Festival would bring regional and national attention to local talent and resources, provide a venue for creative collaboration and create a positive economic impact for years to come.” 

 A three-day event, the festival would take place over one weekend at Swope Park, featuring music, dance, theater and temporary public art installations.  It would also include interactive and tech workshops, film screenings, guest speakers, forums and a marketplace for local vendors.

The festival would be supported by members of the Mayor’s Office, the Office of Culture and Creative Services, a project manager, an advisory committee and a curator. The proposal includes an allocation of $250,000 to begin working on the event implementation process.