KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Power and Light District is now joining the Kansas City, Missouri, neighborhoods hosting events on the first Friday of the month.
P & L will host a street fest called “Urbana” from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. near 14th and Walnut streets. In past years, Urbana was held on Sundays. Events Manager Gabby Cutrera said organizers moved it to the first Friday of the month each month from May to October to, “add to all the excitement that is already happening.”
Artists in the Crossroads District founded the First Friday event. On the first Friday evening of each month, galleries, restaurants and musicians showcase their products. Many credit the event for turning the Crossroads into a destination.
The West Bottoms has seen similar success. Leaders in the old stockyards section of Kansas City turned First Friday into First Weekend, where retailers specializing in antiques and vintage finds are only opened on the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday of each month.
Combined with a strategic approach to fight crime, eliminate blight and improve infrastructure, First Weekend helped retailers succeed in the West Bottoms.
“It's the energy, the excitement, people coming in from out of town,” said Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, who runs Full Moon Productions operating haunted attractions in the West Bottoms. “When I say out of town, yes from Johnson County, yes from Blue Springs or further, but this is also a destination. We have now become a destination for girlfriends to bring a whole bus in from Wichita and Des Moines, from Omaha.”
Bequeaith said retailers now support a sales tax base generating revenue for the city to pump back in to the district. She mentioned about half the retailers are now open every weekend, not just once a month.
—
