Things to Do in Kansas City in October 2026, Weekend by Weekend
October in Kansas City is the month I stop pretending I am too busy for fun. The weather finally cooperates, every small town within an hour has a festival, and my kids are still young enough to think a hayride is a major life event. So I sat down with a cup of (decaf, sigh) coffee and mapped out the whole month, weekend by weekend, so you do not have to.
No affiliate links in this one, friends. Just a local mom’s honest list of what is actually worth loading everyone into the car for. Dates are pulled from the organizers and Visit KC as of mid September, but always double check before you go, because festivals love a surprise schedule change.
The first weekend: October 2 to 4
This is the big one. If you only get one free weekend this month, make it this one.
KC Oktoberfest takes over Crown Center on October 2 and 3 with KC Bier Co. beer, bratwurst, live music, and games. Single tickets start at $14 and go up closer to the date, and ticket holders get free parking in the Crown Center garages, which in that part of town is basically a love language. It is more of a grown-ups night, so this is my vote for a date night or a girls’ outing.
Weston Applefest is October 3 and 4 in downtown Weston, Missouri. It is free, the drive up is gorgeous once the leaves start turning, and the whole point is apple everything made by the local church ladies. Apple dumplings, apple pie, apple donuts. I go for the dumplings and stay for the porch-sitting energy of that town.
Louisburg Ciderfest runs its second weekend on October 3 and 4 at the Louisburg Cider Mill. Fresh cider, warm donuts, pony rides, craft booths, and you can watch the apples get pressed. Admission is free, but bring cash because you will absolutely leave with a gallon of cider and a bag of donuts. If you have not been to Louisburg yet this fall, I wrote about it in my apple orchards near Kansas City post.
Also that weekend: the Heartland Book Festival on October 2 and 3 at the Central Library downtown and Woodneath Library Center up north. It is free (tickets still required) with author talks and kids’ storytimes, and it is a lovely rainy-day backup if the weather turns. And the Missouri Town Living History Museum in Lee’s Summit hosts its 50th Fall Festival of Arts, Crafts and Music on October 3 and 4, with wagon rides and 1850s reenactors, priced at $15 per car.
Weekend two: October 9 to 11
Liberty is the place to be on October 10 for the Pumpkin Festival and Block Party in downtown Liberty. It is free, there are games for every age, pumpkin treats, handmade goods, and a visit from the Pumpkin Queen, which my daughter finds deeply important. Small-town square, easy parking, low stress. My kind of Saturday.
Sunday, October 11 is Brew at the Zoo and Wine Too at the Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium. Live music, local beer and wine, and bites, all after hours at the zoo. Another one to hand the kids off to grandma for.
The Kansas City Renaissance Festival in Bonner Springs runs Saturdays and Sundays through October 18, so this is one of your last two chances. The costumes, the turkey legs, the jousting. Go early, wear real shoes, and set a budget before you walk through the gate or the face-painting booth will win.
Weekend three: October 16 to 18
October 17 is a very full Saturday. The Garmin Kansas City Marathon winds through the Plaza, past the WWI Museum and the Nelson-Atkins, with several distances if you or your spouse are the running type. If you are the cheering-with-a-latte type like me, the Plaza and Westport stretches are the best spots to spectate.
That same afternoon, Taps and Tastes returns from 1 to 5 p.m. at Current Landing on the riverfront, hosted by Boulevard, with breweries, distilleries and chefs from across Kansas and Missouri. Tickets start at $75 and it is 21 and up. Stay after for the KC Current watch party.
Prefer trees to beer tents? The Overland Park Arboretum hosts Botanical Brewfest from 2 to 5 p.m. on October 17 too, with beer, cocktails, mocktails and food vendors surrounded by peak fall color. Tickets are $65. And the Ren Fest closes out its season on the 17th and 18th.
Weekend four: October 23 to 25
Boo at the Zoo is October 24 and 25 at the Kansas City Zoo. Kids trick or treat through the zoo in costume, there are Halloween activities everywhere, and it is a great excuse to get one more wear out of the costume before the big night. Arrive at opening, because the candy lines get long by lunchtime.
This is also the weekend I finally do the pumpkin patch, because by late October the crowds thin out and the prices on the big pumpkins sometimes drop. I keep a running list in my pumpkin patches near Kansas City post if you need a starting point.
Halloween weekend and the scary stuff
Halloween Haunt at Worlds of Fun runs select nights from late September through the first of November, with hundreds of monsters roaming the park after dark. It is a hard no for my little ones but a very fun yes for teens and for moms who need to scream about something that is not laundry.
Halloween itself lands on a Saturday this year, which means neighborhoods will be extra busy and trunk or treats will be stacked the week before. I put my full list of parades, trunk or treats and family-friendly spooky stuff in my Kansas City Halloween events guide, so I will not repeat it all here.
And if you want to skip the scary and do something beautiful instead, mark November 1 for the free Dia de los Muertos festival at the Nelson-Atkins. Altars, live music, art activities, and food. It is one of my favorite family traditions in the city.
My honest picks
If I had to choose only three: Weston Applefest with the kids, KC Oktoberfest without them, and Boo at the Zoo because it is the one my daughter asks about every single year. Everything else is a bonus if the weather and the naps line up.
What is on your October list? Drop it in the comments, especially if it is something I missed, because my calendar always has room for one more festival.
So glad you are here.
xo, Pam
