Weekend Possibilities | Dark Forest at Powell Gardens, Van Gogh Alive and a Chiefs Watch Party

Spooky attractions, an intimate Chiefs watch party and an Oktoberfest block party make for a full fall weekend.

Friday, Oct. 22

10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Van Gogh Alive opens at Starlight Theatre, 4600 Starlight Road, on Friday. The immersive, multi-sensory art installation in partnership with Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art will place attendees directly into the “frame” of Van Gogh’s most famous work. The limited-time experience runs through Dec. 31, 2021. Tickets for scheduled entry times start at $29.99.

7 – 11 p.m. One of the area’s newest haunted happenings is sending thrill seekers into the Eudora, Kansas, darkness. Created this year by a Halloween-loving Eudora family, The Grove Haunted Hayride, 1301 E. 2000th Road, takes visitors deep into the country grove, where scream-worthy encounters await. Tickets are $20. Children under the age of 13 must be joined by an adult.

Saturday, Oct. 23

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturdays with The Swing Brookside is taking over the Wornall Home, 6115 Wornall Road, this weekend for a Halloween-themed makers fair. Expect a full house of local handmade and vintage vendors selling everything from paintings and clothing, to ceramics, leather work and so much more. There will, of course, be costumes, food and drinks for anyone who enters the historic and rumored haunted house. The makers fair is free to attend.

1 – 5 p.m. Kansas City authors only. That’s the plan for Saturday’s 2021 KC Local Author’s Book Fair by J. Star Publishing at 3016 Cherry St. If you are interested in supporting local authors, check out the fair to flip through titles by talented folks living and working right here in Kansas City. KC Local Author’s Book Fair will offer selections across multiple genres. The fair is free to attend.

3 – 8 p.m. Kansas City’s Columbus Park neighborhood, near the River Market, is getting its own Oktoberfest Celebration. Stop by Don Bosco Centers of Kansas City, 526 Campbell St., for the first-ever block party offering food and drinks, games for both adults and the kids, plus ice cream from the Tasty Unicorn truck, beer tastings, live music and more. Oktoberfest at Don Bosco is free.

9:30 – 11 p.m. Word is there’s something lurking in the woods at Powell Gardens, 1609 N.W. U.S. Hwy 50. Dark Forest, the botanical garden’s latest seasonal installment in partnership with Quixotic, offers a chilling multimedia experience throughout the garden, featuring choreographed performances, music and innovative tech where “the channels of nature’s mortal realms are fiercely pierced by unexplainable paranormal forces and spellbinding supernatural beings.” Need a little liquid courage? Food and beverages are available in the Missouri Barn 5 – 11 p.m. Tickets are $28.

Sunday, Oct. 24 

Noon The Chiefs hit the road this weekend for a matchup against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. If football fans feel like getting out of the house for this one, but don’t want to deal with huge crowds, Casual Animal Brewing Co.’s Chiefs Watch Party, 1725 McGee St., could do the trick. The Crossroads brewery will have the game on a large projector (with sound). Anyone at the party gets a $1 Swifty pour with each Chiefs touchdown. Doors open about 15 minutes before kickoff.

6 – 8:30 p.m. Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary in Liberty, Missouri, 407 N. LaFrenz Road, is opening its grounds to little ghouls and goblins for the 2021 Fairy Tale Forest: Walk of 100 Jack-O-Lanterns. The quarter-mile walk will be lined with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes carved by community members. Tickets are $10 per person at the gate. Be sure to select a scheduled entry time to avoid crowds and wear a costume.

7 p.m. If you love The Beatles, Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd., is the place to be Sunday evening. That’s where Yesterday & Today: An Interactive Beatles Experience will allow fans of the music to make the tribute band’s setlist their own. Audience members will be asked to share one of their favorite Beatles tunes and why. The band will then construct a one-of-a-kind performance with an original narrative driven by your own Beatles experiences. Tickets are available for $25 at the box office.