@The Mercury Room
Welcome, {{secret_name | Secret Reader}}
I’m told Hispanic Heritage Month ends today, but Saturday the celebration spills into the street. Café Corazón closes Southwest Boulevard in the Crossroads for the Día de los Muertos block party. DJs, an outdoor cocktail bar, lowriders, and food will be there, and it’s free.
The spooky season is also in full swing. Dark Forest opens at Powell Gardens this weekend, and Quixotic builds an eerie trail of light and performance art that runs through Oct 31. Amuck, Amuck, Amuck! turns PH Coffee & Public House into a Hocus Pocus pop-up bar with themed cocktails on Friday and Saturday. If you want your Halloween Victorian and a little funereal, the Vaile Mansion’s Macabre Tours run in Independence. Those tours reportedly sell out, so don’t wait!
I'll see you at the bar ☾
—Jay, SecretKC Editor
🍸 The Weekend
Indigo Hour: The Musicology Band · Fri 5:30 PM
An early set on 18th & Vine to open the weekend. $5 at the door, free for AJM members.
→ The Blue Room
Amuck, Amuck, Amuck! Halloween Pop-Up Bar · Fri & Sat, 7 PM
A Hocus Pocus-themed pop-up with live music, parody sketches, and themed cocktails. The show starts at 8 and the bar stays open until 11. Reserve ahead.
→ PH Coffee & Public House
Kevin Church Johnson @1909 Club · Fri 7 PM
“An Evening with Kevin Church Johnson” in Lee’s Summit, running until 10.
→ The 1909 Club
James Ward Band · Fri 10:15 PM
Contemporary, smooth jazz drawing from Latin, R&B, funk, and gospel. Doors at 9:45; reservations recommended.
→ The Bad Cat Jazz Bar
assjamz @Nighthawks · Sat 10 PM
Late-night set downstairs at Hotel Kansas City.
→ Nighthawk
J Love Band @Johnnie’s Jazz Bar and Grille · Thu & Fri, 6 PM
J Love Band on Thursday, the Piaget Experience on Friday.
→ Johnnie’s Jazz Bar and Grille
📖 From the Guides
Not everything we write is about this weekend. The Guides are SecretKC's evergreen side: the bars, rooms, and rituals that hold up any night of the year. They live on the site, not in your inbox, so here's where to find them.
The Best Hotel Lobby Bars in Kansas City
Bar Stilwell made this week's list for a reason. Here's where the rest of the city's best hotel pours are hiding.
→ Read the guide
Where Kansas City Goes After 10 PM: SecretKC's Year One
Dinners done, but the night is young. Here’s your playbook to what’s next!
→ Read the guide
💃🏽 Date Nights
Joel Frahm Trio (KCJO Presents) · Fri 7 PM
Frahm on tenor, with Ernesto Cervini on drums and Dan Loomis on bass. Doors and dinner start at 6.
→ Tom’s Town Distilling Co.
Chaz at the Raphael · Thu–Sun, 6–10 PM
Dinner & Duo sets all weekend: Jackie Myers (Thu), Brian Ruskin (Fri), Matt Villinger (Sat), Mengel & Matthew (Sun).
→ Chaz at the Raphael
Macabre Tours · Fri 10/16 and Sat 10/17
An after-hours, one-hour tour of the Vaile Mansion on the theme “A Very Victorian All Hallows Eve,” covering Victorian Halloween and funeral traditions.
→ Vaile Mansion
Dark Forest · Fri & Sat, evening
Quixotic’s after-dark trail of light, music, and performance art. It’s opening weekend and it runs through Oct 31. Kids under 13 may find it too eerie.
→ Powell Gardens
Dancing in the Street: Music of Motown · Fri 8 PM / Sun 2 PM
The Kansas City Symphony plays Motown with guest vocalists. Take the Friday night or the Sunday matinee.
→ Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center
👨👩👧👦 Family Friendly
CaféCITÓN: Día de los Muertos Block Party · Sat 11 AM–2 PM
Southwest Boulevard closes for DJs, an outdoor cocktail bar, Latin-inspired food, vendors, and lowriders. Free.
→ Café Corazón – Crossroads
Kansas City Ballet: The Wizard of Oz · Fri 7:30 PM / Sun 1:30 PM
A full-length ballet staging. The Sunday matinee is the family one.
→ Kauffman Center
GloWild: Hidden Treasure · Fri–Sun, after dark
Lantern displays light up the zoo after dark. A Pirate’s Feast add-on runs Friday and Saturday.
→ Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
From the Bar
Last Friday we speed-ran four fantastic bars and got home in time to wake and put the sun up. We started at the Mercury Room patio. Joshlyn is back on the staff team, and she put up with our table’s drink quirks without blinking. I love that they split their menu into the ‘sweet side’ and the ‘strong side’!
Next up was the Jade Jaguar, where we got seats at the bar. They run small plates, and the folks on the next stool are always interesting and friendly. The place bills itself as “The Art of Agave,” which is a good fit for Hispanic Heritage Month. I got chicken taquitos and an agave-forward Negroni.
The Crossroads Hotel lobby bar was the adult rowdy room. We made new friends, shared drinks and pizza, and shut the place down before moving on to “the after party,” as one of my friends put it.
Laila’s Lounge was the last spot, and it was my first time there; it is literally the ‘after-party’. The crowd was young and vibrant, lots of people dancing, and much love to those food trucks outside at 3 AM!!
10/10, would do again.
—Stay Sharp KC, 🍸
@Jade Jaguar
🥃 Cocktail Destination Picks
The Monarch Bar
Serious cocktails and a clean handoff between dinner and the night.
→ The Monarch Bar
Tom’s Town Distilling Co.
House gin and bourbon in an art deco room. The Cloven Hoof Halloween pop-up runs through October.
→ Tom’s Town
Jade Jaguar
Agave-focused, from the team behind The Mercury Room, Verdigris, and The Monarch. Bar seats, small plates, and friendly regulars to talk to.
→ Jade Jaguar
Crossroads Hotel Lobby Bar (XR Cafe)
The adult rowdy room. Bar open until 1 AM Friday and Saturday.
→ XR Cafe
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