Welcome, {{secret_name | Secret Reader}}

Proost.

Holland was my first duty station. Late eighties, Air Force, best assignment ever.

The Dutch come into tonight unbeaten, having put five past Sweden last week. I won't predict a score. I will say that if you've never stood in a crowd of Dutch fans before a match, you're missing something specific — equal parts confidence and joy, with none of the nervous edge American sports crowds carry. They expect to win, and they're going to enjoy themselves either way, in a sea of orange.

If you want to drink like the Dutch tonight, skip the IPA and find a genever instead — it's the original gin, juniper-forward and slightly malty, traditionally served ice-cold in a tulip glass filled to the brim. Vye's rooftop has a respectable gin list if you want to improvise one. Or just grab a Heineken, the most defensible choice in the building, and call it research.

The World's Game theme runs through Sunday. Go watch a match you have no stake in. Let a stranger in an orange jersey explain the politics of these matches — It's better than anything ESPN will tell you.

Zet 'm op, Nederlanders!

I’ll see you at the bar ☾
—Jay, SecretKC editor

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FIFA Fan Festival · Thu–Sun
Week 3 theme: "The World's Game" — chants, colors, movement, and rhythm from soccer cultures around the world. Live match broadcasts on the big screen. Free GA with advance registration, capacity limits apply.
→ KC2026 Fan Festival

Oranje Fanwalk · Thursday / 9:30 AM
Dutch fans gather in the Power & Light District ahead of the Netherlands' final group match against Tunisia. The Oranje convoy, led by the Oranjebus, departs at 11:15 AM and marches downtown to the Fan Festival before heading to the stadium for a 6 PM kickoff.
→ Power & Light District

Crossroads Night Market · Fri 5–11 PM · Sat–Sun 12–11 PM
Weekend 3 of 5. Same footprint — 200+ artists, culinary pop-ups, gallery openings, live music on rotating stages hosted by KKFI's DJ Eddie Bohannon. Free, no wristbands.
→ Crossroads Arts District

The Chris Hazelton Quartet @ The Ship · Thursday / 7–9:30 PM
A lifelong Kansas Citian and one of the country's foremost Hammond B-3 organists. His sound runs gritty and soulful — gospel and hard bop folded into funk.
→ The Ship

Max Levy @ P.S. Speakeasy · Thursday / 7:30 PM
Saxophone in the Hotel Phillips' hidden speakeasy — low-lit, downtown, no cover.
→ P.S. Speakeasy, Hotel Phillips

Ari Staggs Trio @ The Majestic Jazz Club · Friday / 6–10 PM
Downstairs in the Jazz Club. Drew Madden holds the upstairs room 6–9:30 PM at the same time — two rooms, one building, your pick.
→ The Majestic

Great Lenexa BBQ Battle: Community Night @ Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park · Friday / 4:30–11 PM
Kansas's official state championship since 1984 — 150 to 200 pitmaster teams competing for Grand Champion. Friday is public night: free kids' activities, the 27-foot Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, free BBQ samples at five stations (including Slaps BBQ, last year's Grand Champion), and live music from The M80s 6:30–10:30 PM.
→ Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park

Talya and Her Boyfriends @ The Phoenix · Friday / 4:30–8:30 PM
Talya Groves has sung in the Broadway casts of Mean Girls and Motown the Musical, toured with Motown nationally, and worked as a lead vocalist on Norwegian Cruise Line before coming home to build a following in KC's own rooms.
→ The Phoenix

Post Clarity @ Tin Roof · Friday / 9 PM
Join KC’s most favorite cover band on the Westport patio, — two stages, multiple bars, a room built for staying out past last call.
→ Tin Roof

Mutual Musicians Foundation · Friday into Saturday / 1:30–5 AM
The jam session that's run since the 1930s in the historic 18th & Vine district — no stage, no setlist, just whoever shows up with an instrument. The closest thing KC has to a living jazz museum that's still open.
→ Mutual Musicians Foundation

Steve Rigazzi @ Stock Hill · Saturday / 8–11 PM
Stock Hill's regular Saturday live set — dinner-hour into late, a steakhouse room that also knows about desserts!
→ Stock Hill

Secret Rhythm Society @ the Folly Theater · Friday / 7:30 PM
A cirque-and-dance spectacle from the Folly and Quixotic, built entirely on Prohibition-era KC jazz. Tap dancers trade rhythms with a live band, aerialists work above a smoky speakeasy set, acrobats fly to live swing. Eboni Fondren — a singer, actress, and bandleader with two decades in the business — emcees, backed by vocalists Bri Woods and Envee and a full live band. 18+. VIP includes pre-show Inner Circle lounge access and table service.
→ Folly Theater

Adrian Bartholomew Brunch @ The Phoenix · Sunday / 10 AM–2 PM
A regular on the KC live circuit, Bartholomew holds down Sunday brunch with a set that leans soulful and easy — the kind of daytime date that ends before the Fan Fest crowds even show up.
→ The Phoenix

Pete the Cat @ The Coterie · Through August 2
The grooviest cat in town returns by popular demand. When the impossibly organized Jimmy Biddle draws a blank in art class, Pete shows up to help — and the two end up on an adventure all the way to Paris in a VW bus. All ages, roughly 60 minutes. An ASL-interpreted performance falls Saturday June 27 at 1:30 PM.
→ The Coterie

LEGO Summer of Play @ LEGOLAND Discovery Center · Through August 3
A season-long celebration of play with new build activities, a photo-prop moment, and fresh dance challenges added throughout the run. Combo tickets available with SEA LIFE Aquarium next door.
→ LEGOLAND Discovery Center

Dragons and Fantastic Beasts @ Powell Gardens · Daily through Sept. 24
Life-sized dragons and mythical creatures placed throughout the gardens grounds, with an interactive quest format and a hands-on Dragon Discovery Lab built for younger explorers.
→ Powell Gardens