Every September, the Country Club Plaza turns into an open-air museum for the Plaza Art Fair — nine blocks of juried art from 240 artists, three live music stages and restaurant patios spilling into the Spanish-revival streets.
First held in 1932 to lift spirits during the Depression, the fair has grown into one of America’s top-ranked art festivals and a homecoming weekend for Kansas Citians: generations stroll the same fountains, discover new favorite painters and toast the unofficial start of fall.
Admission is free, the people-watching is elite and the Plaza’s own architecture — America’s first suburban shopping center built for cars, modeled on Seville — provides a backdrop no fairground can match.
Mark the September weekend now. Kansas City’s most beautiful tradition returns to its most beautiful neighborhood.
