Celebration at the Station

We’ve lived here over 14 years and have never been to this celebration, boy have we missed out! What a great way to honor those who have unselfishly served our country. We are lucky to have the Liberty Memorial right in our backyard, and even luckier that they put on such a wonderful celebration using it as the backdrop. We sat on the hill just above Union Station and below the Liberty Memorial. Perfect place to be a part of it all. This is an awesome venue for families with kids or to hang out with a group of friends. They had a few food options available, but most people brought their own picnics. Bring chairs, blankets and food and drink and settle in for a night of beautiful music by the Kansas City symphony. They conclude the evening with fireworks shot over the Liberty Memorial — spectacular! Proud to be an American!

Celebration at the Station was the perfect way to spend Memorial Day 2013. I got there super early (3 PM ish) and was able to find parking along the street right next to the event. (About an hour later, parking was nearly impossible). A friend hooked me up with free tickets to the WWI Museum and the Liberty Memorial so I roamed around there for awhile.
This event was FREE which is always a huge perk! All of KC’s best food trucks were parked in front of Union Station to supply us with awesome dinner and drinks. Practically all of Kansas City was at this event; it was so much fun to people watch and enjoy the company of such a great city. I saw SO many people I knew from very aspect of my life.
The entire expansion of the Liberty Memorial hill area was full of blankets, and picnics, and families. You got the opportunity to sprawl out on the grass with thousands of people and listen to a free symphony concert. Once it became dark outside, the beautiful fireworks started.
The perfect way to spend Memorial Day; a must for anyone living in Kansas City.

This may come as a shock to some (or maybe a shock to nobody), but I have cynical tendencies and can sometimes be a bit «too cool for school.» When friends suggested that we spend the lion’s share of Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend at Union Station listening to the symphony, my gut reaction was «lame!!!» Turns out I was wrong, and should be less of a Judgy Judgerson. Celebration at the Station is quite the fun time!
While the parking lot of Union Station is transformed into an orchestra pit and the street is a gathering space for food trucks, the lawn immediately North of the National World War I museum is arguably the city’s largest picnic. We arrived around 4:00pm and there were already a number of people, but fortunately there was also still plenty of room to spread out. We laid out our blankets, cracked open a bottle of wine and munched on some snacks as we listened to the pre-​show entertainment. A smart friend brought a washers set, so we took advantage of the space and played some lawn games. The rest of the time was spent just catching some rays and catching up with friends. A lovely afternoon.
As it gets later it gets VERY crowded, and then the show starts! Patriotic songs, guest performers and speeches. As the sun goes down, Union Station is lit up beautifully. With that grand old building in front, Liberty Memorial behind, and a backdrop of the KC skyline, it’s a great reminder of what a beautiful city we really have. It’s nice to slow down and just spend some time appreciating how lovely of a setting this in fact is.
The finale of the program is a performance of The 1812 Overture (complete with cannons!) and then a fantastic fireworks display. It really was a great night, and I got goosebumps well more than once. I would definitely be open to returning next summer.
Pro Tips: basically, remember anything you’d want for a picnic, including sunscreen, bugspray and activities. Also, do not even think of parking in the Union Station garage, unless you want to wait an hour at the end of the night to get out your car. Just park in the Crossroads and walk a couple of extra blocks. It’s well worth it.

Celebration at the Station is always a fun event and one of the best firework shows the area has all year.
Parking will be a nightmare in every direction. Just plan on walking a distance. Bring blankets or lawn chairs and prepare to enjoy an evening of music against one of the most iconic backdrops of the Kansas City skyline. Being a free event, it fills up with tons of people, but with the huge space is not crazy crowded. The symphony puts on an excellent show ending the night with a fantastic firework display.
This is a great yearly event for all walks of life. Bring a picnic, enjoy the food trucks lining the area, or stop and eat at one of the nearby restaurants on your way in or out. A great start to the summer!