Tommy Felts

The wildly popular, sprawling public art installation plans its next display for April 2026, spanning the city's World Cup run. As many as 150 “Heartists” will be selected to turn blank canvas sculptures into expressions of Kansas City’s cultural identity and community pride.

Kansas City Council set the money aside to encourage small businesses, artists, and makers to move into the city's highly visible, but vacant, storefronts before the 2026 World Cup. “When visitors from all over the world visit next year, we need to be open for business,” one member said.

Twelve Kansas City restaurants, breweries and other businesses were chosen this week for grants to expand patio space — including adding furniture and lighting, painting murals and more.

Phil "Sike Style" Shafer is known for his vibrant depictions of life in Kansas City. The artist was selected to create a mural for the newly completed Buck O'Neil Bridge downtown.

First opened as a pop-up kitchen inside Dodsons Bar & Commons in Waldo, Cosmo Burger's smashburgers and tots quickly became a Kansas City favorite. Their new location on Locust Street sits in a popular corner of the Crossroads Arts District, and will add new menu items like fries, milkshakes and cocktails.

Missouri Rep. Mark Alford said the U.S. Small Business Administration should relocate its regional office to Columbia. While Kansas City is not actually a "sanctuary city," Mayor Quinton Lucas has expressed support for the city's growing population of immigrants and refugees.

While Kansas City, Missouri, considers aid to small businesses plagued by thefts, break-ins and vandalism, the River Market will increase the presence of security officers during the "witching hours" between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

TIME Magazine's annual list of 100 must-visit places around the world includes two locations in the Midwest, both of which opened in Kansas City this year.

Near the Hy-Vee Arena, the historic bridge is being refit with 35,000 square feet of music venues, coffee shops, dining and trails. The project will physically connect Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas, and hopes to revitalize the riverfront.

The Westside welcomed in a rich and diverse community of Latin American immigrants, but it was broken up by the construction of I-35 in the late 1960s. Kansas City will develop a comprehensive plan to increase mobility and connectivity, repair the community, and redress inequities and barriers to opportunity.