Crown Center is a popular setting for some of Kansas City’s favorite holiday traditions.
Photo: Roy Harryman
The festivities start with the opening of the Crown Center Ice Terrace, continue with the lighting of the 100-foot-tall Mayor’s Christmas Tree on Crown Center Square, and the full slate of live theater, entertainment, shopping, and dining at Crown Center.
Here are recommendations for enjoying Christmas at Crown Center. Many can be done without spending little or nothing at all.
Holiday Decorations at Crown Center
Take in these festive displays through January 3.
Giant Christmas Wreath (inside the Crown Center Shops Atrium): The wreath measures 18 feet in diameter and weighs 800 pounds. The greenery is decked in holiday finery and serves as the centerpiece of the festive indoor decorations at Crown Center.
41 Years of Mayor’s Christmas Tree Ornaments (Crown Center Shops, Level 1, Atrium): A display case features all 41 of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree ornaments that Hallmark has produced and Crown Center has sold since 1981 to raise money for the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund.
EBT Santa’s Countdown to Christmas (Crown Center Shops, Level 1, Atrium): This life-size, mechanical Santa originated at the Emery Bird Thayer department store in downtown Kansas City in the early 1900s. EBT Santa has been part of Crown Center’s holiday scene since 1979. He chuckles roughly eight times a minute, and his countdown clock tells children the exact number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds until Santa’s arrival on Christmas morning.
Photo: Crown Center
Crown Center Square & The Mayor’s Christmas Tree
The 100-foot-tall Mayor’s Christmas Tree, one of the nation’s tallest, is the outdoor centerpiece for Christmas at Crown Center. More than 40,000 LED lights illuminate Crown Center Square where this spectacle stands all season.
The Mayor’s Christmas Tree comes on for the first time during a special lighting ceremony the day after Thanksgiving.
The 2021 Mayor’s Christmas Tree Ornament, crafted from the wood of the 2020 tree, is called “Festive Friends.” This year’s limited-edition ornament was designed by Hallmark artist Crista Couch and made in Kansas City. Proceeds benefit the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund to help the people of Kansas City during the holidays. The ornament can be purchased for $15.95, plus tax, from Crown Center Customer Service (Crown Center Shops, Level 2) or call 816-274-7251.
Photo: Crown Center
Santa Claus at Crown Center
A horse-drawn carriage delivers Santa Claus to the front of the Crown Center Shops at 10 a.m. on November 26. Santa makes his way to Santa’s Gingerbread Station (Crown Center Shops, Showplace, Level 1), where he resides through Christmas Eve, December 24.
Kids can visit Santa at Crown Center for FREE to share wish lists during the following times November 26 – December 24:
- Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sunday: Noon to 5 p.m.
- December 24: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You can pay to have the on-site photographer take a picture for you, or save some money by bringing along a camera and taking your own.
TubaChristmas at Crown Center
The Kansas City Symphony’s TubaChristmas is back from noon to 1 p.m. on December 3. Tuba and Euphonium players come together in this fun and festive holiday concert on Crown Center Square. Enjoy this free noon-hour performance, weather permitting. Bring your own lawn chairs.
If TubaChristmas interests you, be sure to check out Trombone Christmas and other holiday fun at Union Station.
Photo: Roy Harryman
Holiday Choirs at Crown Center
Beautiful music fills the halls of the Crown Center Shops as nearly 70 area school, church, and community choirs giving FREE performances daily in the Atrium through December 19.
Times and performers vary. You can keep current with this Crown Center Holiday Choirs schedule (updated regularly).
Crown Center Ice Terrace
Burn off Christmas cookies with some circles around the Crown Center Ice Terrace, open for the 49th season.
Crown Center Location and Parking
Crown Center is located at 2450 Grand Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri. Parking is available at 25th Street and Grand Blvd.
Three hours of FREE parking is available with validation from any Crown Center merchant. You can get an additional three hours of FREE parking when you show $25+ in same-day receipts from any Crown Center shop or restaurant at the Crown Center Customer Service desk. Just know that you must get the six-hour validation slip from Customer Service. Receipts won’t be accepted at the parking gate.
If you don’t have a validation slip, standard parking rates of $6 to $22 apply. Cash, credit and debit cards are accepted.
Get a Dose of Christmas Cheer with Our Other Holiday Posts
Where to Visit Santa in Kansas City
Best Holiday and Christmas Light Displays in Kansas City
Day-by-Day Guide to Holiday & Christmas Events in Kansas City
Classic Holiday Movies at Theaters in Kansas City
Holiday Shopping Gift Card Bonus Offers
