Directions & Parking

An experience at the Kauffman Center begins the moment you arrive, with a convenient, well-lit parking garage, owned and operated by the City of Kansas City, Missouri. The garage is directly attached to the Kauffman Center just south of the building with multiple access points to surrounding streets. Parking for performance events is $10 at the Arts District Garage. On non-event days, parking is free for the first 30 minutes and $3 for any duration beyond 30 minutes. Garage parking is also available at the Webster Garage located at 17th & Wyandotte. Additionally, valet parking service is available on performance evenings for $20. Please note that motorcycles are not allowed in the Arts District Garage due to safety reasons.

Pre-purchased parking is also available through our website or by calling the box office at 816.994.7222. Pre-purchased parking is available up to 24 hours in advance of most performances. The cost is $10 for the Arts District Parking Garage and $18 for valet service. Pre-purchasing parking guarantees a reserved spot in the garage, even if the garage sells out. Please note that if the garage is full patrons without a pre-paid pass will not be able to park in the Arts District Garage.

Audiences can enter the Kauffman Center underground, avoiding inclement weather. There will be ample sidewalks, and elevators to and from the parking garage. During good weather, guests can choose to stroll to the Center on top of the garage, through a landscaped green space. Parking is located across the street from a KCATA MAX stop and is within easy walking distance of many of the new residential developments in the Downtown and Crossroads Arts Districts. Parking in the Arts District garage and the surrounding area is limited, and patrons are encouraged to arrive early and park early.

Through Kansas City’s One Percent for Art Program, a public art project is part of the garage’s design. The piece, Terpsichore for Kansas City embraces the notion that, in addition to the practicality of parking automobiles, a garage might also serve as an innovative and inspiring musical and visual instrument; an original, experiential device for the pleasure of people moving through the garage, particularly those going to and coming from performances at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

When visitors exit their vehicles anywhere in the garage, they will hear unique music playing from the ceiling. As they pass through the garage toward one of the exits, or the main garage stairway, they’ll notice that the music is unique to the space – one of three original compositions created specifically for the garage by composers David Moulton, Kansas City’s Bobby Watson, and Roberta Vacca.

As visitors approach the center piece of the artwork – a four-story “light organ” situated in the central stair tower of the garage – they’ll see that the lights moving up and down inside the seven acrylic tubes is choreographed to the music. The artwork will provide enjoyment for passersby and an enjoyable and inspiring transition for those coming to or who have just enjoyed a performance a the Kauffman Center.

Terpsichore for Kansas City was created by the artist team of Mags Harries and Lajos Heder. They were selected through a national competition by a panel comprised of stakeholders, citizens, City staff, and arts professionals.