Kansas City’s beer and food festival Taps & Tastes is making its return on Saturday, October 17, this time at the brand-new riverfront district Current Landing, with early admission starting at 1 p.m. and general admission opening at 2 p.m. Tickets run $125 for early entry and $75 for general admission, and the afternoon wraps with a free, all-ages watch party as the Kansas City Current take on Utah Royals FC on the road.
A Beloved Festival Finds a New Home
Taps & Tastes was originally launched in 2015 as an anchor of the Boulevardia festival, according to visitkc.com. Now Boulevard Brewing Company and the Kansas City Current are teaming up to bring the event back, reimagined at Current Landing along the Kansas City riverfront, per boulevard.com. As FOX4KC describes it, Taps & Tastes is a beer and culinary festival showcasing creativity and culture in Kansas City.
General admission includes unlimited beer and beverage tastings from local brewers and distilleries, curated bites from Kansas City restaurants, a souvenir tasting glass, and live entertainment throughout the event, boulevard.com notes. The festival is also billed as featuring unlimited tastings from breweries, distilleries, wineries and local culinary partners, along with live music, interactive experiences and riverfront views, according to currentlanding.com’s event listing.
Where Exactly Is Current Landing
Current Landing sits at 1460 E Front Street in Kansas City, Missouri, according to the Kansas City Current’s Watch Party Hub. The district is anchored by CPKC Stadium and the Missouri River, per the team’s own announcement. KSHB reported that the first phase of the project, located next to CPKC Stadium, features a mixed-use development of residential, dining and entertainment space.
The Kansas City Current announced Current Landing as the official name of the waterfront district on December 19, 2025. The team has said Current Landing will eventually feature more than ten new restaurants and bars, and expected the district’s town square to be completed in early spring 2026 so it could be programmed for events and community activations.
Festival Gives Way to a Free Watch Party
General admission runs from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., when the site transitions into a free, all-ages public watch party, according to visitkc.com. That shift lines up with the Current’s road match against Utah Royals FC, which kicks off at 5:30 p.m. the same day. Tickets for the ticketed portion of Taps & Tastes are on sale now, visitkc.com reports.
The event marks another step in turning Current Landing into a year-round gathering spot on the riverfront, mixing a ticketed craft beverage festival with a come-one-come-all soccer watch party in a single afternoon. For fans who skip the paid festival hours, the free watch party still offers a chance to take in the new district and cheer on the Current without paying a dime.
