Last Thanksgiving, the Plaza lights were scheduled to come on at 7:55 p.m., well after most turkeys had been carved. This year the switch flips just before 6:30 p.m., and that puts the 97th Plaza Lighting Ceremony in the middle of the holiday evening.
Plaza officials gave a simple reason when KMBC reported the new schedule. They want people home in time for the Chiefs game. For anyone who lives within walking distance of Nichols Road, the change does more than shift the ceremony an hour and a half. The lights, an early dinner and the game can now all happen on the same Thursday, without anyone having to choose.
The switch moved up by about an hour and a half
The 2026 ceremony is Thursday, November 26. It's free and open to the public, and KMBC is the exclusive broadcast partner. Here is how this year's run of show compares with the one the Plaza published for 2025.
| 2025 ceremony | 2026 ceremony | |
|---|---|---|
| Program begins | 6:30 p.m. | 5 p.m. live preshow |
| Stage show / broadcast | KMBC broadcast at 7 p.m. | Main stage show at 5:30 p.m. |
| Switch flipped | Scheduled for 7:55 p.m. | Just before 6:30 p.m. |
| Who flips it | KC Current players | Royals catcher Carter Jensen |
Last year's ceremony was tied to the soccer summer ahead, with Current players at the switch and a countdown clock unveiled for the 2026 tournament. This year's honoree is a hometown pick. According to KMBC, Jensen is 23, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and went to Park Hill High School. In two major league seasons he has set the Royals rookie record for home runs and passed Mike Piazza for the most extra-base hits by a rookie catcher.
KMBC anchor Lara Moritz emcees the stage show. The lineup includes vocalist Ben Gulley, QUIXOTIC, Sound Proof from KC A Cappella, Vocalocity, Miller Marley Dance Company and DJ Kirby Hamm.
Fifty minutes to kickoff in Buffalo
The game the Plaza is working around is a road game. The Chiefs play at Buffalo on Thanksgiving night, with a 7:20 p.m. Central kickoff on NBC, according to the Chiefs' 2026 schedule announcement.
If the switch flips just before 6:30, that leaves about 50 minutes between the lights coming on and kickoff. For a household in the blocks around the Plaza, 50 minutes is enough to watch the lights come on, take the long way home past the fountains, and be on the couch for the opening drive. Under last year's schedule, the switch came after 7:20, so the two events would have overlapped.
Country Club Plaza general manager Jack Yejekwe gave KMBC this statement about the ceremony:
"The Plaza Lighting Ceremony is one of Kansas City's most cherished traditions, and we are proud to bring our community together once again to celebrate the start of the holiday season."
The earlier schedule changes the evening in practical ways. Families with small children get the switch before bedtime. Anyone hosting Thanksgiving dinner can walk over after the plates are cleared, as long as dinner was a midafternoon meal. And the crowd will thin out sooner, since many people at the stage show have a kickoff to catch.
Where to stand, and what's new on Nichols Road
Organizers say the best views are along Nichols Road between Pennsylvania and Broadway. Free parking will be available at several nearby garages.
That stretch of Nichols Road looks different than it did a year ago. Gillon Property Group bought the Plaza at the end of June 2024, and the Kansas City Star's August roundup tracked the stores that opened under its ownership this year. Two of them are on the main viewing block:
- LoveShackFancy, 319 Nichols Road, opened in March. The Star reported a line of about 100 shoppers.
- ALO, 422 Nichols Road, opened in May.
A few more 2026 arrivals are a short walk from the stage:
- J.H. & Sons, 314 Ward Parkway, opened in April.
- MERSEA, 602 W. 48th St., opened its first brick-and-mortar shop on June 10. The Star reported it as an 18-month pop-up, so it will still be there for this season and next.
- Veronica Beard, 4747 Broadway Blvd., opened its first Kansas City-area store on September 3, in the former Charlie Hustle space, FOX4 reported.
- Do Good Co. and its luxury-consignment extension, Faire du Bien, are at 608A W. 48th St. The Plaza announced them in April.
The result is that the people packed along Nichols Road waiting for the switch will be standing in front of storefronts that were empty or belonged to other businesses at last Thanksgiving's ceremony. It also makes the 5 p.m. preshow a good excuse to arrive early and walk the block.
Dinner on the Plaza, with the lights in the middle
An earlier switch gives Plaza-area households a third option besides cooking at home or eating out after the lights. They can eat out first. Three Plaza restaurants have posted Thanksgiving 2026 service:
- Eddie V's, 700 W. 47th St., Suite 115, serves Thanksgiving from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and takes reservations for November 26.
- McCormick & Schmick's, 448 W. 47th St., has a Thanksgiving dine-in menu for November 26 and recommends reservations.
- The Capital Grille, 4760 Broadway Blvd., has a Thanksgiving dining-room menu for November 26, with reservations open for that date.
All three are walkable from the Nichols Road viewing area. Eddie V's 11-to-9 hours cover the whole afternoon, so a 3 or 4 p.m. reservation ends right around the 5 p.m. preshow. Holiday hours and remaining tables change fast, so confirm directly with each restaurant through the Eddie V's, McCormick & Schmick's and Capital Grille holiday pages.
Two new Italian restaurants are also on the way. The Plaza lists Vertice Italian at 616 Ward Parkway as "Coming Soon," and the Star reported a late 2026 or early 2027 target for V Modern Italian at 604 W. 47th St.
Friday is when the rest of the season begins
Once Thursday's crowd goes home, the Plaza settles into its regular holiday schedule. Kansas City Carriages starts its 2026 Plaza holiday rides on Friday, November 27. The Kansas City Carriages schedule lists these dates:
- November 27, 28 and 29
- December 2 through 6
- December 9 through 13
- December 16 through 23
- December 26 through 30
The company is closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Visit KC's Plaza Lights guide notes that Plaza garages are free and open to the public during the season and that shops keep extended holiday hours.
The lights are expected to stay on through January 10, 2027. That gives Plaza neighbors about six weeks of lit rooflines for weeknight walks, Saturday errands and visits from out-of-town family, all starting at 6:30 on Thanksgiving.
If you live near the Plaza, the holiday lights are the best backdrop your home gets all year, and a great time for photos. If you're curious what your place is worth this season, the team at LIVIN KC knows these blocks well and can tell you. Get Your Home Valuation, and enjoy the ceremony on the 26th.
