Guests gather at the Museum of Kansas City on Saturday, May 3 for its 10th and final Derby Party. | Photo by Julia Williams

Julia Williams

Editor-in-Chief

Dressed to the 10s, Kansas City residents and Kentucky Derby enthusiasts alike covered the lawn of the Museum of Kansas City (3218 Gladstone Blvd.) on Saturday evening, May 3 for its 10th — and last — Kentucky Derby watch party celebration. 

While each year The Museum selects a theme for its event goers, this year guests were encouraged to dress in silver, black or white. 

Tickets for this annual event were available for $125 per person, which granted attendees admission, a meal, a front row seat to various activities — including live music performances from the Phantastics, who returned for their third consecutive Derby Party, and the Sass-A-Brass bands — and beverage options from assorted vendors. 

In addition to serving as a celebration of the 10th annual Derby Party for the Museum of Kansas City, Saturday also offered a way to highlight The Museum’s 85th anniversary on Gladstone Boulevard and its 2025 rebrand launch, which focuses on the past, present and future of Kansas City, while empowering the individuals who have shaped its history. 

Guests on Saturday came dressed in traditional Kentucky Derby attire — including fascinators, fedoras and formal wear — while adhering to The Museum’s “aluminum” theme. 

“I love how people get into and dress to the theme,” Museum of Kansas City Deputy Director, Paul Gutiérrez said in an interview, Saturday. 

Of those in attendance on Saturday evening, many were first time Derby Party guests — including Kansas City residents, Sarah Wilson and Christine Derks. 

“It’s an opportunity to dress up and be fabulous,” Wilson shared on Saturday.

While both Wilson and Derks said they had watched the Kentucky Derby on TV in previous years, they had never attended a party surrounding the annual horse race. 

However, they mentioned a draw to attend The Museum’s gathering this year, was to see other people’s outfits as well as discuss the race horse names, which was a popular form of entertainment among guests throughout the evening. 

Alison Powell — a Kansas City resident — and her fiance, Tyler Banks were additionally first time attendees on Saturday with Banks serving as the Master of Ceremonies (MC) throughout the evening. 

Powell shared she had participated in friendly wagering with friends ahead of the derby based on the horse’s names and what they look like with her and Bank’s favored horses: Flying Mohawk and Sandman. 

As MC, Banks said he focused on the event’s transitioning and announcing, while ensuring the evening continued on proper timing. While he mentioned he has MC’ed other functions previously — including benefits and serving as the in-stadium host for the Kansas City Royals — this was his first time as the MC for a Museum of Kansas City Derby Party.

“I’m most excited about all of it,” Banks shared in an interview, Saturday. “I love the Derby culture and I like seeing all the people. I’ve never gotten to go, but I like dressing up.”

Powell and Banks said they enjoyed this year’s Derby party theme because of its originality and how it differed from the more conventional, pastel Derby colors. 

“It’s [been] great to work with Paul,” Banks said in an interview, Saturday. “I didn’t know much about The Museum before, but I’m happy to [have] discovered [it]. [It’s] a great Museum that highlights Kansas City history.” 

Upon their exploration, Powell found her own ties to The Museum and Kansas City she was not previously aware of. 

Originally from Washington State, she mentioned she grew up near an “R.A. Long High School” in Longview, WA. However, it was not until Banks was selected as the Derby Party MC and the two began to research further on The Museum and its history, that Powell discovered this was the same R.A. Long who built Corinthian Hall — now the Museum of Kansas City — in 1910. 

While this year marks a decade of Derby Parties, Gutiérrez said it was additionally the last for The Museum. Instead, fundraiser organizers will take a year off from this large-scale event and plan to return in 2027 with a new theme and focus. 

For additional information on The Museum of Kansas City or on its 10-year run of Derby parties, visit: https://museumofkansascity.org/museum-of-kansas-city/, https://museumofkansascity.org/the-derby-party/.