Mardi Gras might feel like a long way from Kansas City on a map, but culturally it’s a lot closer than people think.

The New Orleans–Kansas City Jazz Pipeline

Long before Vine Street Brewing existed, Kansas City was already tied to New Orleans through sound. In the 1920s and ’30s, when 12th & Vine was essentially skipping Prohibition, jazz musicians from around the country were moving like water, looking for places where the music—and the work—could actually flow. New Orleans players came north and Kansas City was one of the places where they landed and stayed. They found gigs, they found community, and they found a city that understood late nights, loose hips, and big horn sections. That movement helped build what became the 18th & Vine Jazz District—two river cities, two jazz cities, two places where music isn’t a backdrop but the operating system.

The Jazz District and Our Brand DNA

When we built Vine Street Brewing, we weren’t just opening a taproom at 2010 Vine Street. We were putting a stake in the ground inside that New Orleans–Kansas City lineage. Most folks see our colors and think, “That looks good,” without always clocking why they feel familiar. Look at our palette: deep purple, rich green, bold gold. Those are New Orleans and Mardi Gras colors on purpose. When we were working through branding, we were thinking about how Kansas City’s reputation changes without 18th & Vine, how 18th & Vine looks different without New Orleans pushing jazz up the river, and how this neighborhood’s story is tied to that whole Gulf‑to‑Midwest flow. Our color scheme is a quiet nod to that truth. We didn’t want to cosplay New Orleans; we wanted to honor the connection.

My New Orleans Roots

This isn’t theoretical for me. My family is from New Orleans. My dad grew up in Canton, Mississippi. He went down to New Orleans on a work trip, met a New Orleans woman—my mom—and that changed everything. They got married, they had me, and suddenly my story lived between two cities. I was born and raised in Kansas City, but I don’t exist without New Orleans. I carry both places in me: the KC flavor and the New Orleans rhythm. So when we do something like a Mardi Gras celebration at Vine Street, I’m not importing a random holiday for content; I’m bringing two sides of my own story into the same room.

Why We’re Celebrating at Vine Street

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Mar 5

Bingo Night

We love holidays that are rich in culture, food, beverage, and music. That’s where Vine Street lives every day anyway, and Mardi Gras sits right in that pocket. It’s about gathering. It’s about flavor in the pot and on the palate. It’s about rhythm in the streets and joy that doesn’t apologize for being loud. When we celebrate Mardi Gras at Vine Street, we’re honoring the jazz pipeline between New Orleans and Kansas City, acknowledging that 18th & Vine is part of a wider Black cultural map, and letting our brand speak its full truth: this place was built with that New Orleans spirit baked in from the jump.

Sister Cities in Spirit

New Orleans and Kansas City could easily be sister cities in the way they move. The bandstand tells the truth before the press release does. Food isn’t just fuel; it’s memory. Neighborhoods carry stories you can’t fake. The night has its own calendar. When we lean into Mardi Gras at Vine Street, we’re leaning into that kinship and turning up the volume on a conversation that’s been happening between these cities for a long time. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when New Orleans’ spirit runs through a Kansas City taproom, Mardi Gras at Vine Street is your answer. You’ll taste it in the beer, you’ll hear it in the music, and you’ll feel it in the room.

Cheers,

Kemet Coleman
Founder, Vine Street Brewing Co.

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