2023 NFL Draft: Opening night festivities in Kansas City announced

The details of the first round’s festivities for the 2023 NFL Draft, to be held in Kansas City, have been announced.

If you’re heading to Kansas City for the 2023 NFL Draft festivities, or if you’re already in the area and plan on taking part, then we’ve got some good news for you. The National Football League has announced some of the entertainment and activities that will be taking place on opening night—Thursday, April 27—when the league’s first-year player draft commences.

The primary activity on hand is, of course, seeing the dreams of 31 different college players come true when they hear their names called from the podium. The Chiefs, as the defending Super Bowl champs, won’t pick until the end of the night at No. 31 overall, unless they trade up, but there’s still plenty for Chiefs Kingdom to be excited about with the opening night draft festivities underway.

The NFL Draft kickoff show will, well, kick off in late afternoon and the official red carpet walk by the college prospects attending the draft will take place at 4:45 p.m. (all times Central) on the Memorial Courtyard at the National WWI Museum and Memorial.

Various singers from the region will also help get things underway for the NFL Draft, including Grammy-nominated vocalist Oleta Adams, who will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, and country artist Brittney Spencer, who will take on the national anthem. Local “party band” Lost Wax will serve as the house band and will play throughout the night. A special concert series will be held for each night following the draft for those in attendance, but those headliners have yet to be announced.

As for the NFL Draft Experience, a special array of family-centered and football-related activities, it will be available for folks to come and participate in starting at noon and continuing until 10 p.m. on the opening night. The same times will hold true on Friday and then Saturday’s final four rounds of the draft will also feature amended hours for the NFL experience from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The league also announced the vague participation of local celebrities and Chiefs players, past and present, throughout the night, including appearances from Eric Stonestreet and Heidi Gardner. However, no further information was given in a press release from the NFL.