How to Book a Private Event at Border Brewing in Kansas City's Crossroads

Bachelorette parties, wedding showers, corporate offsites, baby showers, birthday hangs, gallery openings — here’s how to pull it off at The Backyard in Kansas City’s Crossroads.

Border Brewing’s outdoor patio — what we call The Backyard — has quietly become one of the most flexible private event venues in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District. Brick walls, string lights, a mural-painted backdrop that does half the work for your photos, and the kind of low-key, walk-in-friendly Crossroads energy that makes a private party feel like a great night out rather than a corporate function. If you’re planning a celebration in Kansas City and the standard banquet-hall route doesn’t fit the vibe, here’s everything you need to know about booking The Backyard.

Who hosts events at Border Brewing?

The short answer: a really wide range of Kansas City celebrations. The Backyard is sized and styled for groups between roughly 20 and 80 people, with enough flexibility for both seated dining setups and stand-up-and-mingle cocktail formats. Here’s what we see most weekends:

Bachelor and bachelorette parties. Crossroads bar crawl, but you skip the crawl. Reserve the patio, build a bar package around what your group actually drinks, bring in food from anywhere — pizza, taco truck, BBQ — and own the space until the toast.

Wedding showers and rehearsal dinners. Industrial brick, string lights, and the graffiti mural that already does the heavy lifting for your photo backdrop. Pair the patio with a tasting flight for guests and a beer flight gift for the couple.

Baby showers and family parties. Dad-friendly without being a dive bar. Kid-friendly, but not a chain. Bring the cake, bring whoever — we open early on weekends, the patio is shaded by 3 PM, and our Baseline non-alcoholic series means everyone’s covered.

Corporate offsites and team events. Wi-Fi reaches the patio, the brewhouse provides a great backdrop for a client dinner, and there’s a rotating tap list that gives your team something to actually talk about that isn’t the slide deck. Holiday parties, founder dinners, client receptions, networking nights — we’ve hosted them all.

Birthday parties. Your friend group, the patio, and a tab. The brick walls hold tape and string lights better than any rented venue.

Pop-ups, launches, and mixers. Product launches, gallery openings, supper clubs, networking nights. We share the Crossroads with First Fridays — we know what walk-in foot traffic looks like, and we know how to design around it.

What the space looks like

The Backyard sits behind our 512 East 18th Street taproom in the heart of the Crossroads. It’s an open-air patio with a mix of seating styles, so the room shapes itself around your event rather than forcing you into a single layout. Cocktail night with high-tops? Done. Seated dinner with long farm tables? We can configure for that. Casual standing reception with a bar in the middle? Easy.

Capacity: Comfortable for 20–60 people seated, or up to 80 standing-room cocktail style. Flows directly into the taproom if you need indoor overflow for weather or just space.

The aesthetic: Industrial brick, large mural and graffiti wall (one of the most-photographed backdrops in the Crossroads), string lights overhead, shade structures that kick in by mid-afternoon. The brewhouse is visible from the patio side — guests get an actual brewery experience, not a generic event space.

Hours of access: We can open the patio for you outside our standard hours, which is huge for morning bridal showers or daytime corporate kickoffs. Standard taproom hours are evening-forward, but private events get scheduling flexibility.

How the bar works — two flexible options

The bar is where most venues lock you into something rigid. We do the opposite.

Cash bar. Guests buy their own drinks at our standard tap list and bar menu. Easy to budget around because you’re not committing to a minimum. Best for casual celebrations, networking, or when your guest list is unpredictable.

Hosted bar package. You set the budget and we build the package — could be open-bar for the first two hours, could be a drink-ticket system, could be specific tap selections all night with shifts to cash bar after a certain hour. Tasting flights and bottle service available for upscale events.

Both options run our full tap list and bar menu — seven flagship craft beers brewed on-site, our Pink Drink hard seltzer, house-made hard ciders, craft cocktails, and the Baseline non-alcoholic series for guests who aren’t drinking. The full menu being available to your event means nobody feels stuck with limited choices.

Catering — bring whoever you want

This is where The Backyard really separates from traditional venues. We don’t have a kitchen and we don’t lock you into a single caterer. You can:

• Bring your own food from any restaurant — pizza, BBQ, Vietnamese, doughnut walls, the works
• Book one of our preferred catering partners across BBQ, pizza, taco, and full-service caterers
• Work with a food truck (we have several Crossroads-regular trucks that park outside on event nights)
• Order delivery (group orders welcome, we’ll set up the food layout)
• Self-cater for casual family parties

For most events, the right answer is a food truck or a partner caterer — both keep the cost reasonable and the food authentically Kansas City. For more formal events (rehearsal dinners, corporate dinners), we’ll help you connect with full-service catering options.

Cake and dessert? Always welcome — bring your own. We don’t charge cake-cutting fees, we don’t make you buy our dessert menu instead.

What’s it actually cost?

Pricing starts at $150/hour for the patio rental, with package adjustments depending on:

• Time of day and day of week. Weekday afternoons are the most affordable. Weekend evenings are the busiest, so they’re priced higher.
• Duration. Most events run 3–4 hours of actual patio time, plus setup and breakdown windows.
• Bar package. Cash bar has no additional cost. Hosted bar packages are quoted based on your group size and consumption expectations.
• Setup needs. Standard seating is included. Anything custom (extra tables, special decor support, AV for presentations) gets quoted separately.

For most parties of 30–50 people, the all-in cost lands somewhere between $500–$1,500 depending on bar package and food choices. Significantly less than most KC event venues for a comparable space — and you’re getting a working brewery in the Crossroads, not a banquet hall.

Why the Crossroads location matters

The Crossroads Arts District is one of the most-visited neighborhoods in Kansas City for a reason. Booking The Backyard means your guests get:

• Walking distance from most downtown KC hotels. Power & Light, Union Station, downtown — all within a short Uber or 15-minute walk.
• Easy ride-share. Steady Uber/Lyft availability, especially on First Friday and weekend evenings.
• Streetcar access. The KC Streetcar’s southern extension runs near us.
• Side-street parking that’s almost always available, with several paid lots within a block.
• First Friday energy. If your event lands on the first Friday of the month, your guests get to extend the night with gallery walks, food trucks, and the most active stretch of Crossroads street life.

Your guests aren’t stuck at a remote venue with a hotel-bus-back situation. They can keep the party going (or get home easily) — that flexibility is one of the most-mentioned things in our post-event feedback.

How to book — the actual process

Step one: let us know the basics. Date, expected guest count, type of event, rough start and end time, and any food/bar preferences you’ve already decided on. The faster we know your headcount and timing, the faster we can hold the date.

Step two: we confirm availability and pricing. Within one business day, we’ll come back with whether the date works and a rough quote based on what you described.

Step three: we walk the space (in person or via video). For weddings, corporate events, and anything larger than 50 people, we strongly recommend doing a quick walkthrough so you can plan layout in advance.

Step four: deposit and date lock. A small deposit secures the date. Final headcount and any bar package finalization happen ~2 weeks out.

Step five: show up and enjoy. We handle the bar and the space. You handle the playlist, the cake, and the toasts.

Start the booking conversation here → — or reach us directly through our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Can we bring outside alcohol? No — Missouri liquor licensing prohibits this. But our bar menu is wide enough that we’ve never had a guest complaint about selection.

Do you charge a room minimum? We charge a flat patio rental rate plus your chosen bar package — no awkward “you didn’t drink enough” surprise fees at the end of the night.

Can we decorate? Yes — within reason. The brick walls hold tape and string lights, and our staff can help you set up before guests arrive. We just ask that any decorations come down at the end of the night.

Is the patio covered? Partially shaded with overhangs, but not fully enclosed. For weather contingencies, we coordinate with you to use the indoor taproom as overflow. Most spring/summer/fall events run rain-or-shine without issue.

Do you have a stage or speakers for live music or DJs? We have a sound system that handles background music and a microphone for toasts/announcements. Live music and DJs can bring their own gear and we’ll help coordinate setup.

Can we host a children’s birthday party? Yes — we’re family-friendly until 9 PM. Daytime weekend bookings work great for kids’ parties, and the Baseline non-alcoholic line means parents can stick around without drinking.

What about dietary restrictions? Since you choose your own food and caterer, you control the menu entirely. For drinks, we have gluten-free hard seltzers, non-alcoholic beers, and full bar options.

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Ready to plan something?

The Backyard books up fastest for Saturday evenings, First Fridays, and the run from mid-April through October. Weekday afternoon bookings and winter event dates are usually available with shorter lead times.

Inquire about private events →

Related Reading

• Private Events at The Backyard — Full venue details, photos, and pricing.
• Brewery & Taproom — Get a feel for our space before booking.
• Our Craft Beers — Browse our full tap list for your event.
• Cocktails — Bar menu beyond the beer.
• Contact Us — Quick questions or quote requests.