The largest event in Kansas City history took over the grounds of Union Station and the National World War I Museum and Memorial from April 27-29, 2023.

The 88th annual NFL Draft had the entire nation’s sports focus for that weekend. The draft hosted the league’s biggest media personalities, more than 300,000 fans and more than 1,200 employees across the three-day event that garnered more than 50 million views across various television platforms.

A total of 259 players had their lives significantly changed with an opportunity to earn an NFL contract at the draft. Some will go on to be some of the league’s biggest stars, some will be solid role players but others will struggle at the next level and hang around various practice squads.

The 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville was the only draft that drew more people in attendance as over 600,000 attended that one. The NFL reported that 312,000 attended the 2023 draft in Kansas City, making it the second-highest attended draft ever, and was the third time 300,000 attended in draft history.

Gates opened to thousands of eager fans at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 27 in anticipation of the first round of the draft later at 7 p.m. that evening. The crowd was largely a sea of red in support of the hometown Kansas City Chiefs with a healthy mix of fans decked out in support of rival Las Vegas Raiders as well as Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers.

The fans were kept busy in the festival of football with Kansas City-crafted barbeque and an abundance of attractions such as the 40-yard dash, the field goal kick and autograph sessions with NFL players of past and present.

The scenic backdrop of the draft featured Union Station as part of the draft’s largest stage ever, stretching 378 feet by 176 feet, which took about a month to construct.

The gates momentarily closed as the draft hit capacity at around 6 p.m. on Thursday evening. A total of 125,000 people converged to the grounds of the draft.

At long last, Roger Goodell finally emerged from Union Station to the stage to embrace a mirage of boos before Kansas City native celebrities Eric Stonestreet and Heidi Gardner joined in on the annual routine of booing the NFL leader. Goodell eventually welcomed Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce to the stage as the duo touted their Vince Lombardi Trophy as the Super Bowl champions to the great approval of the hometown crowd.

Goodell took center stage once more to announce the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, which many top NFL analysts predicted, as the Panthers selected former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.

After 30 other first-round picks, it was time for the 31st and final pick of the night. This time, the sea of red had something to cheer about as the Chiefs were finally on the clock. To announce the pick, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt appeared on stage alongside his organization’s three Lombardi Trophies to announce that the Chiefs had selected local product, Lee’s Summit High School graduate and former Kansas State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

Thursday concluded with a concert by Fall Out Boy before re-opening the next day at noon in anticipation for rounds two and three later Friday evening, which drew seldom crowds of 84,000 on Friday before Motley Crue took the stage. The final day included rounds four through seven in front of a crowd of 103,000 before a Thundercat performance.

While this event will stand as the largest event in Kansas City history for now, it will only last for a couple years. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will have games at Arrowhead Stadium and a similar festival zone setup with expectations to draw more worldwide visitors.