Missouri Paracon — A Gateway to the Paranormal
Missouri Paracon 2026
Venue: Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City, 3200 North Ameristar Drive, Kansas City, MO 64161, United States
Dates: February 26–28, 2026
Organiser: Missouri Paracon (Jesse Leimkuehler)
A Weekend That Moves on Presence and Personality
Missouri Paracon 2026 returns to Kansas City with steady confidence, settling once again into the Ameristar Casino Hotel for a weekend shaped by scale, personality, and momentum. The venue’s bright walkways, late-evening pulse, and crisp winter backdrop give the conference an immediate spark — the sense that discussions will stretch past the last scheduled session and that the building itself encourages people to linger, compare notes, and trade stories. With Kansas City’s jazz lineage and layered cultural edge framing the setting, Missouri Paracon arrives in a place that enhances its pace rather than competing with it.
Its character comes through the people who drive it. The 2026 lineup gathers investigators, authors, television figures, illusionists, and musicians whose work influences paranormal culture far beyond the panels they lead. Their collective presence sets the tone early, tilting the weekend toward a performer-focused identity that blends expertise with showmanship. Concerts, live entertainment, and the Belvoir Winery ghost hunt feed that rhythm, creating an arc that keeps the weekend in motion long after sessions conclude.
Across its two packed days, Missouri Paracon 2026 builds a clean progression from structured daytime inquiry to vivid night-time programming. It arrives with clarity and forward drive, positioning itself as a paranormal conference strengthened by its community, its performers, and the conversations that gather in its wake.
Performer Headliners Overview
Core Voices Who Set the Early Tone
Missouri Paracon 2026 builds its momentum through the people who define its atmosphere — investigators, authors, musicians, illusionists, and television figures whose presence shapes the pace of the weekend as soon as they step into the Ameristar Casino Hotel. Their mix of styles and strengths gives Missouri Paracon a clear identity, turning the venue into a gathering point for some of the most recognisable voices in the field.
Jay Wasley brings a measured, precise approach that steadies his sessions and draws attention without demanding it. Amy Bruni arrives with the clear, grounded insight that long-time followers recognise instantly, offering a blend of sharp observation and calm delivery. Dave Schrader threads experience through humour, creating discussions that flow easily while still carrying weight. Aaron Sagers expands the horizon with cultural fluency and a crisp interpretive lens that helps audiences connect dots across media, history, and modern paranormal work. Together, they form the early spine of Missouri Paracon 2026 — a gravitational core that sets tone and expectation.
When the Conference Slips Into Nightfall
As the evening hours take over, the character of the conference shifts. Aiden Sinclair’s late-night illusion set becomes the pivot point: atmospheric, tightly constructed, and built to stir attention in ways that suit the mood of the casino-hotel setting. The concerts extend that current. Troubadour Retrievers bring a bright Friday surge that eases attendees from structured panels into a more social rhythm, while Here Come The Mummies transform Saturday into a full-power communal moment, lifting the night with command and charisma.
The Wider Bench That Deepens the Weekend
The broader lineup strengthens the weekend’s depth. Sarah Lemos, Russell Acord, Mireya Mayor, Richard Estep, Adam Berry, and Juwan Mass offer investigative range, each bringing a specific interpretive style that diversifies the schedule. Jeff Belanger, Tim Shaw, Johnny Houser, Shane Pittman, Dustin Pari, and Kris Williams lend narrative clarity and on-camera experience, grounding daytime sessions in storytelling that holds attention. Their contributions keep the daytime hours of Missouri Paracon structured, varied, and consistently moving.
A Lineup That Drives the Entire Current
Taken together, the headliners form an ecosystem rather than a simple list — voices that complement one another, contrast just enough to spark new angles, and guide the entire weekend’s flow. Missouri Paracon 2026 thrives on this interplay, using its performers to generate the current that carries attendees from conversation to concert to late-night anticipation.
Panels, Experts & Daytime Sessions
The Investigative Backbone of Missouri Paracon
The daytime program at Missouri Paracon 2026 moves with a steadier cadence, driven by investigators, researchers, authors, and long-time field figures who specialise in clarity over spectacle. These sessions give the conference its analytical backbone — the place where methodology, lived experience, and interpretive nuance take the foreground before the louder evening elements arrive.
Scientific Anchors and Field-Tested Insight
Mireya Mayor brings a scientific edge grounded in her career as a primatologist and explorer. Her delivery is firm, disciplined, and rooted in field data, giving attendees a view into expedition work and the rigorous approach she is known for on National Geographic programs. Her sessions lend Missouri Paracon a measured, research-forward counterbalance to the event’s performance-heavy nights.
Russell Acord provides a more boots-on-the-ground approach, recognised for his work within the Bigfoot community and for his appearances on “Expedition Bigfoot.” His presence is steady and unvarnished — the kind of voice that foregrounds endurance, long-form field experience, and the practical realities of investigation. He adds reliability to the daytime flow, grounding discussions in persistence and direct observation.
Richard Estep contributes a clinical tone drawn from extensive case research and years of writing about haunted history. His sessions tend to move with a calm, investigative clarity, unpacking events through patterns, documentation, and critical reasoning. He reinforces Missouri Paracon’s commitment to detail, offering participants a structured view of how stories and evidence intersect.
Procedural Minds and Contemporary Voices
Greg Lawson enters from a different angle, recognised as “The Paranormal Detective.” His background gives him a procedural lens that blends investigative technique with psychological insight. Lawson works through claims with deliberate, methodical pacing, helping attendees understand how an investigator evaluates information without losing sight of human factors.
Juwan Mass brings a younger pulse, widely known from “Ghost Brothers,” with an approach that blends contemporary fieldwork with a dynamic, conversational style. His sessions are lively, drawing on teamwork and modern investigative tools. Adam Berry, known from “Kindred Spirits,” pairs neatly with that momentum — thoughtful, articulate, and attuned to emotional nuance within cases. Together, they help broaden the conference’s modern investigative spectrum.
Intuition and Narrative Carried by Key Figures
Sarah Lemos adds intuitive texture, recognised for her mediumship and appearances on “Ghosts of Morgan City.” Her presence introduces an interpretive angle that balances the more clinical voices, giving attendees an alternative way to consider personal perception and emotional resonance within paranormal inquiry.
Jeff Belanger strengthens the schedule with narrative cohesion. As a prolific author and veteran storyteller known for his work on “Ghost Adventures” and his independent documentary projects, he frames history, folklore, and witness accounts into a clear throughline. His talks pull history, folklore, and eyewitness accounts into a clear narrative line, giving attendees a sense of how local stories resonate within the wider paranormal landscape.
A Daytime Identity Built on Depth
Through this collective, Missouri Paracon 2026 builds a daytime identity rooted in expertise, contrast, and perspective. The mix of scientific voices, procedural thinkers, intuitive interpreters, and seasoned storytellers gives the conference an intellectual core that balances its high-voltage nights.
Night-Time Programming & After-Dark Atmosphere
When the Ameristar Lights Take Over
Nightfall is where Missouri Paracon 2026 shifts into its most magnetic mode. The Ameristar Casino Hotel comes alive in a way that suits the event’s personality — bold lighting, a steady flow of movement across the casino floor, and a sense of momentum that encourages people to stay out later than planned. The evening schedule isn’t an add-on; it’s a core feature, turning Missouri Paracon into a two-night cascade of performance, conversation, and shared anticipation.
Illusion, Music, and the Evening Pulse
Aiden Sinclair anchors the transition from daytime inquiry to evening voltage. His late-night illusion performance is tightly constructed, leaning on psychological tension and narrative control rather than spectacle for its own sake. In the casino setting, the effect sharpens: the room grows quiet, the edges of the venue soften, and guests settle into a show that feels personal even when the crowd is full. The performance creates an unmistakable beat in the conference’s rhythm — a signature note that signals Missouri Paracon’s move into its after-hours identity.
The concerts continue that escalation. Friday’s set from Troubadour Retrievers brings warmth and lift, giving attendees a collective moment to exhale after a day of panels. Their sound slots naturally into the Ameristar’s atmosphere, drawing people from hallways and lounges into a shared pulse. Saturday’s shift to Here Come The Mummies changes the tone entirely. Their high-energy, tongue-in-cheek funk turns the night into a full-room surge, the kind of performance that pulls even the most schedule-focused attendees into the current. At Missouri Paracon, these concerts act as communal anchors — events that reunite everyone regardless of which sessions they attended earlier in the day.
Off-Site Exploration and After-Hours Flow
The conference’s after-dark story doesn’t end on-site. The off-site investigation at Belvoir Winery extends the night beyond the casino’s borders, adding a focused, immersive experience for attendees who want the fieldwork dimension woven into their weekend. The location’s long paranormal reputation and its connection to organiser Jesse Leimkuehler give the investigation added weight, turning it into one of the most anticipated elements of Missouri Paracon 2026. The contrast between Ameristar’s bright interior and Belvoir’s quiet, historical presence creates a dynamic that many attendees look forward to as a defining moment of the weekend.
The Weekend’s Distinctive Night Arc
Together, these night-time elements give Missouri Paracon 2026 its distinctive arc — a shift from structured daytime engagement to atmospheric, high-presence evenings that carry the weekend into its own compact nightlife. The result is a conference that doesn’t simply end when the panels close; it expands, gathering energy as the hours progress and giving the event a second life long after sunset.
Marketplace, Vendors & Cultural Micro-Scene
A Social Lane at the Center of the Weekend
The marketplace at Missouri Paracon has developed into one of the event’s most social spaces — a steady current of movement where attendees drift between tables, conversations unfold in small clusters, and creators showcase the work that fuels the community’s imagination. It functions as a daytime crossroads: part retail lane, part meet-and-greet corridor, part creative lounge threaded through the Ameristar’s energy.
The Creative Mix That Defines the Scene
Previous editions of Missouri Paracon featured a mix of crystal merchants, indie authors, paranormal podcasters, artists, handcrafted metaphysical goods, investigation-adjacent gear, and creators whose work moves between folklore, field research, and paranormal culture. The marketplace is known for attracting small studios, independent filmmakers, niche apparel designers, and teams who document investigations through books, audio, or live recordings. These categories help define the cultural texture of the event — eclectic, personal, and rooted in the community itself.
Micro-Moments That Build Community
Micro-scenes form naturally. An author signing gathers a patient semicircle. A podcaster previews an upcoming episode and pulls in curious passersby. A maker explains the origin of a design or stone, turning a simple transaction into a brief exchange of story and craft. Throughout the day, these interactions give Missouri Paracon a conversational heartbeat that balances the formality of panels with something more immediate and approachable.
A Marketplace Powered by Demand
Vendor slots sold out last year, reflecting the appetite among creators to secure a presence at the conference. That momentum gives the 2026 marketplace its own anticipatory edge: attendees arrive knowing the space tends to run busy, that they may stumble into unexpected demos, and that the aisles often become informal meeting points for guests and investigators between sessions.
The Hub That Connects Day to Night
As the orbit between daytime programming and evening events tightens, the marketplace becomes connective tissue — a place where people regroup after panels, discover new creators, and carry fresh conversations into the night. In the overall arc of Missouri Paracon 2026, it serves as the social thread that ties together inquiry, entertainment, and community.
Practical Info, Venue Experience & Travel Notes
A Venue Built for Seamless Movement
Missouri Paracon 2026 benefits from a venue that runs on continuity. The Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City functions as a compact ecosystem — conference rooms, dining, lounges, and the casino floor all threaded through a layout that keeps attendees moving in smooth loops rather than long detours. Most visitors settle into a rhythm early: sessions by day, food and conversation in the central corridors, and the venue’s natural nightlife rising in the background as the evening programming approaches.
Dining, Lounges, and On-Site Flow
Inside Ameristar, the experience stays intuitive. Restaurants sit close to the event spaces, making it easy to break for a quick meal or gather with other attendees between panels. Lounges and open seating areas give the weekend a social through-line; people drift, regroup, compare notes, and head back toward the next session without losing momentum. The building’s lighting and casino energy add a subtle charge to the atmosphere — a sense of motion that suits the pace of Missouri Paracon.
Travel In, Move Easily
Travel logistics remain straightforward. Kansas City International Airport (MCI) serves as the main arrival point, and rideshare options typically provide direct, uncomplicated trips to the venue. For those driving, Ameristar’s on-site parking gives attendees predictable access throughout the weekend, making check-in and day-to-day movement easy to manage.
Optional Stops Around Kansas City
Although the conference keeps most visitors anchored on-site, the location offers quick routes for anyone arriving early or staying late. The National WWI Museum and Memorial, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the 18th & Vine Jazz District sit within practical driving distance, giving attendees a chance to add a cultural stop without disrupting the weekend’s flow. Worlds of Fun offers another nearby option for those mixing leisure with the trip.
The Belvoir Shift Into After-Dark Exploration
The off-site Belvoir Winery investigation brings its own rhythm to the weekend. Attendees heading to Liberty for the experience can expect a short drive north, shifting from the bright energy of Ameristar to the quiet, historic grounds of the winery — a contrast that enhances the after-dark tone of Missouri Paracon.
A Weekend That Stays Contained and Cohesive
Across all of this, the atmosphere stays cohesive. The Ameristar venue keeps the conference contained in the best way: sessions, meals, social pockets, and night-time events unfolding within a single environment that supports the pace of Missouri Paracon without pushing anyone to juggle logistics. It’s a weekend built to be navigated easily, so attendees can stay focused on the experience rather than the mechanics around it.
Closing Summary
A Weekend Held in Shared Curiosity
Missouri Paracon 2026 closes with the same energy that carries it from morning into night — a weekend threaded with curiosity, conversation, and the kind of atmosphere that turns strangers into co-conspirators. Ameristar holds it all in one steady loop: panels that sharpen the mind, performances that charge the evening, and moments in between where ideas linger a little longer than expected. It’s a gathering built on presence and the quiet thrill of exploring the unknown in good company.
Where to Go Next
For schedules, updates, and tickets, visit MissouriParacon.com.
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