KANSAS CITY, Mo. – This week is like Christmas morning in Kansas City. For months, visitors and residents have been getting peeks at the much-awaited Power & Light District, not unlike children poking at the wrappings of gifts under the tree.

Kansas City Power & Light District photos

Concerts will be a regular feature of the Kansas City Power & Light District, which opens this week.

But this week, the wrapping will be ripped away and the eight-block entertainment district will open after more than two years of construction. The project has re-energized not only downtown, but much of the metropolitan area of nearly 2 million people.

The kickoff is a concert starring Three Dog Night, Dr. Hook, Josh Gracin and Vertical Horizon that's expected to fill the Kansas City Live entertainment block, a courtyard surrounded by restaurants and shops and equipped with big-screen televisions, fountains, fire pits and seating.

Such concerts will become routine in the district. Musical events will feature rock bands on Wednesday nights, country on Thursdays, a rotating mix of sounds on Fridays and family-oriented programs on Saturdays. Street performers, acrobats and digital light shows will add to the energetic atmosphere all year.

The Power & Light District is an $850 million development of the Cordish Co., which also developed Bayou Place in Houston and similar projects in Louisville, St. Louis and Baltimore, among others. The district is named for the 97-foot-tall art deco building at 12th and Walnut streets constructed by Kansas City Power & Light in the late 1920s.

Sprint Center was the first gift tucked under the city's Christmas tree. Seating 18,500 people, the sports and entertainment venue debuted in October with a sold-out concert by Sir Elton John. It drew Garth Brooks out of retirement for nine concerts in November.

The basketball court at Sprint Center got its first big workout during the Big 12 Tournament in March, when 35,000 people flocked to downtown Kansas City. On the eastern edge of the district, Sprint Center is adjacent to the College Basketball Experience, where visitors can play the game while learning its history.

More than 250,000 people celebrated St. Patrick's Day at a new watering hole in the district. Raglan Road Irish Pub contains two century-old bars from demolished pubs in Ireland, dance floors and stages. Dancers, musicians, chefs and waitstaff have relocated from Dublin to authenticate the Irish experience.

A truly American experience comes with the opening of the Maker's Mark Bourbon House, which showcases labels from all of Kentucky's bourbon distilleries. Tengo Sed Cantina brings Mexican flavor.

Howl at the Moon piano bar offers audience participation, and Angels Rock Bar soon will be joined by another lounge, Mosaic.

The Professional Bull Riders Big Sky Cowboy Bar gives you the chance to ride a mechanical bull. Or bowl a strike at the Lucky Strike Lanes.

Two legendary downtown Kansas City theaters are being renovated and are expected to open by the end of summer. The long-vacant Empire Theatre, once and again known as the Mainstreet Theater, will become a six-screen boutique movie complex. A restaurant and bar will be added to the Midland Theatre.

The district has no hotels, but the nearby historic Hotel President, closed for 25 years, has been renovated and reopened as the Hilton President Kansas City.

With all of this, the district is still at only 25 percent occupancy, though new outlets are signing on, ensuring that Christmas will continue here for years to come.

Kansas City Power & Light District, 816-842-1045, www.powerandlightdistrict .com. Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association, 1-800- 767-7700, www.visitkc.com.

Diana Lambdin Meyer is a Missouri freelance writer.