The Kansas City Chiefs will celebrate the 29th edition of Red Friday on Wednesday, Sept. 9 prior to the team playing the Houston Texans in the NFL Kickoff Game on Thursday, Sept. 10. Termed Red Friday – Kickoff Edition, festivities will take place during the week leading up to the game, with Super Bowl championship branding throughout the city, including paintings near prominent local landmarks; light, fountain and statue displays; and Red Friday flag sales on Wednesday morning.
In celebration of the club's victory in Super Bowl LIV, this year's Red Friday flag features a special championship design theme and will be sold for a minimum donation of $5 at more than 135 Kansas City- and St. Joseph-area McDonald's restaurants with the net proceeds from flag sales benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City. In addition to McDonald's locations, Chiefs Kingdom flags will be available at Kansas City-area Hy-Vee stores with all in-person sales locations adhering to physical distancing guidelines. To minimize contact between individuals during cash transactions, no change will be given. Fans are encouraged to use exactly $5 cash per flag or be willing to make a donation above $5 if they use larger bills.
Last year, more than $500,000 was raised from flag sales, while over the past seven years, Red Friday has raised more than $1.8 million to help RMHC-KC continue its mission of keeping families close in times of sickness and need. To ensure that fans in Chiefs Kingdom and beyond have access to the special championship Red Friday flag, and to provide an option for fans who prefer not to purchase their flag in person, flags will be available for a minimum donation of $10 (including shipping) on shop.chiefs.com on Wednesday, Sept. 9 with all net proceeds from online sales also benefiting RMHC-KC.
"Last year was a special season for the team and the community. We celebrated 60 seasons of Chiefs football, culminating with a Super Bowl parade in February, and it all began with a record-setting Red Friday donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City," Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. "We have an incredible opportunity to use the platform around the NFL Kickoff Game to highlight the amazing work that RMHC-KC does for kids and families while generating excitement and energy for the players and coaches to feel and the world to see."
For the fourth-consecutive year, Red Friday will return to Springfield, Missouri. In alignment with Red Friday in Kansas City, flags will be available at 55 McDonald's locations in Springfield and surrounding areas, as well as the Springfield Hy-Vee on Wednesday, Sept. 9. All net proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks. Last year, donations made at those locations totaled more than $50,000 for RMHC of the Ozarks. New this year, Red Friday – Kickoff Edition flags will be available at nine Topeka-area McDonald's locations, with proceeds benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Kansas.
During the lead-up to Red Friday – Kickoff Edition, special events will take place over the course of the week while Chiefs jerseys, flags, banners and red lighting will start appearing around Kansas City. The inaugural Red Friday Run presented by GEHA, which will take place virtually for 2020, will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 9 and will be open through Sunday, Sept. 13.
Red Friday honors the longstanding tradition of selling team-themed collectable items around the city to raise money for local charities that was started by Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt and the Chiefs Red Coaters. Since the inception of Red Friday, newspaper, magazine and flag sales have raised more than $2.3 million for local charities, with an emphasis on assisting youth in need.
Additional Red Friday information, including a map of sales locations in Kansas City, St. Joseph, Springfield and Topeka, as well as the opportunity to purchase flags online, is available at www.chiefs.com/redfriday.
