What to do in Wichita this weekend: Check out holiday lightings, shop, hear icons

The Wichita calendar is full of pre-Thanksgiving holiday fun and other events this weekend.

Here’s a look at some of the fun events happening around town this weekend and into next week.

Reba in concert

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Intrust Bank Arena, 500 E. Waterman

Country legend Reba McEntire will be in Wichita on Saturday for a concert with opening act Terri Clark. Tickets are limited for the show, which is at 7:30 p.m. at Intrust Bank Arena. Tickets are available at selectaseat.com, by calling 316-755-7328 or in person at the Select-a-Seat outlet inside Intrust Bank Arena.

Labor icon speaks

Delores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers Union with Cesar Chavez, will appear Saturday evening at an event titled “Si Se Puede,” a fundraiser for the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which promotes community organization and social justice. The event will include live entertainment, appetizers from Connie’s Mexico Cafe, and a panel discussion about civic engagement with Huerta, Sedgwick County Commissioner Sarah Lopez and former Kansas labor secretary and legislator Delia Garcia. It’s from 6-9 p.m. at Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean, Wichita. Tickets are $15 and available online or at the door.

Wreath Festival

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main

The annual Wreath Festival at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum returns for its 39th installment this weekend. The event, which started on Thursday and will continue from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, will feature artful wreaths, Christmas decor items, baked goods, cards, books and gift items for sale. Admission is free. For more information, visit wichitahistory.org.

Feztival of Trees

Friday-Tuesday and Nov. 25-27, Midian Shrine Center, 130 N Topeka

Another annual holiday event — The Midian Shrine Temple’s Feztival of Trees — will return for its eighth outing and will run from Friday through Tuesday and Nov. 25 through 27. The event will happen at the Midian Shrine Center and will showcase decorated and themed trees and will also offer attendees a chance to win tree displays complete with presents. Raffle tickets are $1 each. Visitors also can take selfies with Santa, visit the Snowflake Cafe for lunch and dinner and shop from vendors. Tickets are $5, free for kids 10 and under. The hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays and 5 to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

Annual drive-through lights

Thursday-Dec. 27, 2919 W. Second St.

Load up the family after Thanksgiving dinner and head for the annual Lights at Ability Point, formerly known as The Arc’s Lights, which opens Thanksgiving night. It’s an drive-through display at 2919 W. Second St. that’s made up of more than 1.5 million lights, features a rainbow tunnel, a nativity scene and a fire-breathing dragon. It will also feature some new displays for 2022. Hours starting Thursday are 5:30-9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 27. (It’s open until 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve.) Tickets are $10 a carload at local QuikTrip stores, and cash also is accepted at the door. Tickets also are for sale online at https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/TheARCofSedgwickCounty/TheLightsAdmission.html

Bradley Fair tree lighting

6 p.m. Sunday, 21st and Rock

The holidays start in earnest at Bradley Fair, the retail complex at 21st and Rock, with a tree-lighting ceremony on Sunday. The day’s activities will include free horse-drawn carriage rides from 2 to 10 p.m., photos with Santa from 5 to 7 p.m., live music starting at 5 p.m., face-painting, hot cocoa and more. The actual tree lighting will happen at 6 p.m. After that, the center’s Holiday Stroll series will continue from 2 to 7 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 18. For more information, visit bradleyfair.com/events

Shop & Grub Holiday Edition

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Exploration Place Festival Plaza, 300 N. McLean

The final Shop & Grub market of the season — a holiday installment — will happen from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at Exploration Place’s outdoor Festival Plaza. Its hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and it will feature holiday goods, food, drink and more. Some vendors will be giving away free coffee and cinnamon rolls to the first 50 people at the market, and there will also be music by Marcobiotics.

Flea market weekend

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Farha Sports Center, South YMCA

Holiday shopping alert: It’s also Wichita Flea Market weekend at the Farha Sport Center at the South Wichita YMCA. The market runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. This month’s market will feature more than 200 vendor booths, a pumpkin scavenger hunt with a cash prize, appearances by Olaf from “Frozen” from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday and by Santa Claus from noon to 1 p.m. Santa will also make an appearance from noon to 1 p.m. on Sunday, and a Christmas Mickey Mouse will be there from 11 a.m. to noon on Sunday. Admission is $3 or $5 for a two-day ticket. Children 12 and under get in free.

This story was originally published November 18, 2022 at 6:07 AM.