Have you ever wanted to float on the Arkansas River? This weekend is your chance

Sometimes, it gets so hot that the Arkansas River starts to seem kind of inviting. This weekend, people who have always wanted to get on the river will have a chance as part of The Big Float, an annual event put on by Wichita Clean Streams. Details on how to participate are below, as is a list of other fun activities happening in Wichita this weekend.

Float the Arkansas

1-5:30 p.m. Saturday, River Vista Boats & Bikes, 150 N. McLean

Wichita Clean Streams’ The Big Float was originally supposed to happen in June, but the Arkansas River was moving too quickly after heavy rains. It was rescheduled for this Saturday and will give Wichitans the opportunity to float down the river. Participants will get in at Wichita State University’s River Vista Boats & Bikes, 150 N. McLean, and can float around, float to the Keeper of the Plains at Exploration Place, or float to the boat ramp at Kellogg and get out there. Participants can either rent a tube and life jacket or bring their own. The event will include music, games and fun activities at River Vista Boats. Floaters can start between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Online registration is available through Friday at wichitacleanstreams.com or onsite on Saturday. Registration and rentals are $25, and registration only is $15. The event is open to all ages, but floaters under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Bacon, bourbon, beer

4 p.m. Saturday, Park City Arena, 8151 N. Hartman Arena Dr., Park City

Park City Arena will be home this weekend to the annual Air Capital Bacon, Bourbon & Brews festival. The event, which starts at 4 p.m. Saturday, is open only to ages 21 and older and will feature more than 100 different beers to try plus bacon samples prepared by a lineup of local restaurants. As always, the festival will include a bacon-eating contest and live entertainment. General admission tickets are $35 in advance, and for another $10, attendees can add a bourbon tasting. VIP tickets, which include early entry, admission to the bourbon tasting, a private BLT bar and more, are $68. Get tickets at www.ticketmaster.com

Handbell concerts

Friday and Saturday, Century II’s Mary Jane Teall Theater, 225 W. Douglas

Handbell musicians will be at Century II in Wichita this week for a conference called Pinnacle, and the public will be able to attend several performances. The shows began earlier this week and continue at 10:15 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Friday and at 10:15 a.m., 2:45 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday at Mary Jane Teall Theater inside Century II. The shows, which will showcase handbell groups from around the country, are free to attend.

311 at Wave

Popular 1990s band 311 will bring its “311 Unity Tour 2025” to the outdoor stage at the Wave venue on Sunday. The band is known for its three decades of music that fuses rock, reggae, funk and rap and has produced hits including “Amber,” “Down” and “All Mixed Up.” The concert starts at 7 p.m., and doors open at 6 p.m. Warm-up acts will be Badflower and Sitting on Saturn. Tickets range from $57.58 to $152.61 and are available at waveict.com

Benefits of beekeeping

10 a.m. Saturday, Botanica, 701 N. Amidon

Interested in keeping bees? On Saturday, a class called Benefits of Beekeeping will be presented at the Bungalow at Botanica. The class, which will last from 10 to 11 a.m., will be led by experienced beekeeper Wes Wolken, who will outline the role bees play in the ecosystem and speak about the process of harvesting honey. The class costs $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers. Pre-registration is required online at botanica.org/beekeeping

Gordon Parks family art day

11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Wichita Art Museum, 1400 W. Museum Blvd.

This weekend’s Family ArtVenture event at the Wichita Art Museum will be titled “Picture This: A Day of Art + Play” and will be inspired by famed photographer Gordon Parks. It’s a come-and-go event that will last from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and will invite visitors to create their own wearable art, make a pinhole camera, watch locally made short films and pose in a photo booth. The day also includes free admission to “Homeward to the Prairie I come,” an exhibit of photographs by Gordon Parks from the Beach Museum of Art. Admission is free.