One of Wichita’s biggest indoor fall festivals, a foodie favorite, won’t happen this year
It’s one of the Wichita events that packs thousands of people into a room for an evening of fun, food and culture.
And that’s just one of the reasons that the organizers of the Wichita Asian Festival, who would have put on their 40th annual event on Oct. 24, have decided to cancel for this year amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, they said, they’ll celebrate the 40th festival in October 2021.
The Wichita Asian Association, which puts on the event, sent an email to its members, volunteers and sponsors on Thursday morning outlining the reasons for the decision.
The festival, which always offers free admission, usually draws a crowd of more than 10,000 people, who gather inside Century II on a Saturday evening.
In one section, more than 40 different food vendors set up at booths selling Asian cuisine native to dozens of countries. In the other, people watch cultural performances and a Miss Wichita Asian pageant happening onstage.
Avoiding a large gathering was not the organizers’ only consideration.
Many of the vendors and sponsors who help make the festival possible are hurting economically, and organizers said they want to give them time to recuperate.
Also, they don’t want festival participants gathering in advance for any reason.
“The preparation for this annual event takes months and numerous hours from volunteers,” the email said. “In order to protect our community and prevent COVID-19 from spreading, we do not want to encourage any groups to get together in order to prepare for the festival.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 11:28 AM.
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