Planners of ICT Bloktoberfest say event will be smaller, ‘We can’t stay inside forever’
Most of Wichita’s big annual events have been canceled or moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But this weekend, organizers of one annual event are going ahead with a scaled-down version of the Oktoberfest party they’ve been throwing for the past four years.
ICT Bloktoberfest, a block-party style event thrown by Xclusive Event Services, will happen Friday and Saturday in and around the Wichita Boathouse at 515 S. Wichita. Xclusive owners Crystal McDonald and Cody Lathrop were recently hired to manage the venue by its current tenant, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
For the last three years, the event has taken place in a field at Wichita WaterWalk, directly to the east of the Wichita Boathouse. The owners made the move to the Boathouse, McDonald said, because they’re not expecting large crowds this year, and the Boathouse will allow them to have access to indoor space in case of weather. It also allows for indoor restrooms.
But McDonald said most of the activities, including wiener dog races, an ax throwing competition and pumpkin smashing, will take place outdoors on the grounds directly south and west of the Boathouse, including right along the river. There’s plenty of room for social distancing there, she said, and people who go inside to shop at a pop-up market will be encouraged to wear masks.
McDonald said that she’s been hearing from people who are excited to have something to do for the first time in months.
“We can’t stay inside forever,” she said. “We have to continue on. If you don’t feel safe, we understand that. It’s a free event. We’re not begging anyone to come.”
Kate Flavin, the public information officer for Sedgwick County, said that the event would be subject to the requirements of Dr. Garold Minns’ current emergency public health order, meant to slow the spread of COVID-19. The order includes a mask mandate and limits on the size of crowds. Organizers of this weekend’s event have not been in contact with the county, Flavin said.
McDonald said that Xclusive has been putting on Final Friday events at the Boathouse during recent weeks as a way to “test the waters.” People have been social distancing and behaving like adults, she said, so she and Lathrop felt comfortable moving forward with Bloktoberfest.
The event will start on Friday with a ticket-required outdoor beer sampling event. In the past, she said, they’ve sold 400 tickets to the Friday-night beer party, but this year, they’re cutting it down to 200.
The beer tasting will last from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $40 a person and include a tasting stein, access to food trucks and patio games and samples of more than 99 different beers. Tickets are available at ictbloktoberfest.com.
Admission is free to Saturday’s events, which last from noon to 10 p.m. Beer and food gardens will be set up outside. Wiener Dog Races start at 2 p.m., followed by an eating contest at 3 p.m., a stein hoisting competition at 4 p.m. and live music by Sunshine the Bunny at 5 p.m. A pumpkin smash, which was a popular event last year, starts at 6 p.m.
Inside the Boathouse will be a pop-up market, which will last all day Saturday.
“We have stuff going on throughout the day,” McDonald said. “We kind of wanted to spread it out and not have everything at once so people can pick and choose and there’s not big crowds all at once.”
The event is open to kids and also is dog-friendly, McDonald said, adding that she doesn’t know what kind of attendance to expect.
“We’re just trying to do our best to get back to normal and try to stay safe,” she said.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 1:44 PM.
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