Wichita has been achin’ for bacon. Now, this twice-postponed event is finally happening
It was originally scheduled for June of last year. But then the pandemic hit, and Hartman Arena had to reschedule its annual festival of bacon, beer and bourbon for September.
It stayed on the calendar for weeks, and it looked like it might happen. But COVID-19 conditions continued to worsen, and it was rescheduled again.
Now, almost a year after the fifth installment of the Park City arena’s annual Air Capital Bacon, Bourbon & Brews festival was originally supposed to happen, it finally will. The event is on for 4 p.m. Saturday at the arena, 8151 Hartman Arena Drive, and it will feature bacon-filled food items from more than a dozen Wichita restaurants as well as beer samples from more than 25 breweries, several of them local. There’s also an option to enjoy bourbon samples.
The festival has undergone several changes since the first one was put on in 2015, including the addition of beer in year No. 2, a few name changes, and a couple of years when an out-of-state promoter put it together. This year, the Hartman Arena staff is once again organizing the party itself.
What hasn’t changed is that bacon — an ever-popular protein — will be at the center of the festivities. Not only will attendees be able to sample bacon dishes from restaurants like Los Compadres, The Artichoke, Noble House Hawaiian, Rib Crib, Red Robin, The Angry Elephant and more, but the festival will also include a bacon-eating contest and mechanical pig rides. VIP ticket holders will have access to a BLT bar as well as to a Bloody Mary bar.
They’ll also get to sample beers from places like Wichita Brewing Company, Hopping Gnome, River City, Walnut River and more. Bourbon samples cost extra.
Attendees will vote for their favorite bacon bite and their favorite beer, and the providers will win bragging rights.
Organizers are encouraging people to wear masks, but Chelsea Shuckman, the arena’s director of sales and marketing, says that the staff understands that people will be eating and drinking and that masks won’t always be practical. Organizers will space booths out and offer lots of hand sanitizing opportunities, she said.
Advance tickets are available at www.hartmanarena.com and are $30 for general admission and $65 for VIPs, who get early entry, a commemorative pint glass and access to the BLT and Bloody Mary bars. Tickets will be available at the door but will cost $5 more. There’s also a designated driver ticket available for $20 at the door.
Bourbon sampling cards are $5 in advance, $10 at the door and offer six samples of bourbon.
This story was originally published July 7, 2021 at 2:41 PM.
.jpg)