East Kellogg 18+ nightclub Midnight Rodeo ditching country theme, reopening with new name
When Midnight Rodeo opened in summer 2020 in the longtime nightclub space at 10001 E. Kellogg, the owners decided to keep it as a country and western bar that catered to the 18-and-over crowd.
That worked — for a while. Last fall, when COVID-19 restrictions were more stringent the club was one of the few open in Wichita. and it became a nightlife destination.
Since then, though, the crowds have thinned. People now have other nightlife options, said the club’s general manager, Austin Henry, and the country-and-western approach appears to have run its course.
The 26,000 square-foot, 1,650-person capacity club, which previously was home to Club Rodeo, has been closed since Oct. 1, and when owners reopen it on Oct. 29, it will have a new name and a new approach, Henry said.
The new name will be Onyx Nightclub, and although the club will still offer some country music, the playlist will be significantly expanded to include hip-hop, old school throwbacks, Top 40 party hits and electronic dance music.
The country music the bar does play, Henry said, will be less Reba McEntire and more Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Blake Shelton and Brantley Gilbert.
“This concept is going to make us Wichita’s newest and hottest 18-plus party destination,” Henry said. “We want to fill our place with as much diversity as possible. Essentially, it will be what Graham Central Station used to be.”
Graham Central Station was a club that occupied the space from 2001 until 2006 and offered several themed clubs within it.
The owners of the Midnight Rodeo, who also own Fever night club in Old Town, decided when they bought the club last year to keep its approach the same, and in retrospect, the name they gave it may have been too similar to its predecessor Club Rodeo, Henry said.
Over the summer, the former owners opened a new Club Rodeo at K-15 and Macarthur, and too many people don’t understand that the bars are completely separate with separate owners, Henry said.
This change should make that clear, he said.
“People love new, and this will be completely new,” he said. “It’s a fresh start, a new concept geared toward everything and not just country.”
The owners plan to have the Onyx Nightclub open Thursdays through Sundays, but when they return on Halloween weekend, they’ll open only on Friday and Saturday. Both nights will include costume contests with cash prizes for the sexiest costume and the best couple costume.
Thursdays eventually will be reserved for hip-hop music. Friday and Saturday nights will be “open format,” Henry said.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 4:24 PM.
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