Virtual Riverfest, including a shoebox parade, will replace the real deal starting Friday
If not for coronavirus, Wichita right now would be rushing to grab Wichita Riverfest buttons and making plans to scout out a spot for the opening night parade and fireworks show.
But none of that is happening this year. At least not now.
Back in March, organizers of the annual festival, which was scheduled to start on Friday, May 29, and run through June 6, announced that because of the coronavirus pandemic and a ban on large gatherings, the 2020 event would be canceled for the first time in the festival’s 49-year history.
A smaller, four-day event, they said, would replace it in the fall. Scheduled for Nov. 5-8 downtown, the event will be called “Wonderfall,” a name selected through an online contest.
In the meantime, the festival staff has organized a “Virtual Riverfest” that it hopes will help soften the late-May sadness that a festival-free calendar is sure to bring.
The Virtual Riverfest, just like the actual festival would have, will start Friday and run through June 6. It’s all free, and events can be found on the Wichita River Festival Facebook page and at @WichitaRiverFestival on Instagram.
Daily schedules for the Virtual Riverfest can be found at WichitaRiverfest.com.
The virtual events planned include:
Riverfest Twilight Pops Concert at Home: The Wichita Symphony Orchestra, which would have performed the annual Twilight Pops Concert on Friday, will still perform it for a virtual broadcast. The show, which will be aired on Radio Kansas (90.1-FM in Wichita), will include a rendition of “1812 Overture” as well as a memorial tribute to longtime radio personality Don Hall, who used to co-host the concert but who died in a car accident last month. A pre-concert video will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Facebook, and the radio broadcast will start at 7 p.m.
Sundown Parade Shoebox Challenge: The actual parade will be replaced with a video parade, featuring shoebox floats created by fans as well as the Prairie Schooner Mates, a group of high school students chosen to assist festival figurehead Admiral Windwagon Smith. It will start at 6 p.m. on Facebook, and viewers can vote for a favorite float in the Facebook photo gallery.
Where’s Windwagon?: Each day, people can play an online game and try to discern the location of Admiral Windwagon Smith, a role filled this year by Clay Bastian.
Riverfest Poster Coloring Pages: The past five Riverfest posters will be turned into coloring pages and published in the Wichita Eagle. They’ll also be available at wichitariverfest.com starting on Friday.
Riverfest BuzzFeed Quiz: Festival fans can take daily online quizzes to test their Riverfest knowledge.
Quarantine Style: Have some especially good quarantine bed head? Enter this bad hair competition by Monday at wichitariverfest.com.
Riverfest Virtual Car Show: Photos of more than 100 classic and custom cars will be posted in two different galleries starting at 11 a.m. on June 5 and June 6. Admiral’s Choice, Schoonies’ Choice and People’s Choice Awards will be announced on Saturday. Submit photos through Monday at wichitariverfest.com
The Hay-nations Live: This live-streaming concert will feature a combination of local bands Dustin Arbuckle & The Damnations and Haymakers. It will stream on Facebook starting at 7 p.m. on June 6.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 2:45 PM.
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