Wichita’s so confused by Riverfest this year. Here’s what will, won’t happen this weekend
There’s so much Wichita Riverfest confusion flooding Wichita at the moment, and communication director Teri Mott says she gets it.
The schedule this year is difficult to grasp for people who are used to things being done a certain way throughout the festival’s 49-year history. But because of the pandemic, the festival this year is being divided up into two different segments — one that starts this weekend and one that happens in the fall.
And although a couple of key events are happening this Friday through Sunday, the bulk of what people look forward to at the festival — the food court, the parade, the concerts and the fireworks — are still several months away. (It probably won’t help clear things up when the new Riverfront Stadium launches its first fireworks show on Friday night about the time befuddled Riverfest fans would be expecting to see them.)
Though it shared its plans back in March, the festival staff has been fielding questions for weeks about when the food court opens this weekend (it doesn’t), where the parade starts (it won’t) and who will headline the concerts (no one, until fall.)
Just to clear things up:
What to expect this weekend
The events happening Friday through Sunday of this week are some of the festival’s participatory events and those that won’t force the gathering of large crowds. The Fidelity Bank River Run, for example, happens on Saturday, though the registration deadline has already passed and it’s too late to sign up to run. Runners who have signed up will be released from the starting line in smaller groups to avoid people crowding up.
But there will still be a few events — the paddle boats will be out, and there will also be a drive-by porch parade and a virtual pet parade — where people can feel a part of things.
This weekend’s events won’t be gated, and buttons won’t be required for anything but the paddle boats.
The festival staff was forced to make decisions about this year’s festival months ago, before it was clear what the vaccination and infection rates would look like come June, Mott said. It takes months and months to plan all the details of the events, so the festival staff couldn’t change direction once the decision was made.
The staff wanted to keep the River Run during the time period that runners expect it, Mott said, and it decided it could throw in a few more events that would satisfy those hungry for some normalcy. But the staff opted to push events that will draw crowds of people together into the fall.
“We knew that people were eager to get out and do things, but it was hard to determine what we could do in the time frame that we had,” Mott said. “I will say that people have been really receptive. They want concerts now. They want the food court now. But they’ve been understanding.”
Not happening until fall
The bulk of the festival’s big events will happen during its second installment, scheduled for Sept. 30 through Oct. 3. That schedule will include four nights of concerts, a single fireworks show, the food court, the parade and more. The Wichita Eagle Medallion Hunt also will be timed to coincide with the fall potion of the festival.
That part of the festival will be gated and will require a button for entry. The festival will be announcing the concert lineup on June 23, when Mott said she will also share information about a slightly different footprint for the fall portion of the festival.
The festival staff, who will have just finished its annual Autumn & Art event at Bradley Fair when round two of the Riverfest starts this fall, plans to put the Riverfest back on its regular schedule next year.
“Our goal, of course, is to get through this tough year so we can celebrate our 50th festival in 2022,” Mott said.
The deal on buttons
The festival will be using the buttons it printed up for the 2020 festival in 2021. They’d already been made when the staff announced in March 2020 that the festival would be canceled because of the pandemic. Organizers couldn’t bear to dump all those buttons — plus they were looking for ways to save money.
As a result of last year’s cancellation and the pandemic’s effect on the festival’s other big event — the Autumn & Art Festival, which was conducted virtually in September 2020 — Wichita Festivals Inc. faced a 90 percent loss of revenue in 2020 and had to cut a third of its staff. Among those cut was newly appointed President and CEO Ty Tabing, who had just taken over the head job in November 2019 after Mary Beth Jarvis resigned. Longtime staffer Ann Keefer was named interim president and CEO, and she’s still acting in that role today.
People who already purchased last year’s buttons can use them this year, both for the paddle boats this weekend and for the bigger event in the fall. Those who don’t have them yet will be able to buy them at the paddle boat entrance this weekend, and they’ll be $10 for adults and $5 for kids. The buttons will go on sale at QuikTrip stores starting on Sept. 6.
What people can still do this weekend
The bulk of this weekend’s festival events required registration by May 31, but there are still some things people who didn’t register in advance can do or watch. Among them:
Paddle boats: The festival will be inviting people to take the paddle boats out from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday from Boats & Bikes at River Vista, located at 150 N. McLean. The dock from which they’ll be launched is just north of the big River Vista apartments. This is the only event this weekend that will require a button, and people can buy them on site before they board the boats.
Biking and walking tours: Bike Walk Wichita is inviting people to meet at A. Price Woodard Park each day this weekend for different strolls. An Art Walk on Friday that starts at noon will lead participants on a 45-minute on-foot tour of downtown art and architecture. The same spots can be viewed during a “slow roll” bike ride that starts at 4 p.m. Saturday. Then, a tour that explores downtown history and is open to either slow bikers or walkers starts at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Sunset yoga: Through Breath Yoga will be offering free yoga classes from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday on the Hyatt Lawn.
Riverfest porch parade self-guided tour: It’s too late to register to include your porch in this drive-by event, but people can get a map of the 30 or so homes and businesses that signed up and take their own tours all weekend. Participants, who are competing for prizes, will be decorating their porches to look like old fashioned sweet shops, pirates ships and more. The map can be found wichitariverfest.com under the “events” tab.
Virtual pet parade: People can scroll through the photos of dressed-up, decked-out pets starting on Friday on the festival’s Facebook page and vote for their favorite by 11:50 p.m. on Sunday. Think your pet has a chance? The deadline to register (wichitariverfest.com) has been extended to 6 p.m. on Friday.
Plein Air art exhibits: Artists signed up in advance to compete in this open-air painting event, and their masterpieces will be available for viewing or purchase from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Reuben Saunders Gallery, 3215 E. Douglas, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Century II Exhibition Hall. The awards ceremony will be at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Tot trot: It’s too late to register for the River Run for adults — but not for kids. The annual Tot Trot for ages 2 to 7 costs $15 to run and it will start at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in front of the Wichita Boathouse, 515 S. Wichita. Registration happens on site.
Hot air balloon launch: Weather permitting, hot air balloons will be launched at the start of the River Run at sunrise on Saturday. They’ll be leaving from the fountains at the WaterWalk, so people around Wichita just need to look skyward to see them.
For more information
People can get more information and answers to frequently asked questions at wichitariverfest.com.
This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 11:50 AM.
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