Wichita Riverfest shares new safety policies, including mask requirement for unvaccinated
People won’t be required to prove they’ve had a COVID-19 vaccine to participate in the four-day fall installment of the Wichita River Festival that starts later this month — but if they aren’t vaccinated, they’ll have to keep their masks on, even when outside.
There won’t be carnival rides or a Kid’s Corner with bounce houses as originally planned. And the Sundown Parade will take place in “reverse,” meaning that the floats will be stationary and people will drive past in their cars to check them out.
On Friday, Wichita Festivals Inc., which puts on the annual party in downtown Wichita, released details about how it plans to keep crowds safe when the second half of the 2021 festival returns Sept. 30 through Oct. 3.
And although its newly issued policies reflect where things stand on Sept. 3, interim festival president and CEO Ann Keefer said, she realizes they may change again over the next four weeks.
Organizers canceled the 2020 Wichita River Festival, which always takes place in early summer, because of COVID-19 concerns but planned to go ahead with an altered, two-part version for 2021. The first half, which happened June 4-6, included the River Run, a softball tournament and other outdoor attractions like paddle boats.
But festival organizers decided to save the bulk of the activities people look forward to — the fireworks, the food court and the big-name concerts — for the fall, when they said they hoped more people would be vaccinated and conditions would have improved.
Now, fall is almost here, and conditions haven’t improved. In fact, positive cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations are on the rise in Sedgwick County.
And though concert promoters across the country have started requiring proof of vaccination or negative COVID tests for entry over the past couple of weeks, festival organizers decided it wasn’t financially feasible for them to issue such an edict.
“In large part, we have to weigh the financial risk as well as the risk in this public health issue,” Keefer said. “At our low entry price — which we want to try to welcome as many people as possible — it’s really tough for us to enforce any kind of a vaccination policy and still make it monetarily feasible to make it all happen. It’s not about just adding another person or volunteer. It’s a whole other layer of complexity we’d have to deal with.”
In its updated policy, the festival encourages vaccinations and said that its entire staff is vaccinated. It’s also encouraging its volunteers to get a shot.
It canceled the Kids Corner events out of concern for the under-12 crowd, which can’t be vaccinated. The same concerns were raised about the carnival rides, but it’s mostly being scrapped because carnival operators are facing staffing issues, Keefer said.
The parade change came after key sponsors expressed concern about big crowds of kids lining the route waiting for candy, a concern festival organizers shared.
But the fall festival’s marquee events — the headliner concerts, fireworks, river events and food court — are still a go, though Keefer acknowledged though that changes could still be coming there as well.
So far, all of the big-name bands committed to performing at the festival are still coming, she said, including Big Boi and Fitz and the Tantrums. The festival will require anyone backstage working with the traveling acts to be vaccinated.
And although the food court is still happening, it will be much smaller this year. About half of the usual vendors have dropped out either because they’re struggling to find staff or because they’re concerned about COVID-19, Keefer said. The food court will still have funnel cakes and Pronto Pups, but roasted corn won’t be an option this year.
It’s all another blow to the festival, which hasn’t been able to put on a large-scale event for 19 months, Keefer said. Wichita Festivals faced a 90 percent loss of revenue in 2020, and it’s getting by with the help of grants, sponsors and supporters. It also tapped into some cash reserves, and it cut its staff last year.
“At this point we’re just hoping that we can entertain some people and bring a little joy to everybody,” Keefer said of the fall event. “We all know how important that is right now.”
Riverfest adult admission buttons will be $10 and will be available at area QuikTrip locations starting Monday. Buttons for kids ages 6-12 will be $5 and will be available at the festival gates only. Kids 5 years old and younger get in free. Those who bought Riverfest 2020 buttons can use them for admission to the fall portion of the festival, which will be gated.
Following are the rules organizers set forth on Friday, which apply both to the Riverfest and to the organization’s Autumn & Art event, which is scheduled to take place Sept. 17-19 at Bradley Fair.
▪ Unvaccinated attendees ages 2 and older are asked to wear a mask at all Riverfest and other WFI events. Vaccinated attendees are urged to mask in crowded areas.
▪ For indoor events, masks are encouraged.
▪ Social distancing is strongly encouraged at both outdoor and indoor event venues.
▪ Hand sanitizers will be available at several locations across the festival grounds.
▪ Hands-free refilling stations for water bottles will be available and sanitized regularly. Ticket booths, counters and tables will be sanitized regularly.
▪ The merchandise tent will have masks on hand and will accept cashless payment options.
▪ Attendees who cannot or will not conform to all of the above criteria must not enter an event venue. If at any point a guest does not meet all of the above criteria, they and their party may be asked to leave the venue.
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 11:31 AM.
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