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🌾 Riverfest is Here!

🌾 Riverfest is Here!

See you down there?

Landon Huslig
May 29, 2026

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Wichita!

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day when it isn’t Riverfest week.

Let’s get to it!

- Landon

p.s. The winner of this month’s Wichita Life Insiders gift card giveaway is Elisa & Kenneth D! If you’d like to enter the next month or just support what we do at Wichita Life, check out our Insiders program.

Riverfest Rundown

Wichita Riverfest 2026 is officially here and there is so much to do, see, and experience.

If you want a full day by day schedule and more, the Riverfest website is pretty sweet with the new digital guide. A few things to keep in mind as we approach this weekend:

Tonight there are Riverfest fireworks at 10:45pm.
Family Fun Day is Sunday 5/31 - it will now be FREE for children 12 and under (as long as an adult with a button is with them). This is the only day that kids 6-12 get in free, kids 5 and under are always free. The Riverfest team heard you, listened, and wants to help.
Food Court Update - You no longer have to buy tickets that you trade for food. It’s ALL ticketless and cashless baby. Break out the plastic
VIP Concert Experience - Concerts are a huge part of Riverfest. Your button gets you in at no extra cost, but if you are feeling a little extra, many of the concerts offer VIP seating.
Another great way to get an even better view at the concerts is through the Century II Balcony Parties.

Together with the City of Wichita

The Waltzing Fountains at WaterWalk are back! They were turned off to save water a few years back.

You can catch 4 shows (7, 8, 9, 10pm) on Thursdays → Sundays, May → October.

Interested in advertising with us?

LOCAL BUSINESS

Opening

Black Bird Burger (from the people who brought you Red Bird) - 5510 E central (former Wendy’s and Chick n Max) - Opening in July
Dreamers Cocktail Lounge - 417 E Douglas (former Vorshay’s) - Opening 6/20
Chilaquiles, Tacos & More (from the owners of Molino’s Cuisine) - 612 E Douglas (former Paradise Donuts across from Naftzger) - Opening TBD
LifeSpring Recovery of Andover (80-bed substance use disorder treatment facility) - 224 E Central - Accepting new patients on 6/8
Canvas Catering (from Dustin Presley of Gaga’s Grub days) - Now Available with Pop-ups (or even catering)
Da Liq (Liquor Store) - 1360 N Hillside St - Now Open
Bodybar Pilates West - 3807 N Maize Rd - Now Open
Los Laureles - 3088 W. 13th St N - Now Open
Beck Wellness Co - 1500 E 61st St N, Park City - Now Oopen
David’s Mexican Grill & Bar - 120 N West St (former Bella Vita Bistro) - Now Open
Wichita Wagyu - 10310 E 13th St N Suite 200 - Now Open

Moving

Angelo’s - Moving to 550 N Rock Rd (formerly Quinton’s Bar and more) - Moving TBD
Left on Read - Moving to Revolutsia at 2721 E Central Ave, Suite 121 - Moving TBD

Turn it up to 11!

HUGE congrats to our friends over at Hopping Gnome Brewing Company for celebrating 11 years of business tomorrow! It’s going to be a huge party and you won’t want to miss it.

Walk Your Plans Wichita

This idea is super cool. Walk Your Plans Wichita will allow you to quite literally walk your blueprint plans in a giant projector room. It opens on June 8th.

The Valentine Diner

Guy Fieri doesn’t come to town too often, but this restaurant building was once featured on Diner’s, Drive-In’s and Dives.

It is known as The Valentine Diner or Brint’s Diner, but will be sold via auction on June 17th.

Maybe this is your sign to bring it back to Flavortown.

NONPROFIT

Fan Drive

The annual Fan Drive from Wichita Westlake Ace Hardware and Salvation Army is back until June 6th. Round up your purchase to help buy box fans to help families battle the heat.

NXTUS Updates

NXTUS has been busy! They jsut released a 2 page report about their Gamechangers & Champions event from March. A few highlights include $78k in prize money, $200k in capital mobilized and much more.

They also just launched the first-ever NXTUS Alumni Collective.

LOCAL

1776

If you are a person of culture, you might appreciate the Wichita Grand Opera performing 1776 The Musical at the Mary Jane Teall Theater.

QT or Casey’s

Are you a QuikTrip or Casey’s Stan?

They both ranked in the Top 10 for best gas station food.

Blue Micromoon

New day, new type of moon I’ve never heard of.

For the first time since August 2024, the blue moon (not actually blue) will also be a micromoon. Blue moon = second full moon that happens in the same month. Check it out 3:45am on Sunday!

Super El Niño

What would a Super El Niño mean for Wichita?

✈️ Flight Deal(s) of the Week

Wichita (ICT) → Phoenix for $84 (normally $381) - saving you 78%! - June 27 - July 4
Wichita (ICT) → Monterey for $329 (normally $693) - saving you 53%! - July 2 - July 8

Price is subject to change and may no longer be available at the time you check this link.

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