History of Wichita Festivals, Inc.

In celebration of Wichita’s 100th Birthday, City-elected and volunteer leaders planned and organized a year-long celebration in honor of Wichita’s Centennial in 1970. Since the Arkansas River was an important City resource, organizers designated the very last day of the celebration the Wichitennial River Festival. The Wichitennial was so successful, City leaders proposed its' establishment as an annual celebration and in 1971, the non-profit organization, Wichita Festivals, Inc., was created to be responsible for the planning and organization of the Festival. For the next two years, the Festival was a single-day event, expanding to a 10-day format in 1974.

Current Day Activities

From a Centennial budget of $10,000, the Wichita River Festival has expanded into an event creating an economic impact for Wichita and the surrounding area of more than $20 million annually and today is the largest special event in the state of Kansas, attracting an average of 300,000+ people from Kansas and the Midwest.

In 2001, Wichita Festivals, Inc. assumed responsibility for the organization and implementation of two additional events apart from the Wichita River Festival, the Old Town Barbecue and Chili Cook-off’s. The Barbecue Cook-off was held in June 2001 and the Chili Cook-off in September. Both were successful in re-kindling interest in well-known community events. The Barbecue Cook-off was discontinued after several years due to lack of participation and funding. The Chili Cook-off was taken over by the Wichita WagonMasters in 2005. WFI also partnered with the City of Wichita in development of the Wichita Flight Festival, celebrating Wichita’s aviation heritage, from 2002 through 2008. At the current time, the Wichita River Festival is the single event produced by WFI.