Guide to Monthly Events in Wichita :: May 2016

things to do in wichitaIt’s May! Let the summertime fun begin! We have compiled a TON of things to do in Wichita and the surrounding area for you and your family to enjoy in the upcoming weeks. If you see we missed something, please share it with us in the comments section below. Be sure to check our Family Calendar for additional activities happening around the ICT!  If you have an upcoming event you would like to announce, please submit your event to our community calendar.

May 1: Head to the Sedgwick County Zoo for a muy grande Cinco De Mayo Celebration. There will be live music, plenty of Mexican food, and activities for all ages.

May 1: The 6th Annual Mid-America All-Indian Center Benefit Car Show will feature cars, trucks and motorcycles from around the state. There will be activities for kids and food vendors will be on site. Admission to the event is free to the public. Take a tour of our museum at a special admission price.

May 1: Enjoy the afternoon outside at Friends University listening to the Outdoor Band Concert.

May 2-3 & 5: Reserve a spot at your local Chick-Fil-A (East, West, Derby) for Mother Son Date Knight. Dinner with your favorite boy(s) includes special tableside service and learning about the Virtues of a Knight! All kids will have a chance to be knighted with a real sword by the King or Queen.

May 3 & 4: You will be mesmerized watching a performance by Shen Yun at Century II.  Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Children must be five or older to attend.

May 5: The first Thursday evening of every month is Family Night at the Museum of World Treasures from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Enjoy extended hours and reduced admission at the Museum.

May 7: Join Wichita Moms Blog at Backyard Specialists for our Spring Family Fun Day! We will have kid-friendly treats, mini yoga and music sessions, a meet and greet with characters, a bounce house, a “backyard” to play in, a Humvee to explore and take pictures in, and a host of springtime activities for the kids! This event is SOLD OUT.

May 7: The Outdoor Kansas Kids program will be held at Great Plains Nature Center.  This year’s theme, DIY Nature, includes crafts, displays, archery and fishing clinics, as well as live animal presentations. Outdoor Kansas Kids is a statewide program coordinated by Kansas Wildscape.

May 7: In conjunction with Children’s Book Week, Watermark is sponsoring a scavenger hunt. The launch will be on Saturday, May 7th at 11:30 a.m. It’s a one-day race to solve three puzzles at three different stores in the area with a chance to win a prize. This event is geared for kids ages 8 and older.

May 7-8: All things Kansas will be at the 27th Annual Kansas Sampler Festival in Winfield. Get a sample of what there is to see, do, hear, taste, buy, and learn in Kansas!

May 8: Happy Mother’s Day!  We hope your day is special and spent with your family- perhaps at the zoo, brunch, or Botanica.

May 11: Celebrate Mother’s Day with Wichita Moms Blog at Whole Foods for a Mommy and Me Tea Party Playdate! We will sip tea, “tea-dye” shirts, and assemble containers to grow your own tea plants.

May 14:  Grab your costume and head to Watermark for a Trials of Apollo myth-based event. This event includes fortune telling, prizes, crafts, and maybe some bad haikus!

May 14: Stroll through O.J. Watson Park gathering supplies to create at stuffed animal at Create-a-Thon. Each participant will also receive four amusement coupons that can be used for miniature golf, miniature train ride, paddle boats and a pony ride!

May 14: Stop by CityArts and create red robin paper collages using various pieces of paper, paint and markers. Their Adult and Me program is free and offered each month.

May 14-15: The Real American Country Fest at Old Cowtown Museum will be jam-packed with family friendly entertainment including a concert each night headlined by Mark Chesnutt (Saturday) and Joe Diffie (Sunday).  The event includes pony rides, pig races, a car show, a petting farm and so much more!

May 15: Shop. Eat. Drink. at Haute Handmade Pop Up on Sunday May 15th from noon – 5 pm at the Monarch in Delano District. Haute Handmade is a market that supports local artists, designers and small businesses happening each season in ICT, brought to you by Liv Grant & Genny Werth.

May 19: Catch the season home opener for the Wichita Wingnuts!

May 19 & 26: Enjoy an outdoor concert at NewMarket Square’s Plaza presented by Arts AMaize. Bring a blanket or chair and enjoy good company and great music! This event is free.

May 20: Create a mini masterpiece at the family workshop through MonArt School of Art. The theme, Daffodils, is perfect for May flowers.

May 20 & 21: Watch a performance of Pirates of Penzance like you have never seen it before. Bradley Fair Plaza will be transformed for this production by the Wichita Grand Opera.

May 21: Learn all about different heritage breeds and their life at the Children’s Farm in the Sedgwick County Zoo.

May 21: Spend the day playing on a plane at Kansas Aviation Museum.  Most of the historic aircraft will be open for touring, so you get to see them outside and inside.

May 21: So many Volkswagen Beetles at the Sedgwick County Park.  Bug-O-Rama will feature cars, food trucks, vendors, and face painting.  This event is free, open to the public, and benefits the Shriners Hospital and the Q Foundation for Kids.

May 27: It’s the grand opening of the new elephant habitat at Sedgwick County Zoo.  This is your chance to see the new six new elephant additions! Members get an earlier sneak-peak

May 27: Experience the gardens of Botanica under the waning moon at the Moonlight Meadow Night Hike.

May 28: The national traveling exhibit, Dinosaurs in Motion, opens at Exploration Place. You can control incredible, fully interactive, recycled metal dinosaur sculptures with exposed mechanics, inspired by actual fossils.

May 28: At the Wichita Art Museum’s monthly Family ArtVenture it is all about bikes! Ride or bring your bicycles to WAM for some fancy bike decorating, giveaways, and much more!

May 28: Grab a chair and blanket and watch Minions outside at New Market SquareThis event is free!

May 28: Learn all about how you can help protect endangered species at the Sedgwick County Zoo.  You will have the opportunity to chat with zookeepers at interactive stations throughout the zoo.

Tomi Dechant
Tomi is a mover, shaker, and baby maker - which means she enjoys a good dance party in the kitchen and is a mom to two monsters of her own creation. Tomi is from Kansas and is currently a Political Science instructor and author of the children's book, How to Make a Monster Smile.

1 COMMENT

  1. Thanks for including activities for kids of all ages! For someone relatively new to Wichita, the list is super helpful!

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