December is one of the jolliest times of year with numberous holiday festivities to attend. Pictures with Santa, Concerts and Performances, Crazy Light Displays and Shows, Christmas Tree Displays, and Carriage Rides... Tis' the season to get out to some of Wichita's best Christmas events. Here's a list of upcoming holiday events in Wichita. ALSO, make sure to look for ongoing events that are happening throughout the month at the bottom of the article.
Don't see an event on this list? Simply add the event to the comment box at the end of this article, OR go to FetchToto's Events Page and submit the event yourself, CLICK HERE.
NOVEMBER 28TH – DECEMBER 4TH
Breakfast With Santa
Location: Old Cowtown Museum
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2011
Price: Adults--$12.95, Children--$7.95. No Member discounts.
Description: Bring the kids out to Old Cowtown where they can make their own Christmas crafts, send a personalized telegram to the North Pole, and meet with Santa Claus. You can also enjoy a delicious breakfast made of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, French toast, and fruit salad.
The Air Capital Chorus Christmas Radio Hour
Location: Wichita Orpheum Theatre
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2011
Price: FREE admission with a nonperishable food item. One food item required per attendee
Description: The Air Capital Chorus Christmas Radio Hour will be playing at the Wichita Orpheum, as well as on KNSS Radio. The Air Capital Chorus (Barbershop Harmony) is made up of men and women who will be singing Christmas favorites. The show will also feature a cast of actors who will be doing old-time radio comedy.
Arthritis Foundation's 24th Annual Jingle Bell Run/Walk
Location: Exploration Place
Time: 8:30 a.m. - Noon
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2011
Price: $5 or more (Donations)
Description: Strap on your running shoes and kick-off the holidays with this festive event. The Jingle Bell Run/Walk is a 4 mile and 1 mile-for-fun route at the Exploration Place. Have fun with the race by coming in holiday-themed costumes and tying jingle bells to your shoelaces. There will also be prizes, pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and Santa’s elves will be participating in the race too.
Senior Wednesdays - Christmas: Modern Traditions, Victorian Roots
Location: Old Cowtown Museum
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Date: Wednesday, November 30
Price: $2 programming fee plus tax
Description: If you’re an active senior, come out to Old Cowtown for a holiday season. Old Cowtown is hosting a festive Senior Wednesday where seniors can learn about history of the Victorians and the inventions of our modern Christmas.
Christmas in Delano - "Light Up Delano with Love"
Location: Historic Delano District, 905 W. Douglas, Wichita, KS 67213
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Date: Saturday, December 03, 2011
Price: FREE
Description: Shoppers are being encouraged to support local merchants by shopping their stores this holiday season. There’s over 100 locally owned restaurants and specialty shops in Delano, which provides a great one-stop shopping spot for every person on your Christmas shopping list. “Light up Delano with Love” will include special discounts, children’s activities, entertainment and a special lighting ceremony.
Reindeer Run/Walk
Location: Kingman High School, 260 West Kansas Ave., Kingman
Time: Registration @ 1:15 p.m., Race begins @ 2:00 p.m.
Date: Saturday, December 03, 2011
Price: $20
Description: Runners will begin the race at Kingman High School, continue to race South on Main Street until you reach G Street, turn West and continue up to Kansas Avenue, then turn East into the Kingman High School parking lot. The first 100 race entrees will receive a FREE t-shirt and prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the Male and Female Divisions.
2011 Festival of Trees
Location: Century II
Time: Registration @ 1:15 p.m., Race begins @ 2:00 p.m.
Date: Saturday, December 03, 2011 - Sunday, December 04, 2011
Price: $5.00 (Toddlers 12 months and younger are free!)
Description: Begin the holiday season with the 2011 Festival of Trees (if you haven’t already!) There will be over 40 decorated trees on display and tables full of wreaths and table top trees. You can also enjoy live entertainment, a reindeer romp area for children, holiday demonstrations, photos with Santa, cookie decorating, crafts, and more. This event will benefit Goodwill and provide more opportunities for people with disabilities and others with hardships in employment.
Let's Make Merry: A Victorian Christmas
Location: Old Cowtown Museum
Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm
Date: Friday & Saturday: December 2 -3, December 9 -10
Price: Regular Admission
Description: Old Cowtown is having their annual Victorian Christmas Celebration for two straight weekends. Entertainment will include: pictures with Santa, performances from the Dixie Lee Saloon Girls, "The Night Before Christmas" play, the Magician Roscoe Riff, cocoa and cookies, and various holiday displays.
DECEMBER 5TH – DECEMBER 11th
Moscow Ballet Great Russian Nutcracker
Location: Orpheum Theatre
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Date: Thursday, December 8
Price: Orchestra Center VIP $102, Orchestra $68, Front Mezzanine $68, Mezzanine $48, Balcony $37.50, Balcony Rear $27.50
Description: Watch one of the nation’s best Russian ballets as they perform the Great Russian Nutcracker. Ballet dancers will be dressed in hundreds of uniquely designed costumes as they perform to classical music. The show also includes larger than lkife puppets and 9 hand-painted backdrops with 3-D visuals. Tickets can be purchased at selectaseat.com or by calling 316-755-7328.
Breakfast With Santa
Location: Old Cowtown Museum
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Date: Saturday, December 10, 2011
Price: Adults--$12.95, Children--$7.95. No Member discounts.
Description: Bring the kids out to Old Cowtown where they can make their own Christmas crafts, send a personalized telegram to the North Pole, and meet with Santa Claus. You can also enjoy a delicious breakfast made of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, French toast, and fruit salad.
Let's Make Merry: A Victorian Christmas
Location: Old Cowtown Museum
Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm
Date: Friday & Saturday: December 2 -3, December 9 -10
Price: Regular Admission
Description: Old Cowtown is having their annual Victorian Christmas Celebration for two straight weekends. Entertainment will include: pictures with Santa, performances from the Dixie Lee Saloon Girls, "The Night Before Christmas" play, the Magician Roscoe Riff, cocoa and cookies, and various holiday displays.
DECEMBER 12TH – DECEMBER 18th
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Location: INTRUST Bank Arena
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Date: Thursday, December 15
Price: $61.00, $51.00, $41.00, $31.00 (Facility fee included in price. Additional fees may apply)
Description: The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is one of the top-selling acts in the world and is brining holiday music to the INTRUST Bank Arena. The show is visually stimulating with unique light displays with lasers and fire and sounds that will keep viewers mesmerized.
The Nutcracker
Location: Century II
Date & Time: Saturday, December 17 @ 8:00 p.m., Sunday, December 18 @ 2:00 p.m.
Price: Price starts at $12.50
Description: The Nutcracker is a must-see show for the Christmas season. The show includes over 100 ballet dancers from Ballet Wichita and will include dancers from the world-renowned American Ballet Theatre. Dancers perform to timeless classical tunes from Tchaikovsky, which will be performed by the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.
The Spirit of the Season
Location: Century II
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Date: Tuesday, December 13
Price: FREE
Description: Celebrate the holidays with classic Christmas songs performed by the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. The concert will include many seasonal favorite tunes, along with a special audience sing-a-long. This a free event and is on a first-come, first-served basis.
DECEMBER 19TH – DECEMBER 26th
Lights on the Lake
Location: Heartspring, 8700 E. 29th North
Time: 6:00 - 10:00 pm Thursday - Sunday, Thanksgiving - December 11 and EVERY DAY from December 15 - Christmas.
Price: FREE
Description: Tune into 89.7 FM to Heartspring’s Holiday Program as you drive through the light show. The light show includes hundreds of thousands of lights, Christmas displays, and a 40-foot Christmas tree overlooking the lake. While you’re there, make sure to stop by the Hospitality Center to meet Santa, shop, and enjoy refreshments while you listen to live music.
Illuminations
Location: Botanica
Time: 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. every evening
Date: Friday, November 25 – Saturday, December 31 (except Dec. 24 and 25)
Price: $5.00
Description: See Botanica’s eleven acres of beautiful gardens in a brand new light. This year, Botanica has added more than 700,000 new lights. More than 120 trees will be expertly lit and pathways will include over 5,000 luminaries that will light your path. Expect to hear the sounds of electric trains traveling through the trees, smell the warm aroma from chimineas, and enjoy hot cocoa while listening to live musicians.
Holiday Lights from the Air
Location: Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, 2173 S. Air Cargo Rd., Wichita, KS 67209
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Date: December 01, 2011 – December 31, 2011
Price: 15-Minute Airborne Sleigh Ride: $250; 30-Minute Airborne Ultimate Sleigh Ride: $395
Description: Hop on board and enjoy the Christmas views of Downtown Wichita, the Arkansas River and other holiday views from the sky… all while listening to some Classic Christmas tunes! DWTA is offering holiday helicopter rides for those looking for a little excitement this holiday season. During your pre-flight briefing, enjoy some holiday cookies and punch.
"Murder at Cafe Noir" - Prairie Pines Christmas Dinner Theatre
Location: Prairie Pines, 4055 N. Tyler Rd., Maize, KS 67101
Time: Dinner & Show 8:00 p.m., Door open 6:00 p.m.
Date: December 01, 2011 – December 23, 2011
Price: Admission: $32 – price includes: show, dinner, coffee, tea, soda, and gratuity
Description: Why not solve a murder mystery for the holidays? Follow detective Rick Archer as he searches for clues to who killed the owner of the Café Noir. The play takes place in the 1940’s and is an interactive mystery play… so be prepared shout out directions for what detective Archer’s next move shall be.
White Christmas
Location: Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre
Time: Thursday-Saturday @ 8 p.m. and Sunday @ 5:45 p.m.
Date: November 25, 2011 – December 18, 2011
Price: $38.57-$18.19
Description: The show is based off of the 1954 movie “White Christmas” featuring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. You can expect to see plenty of toe-tapping dance numbers and musical songs performed by a 13-piece orchestra.
Location: The Wichita Historical Museum
Time: Tues-Fri 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Sat-Sun 1:00 - 5:00 p.m., Closed Mondays
Date: November 27, 2011 – December 31, 2011
Price: Adults $4, Children $2, Under 6 & Members Free
Description: The Wichita Historical Museum will be displaying two special holiday exhibits this year: The Moore Family Vintage Santa Collection and the Miniature Christmas Trees. Both exhibits will remain up through the end of the year.
A Cowboy Christmas with the Diamond W Wranglers
Location: Old Cowtown Museum
Time: Dinner 6:30 p.m.
Date: November 20, 2011 – December 18, 2011
Price: $30 adult, $20 children - Includes dinner, Diamond W Wranglers show, tax and gratuity
Description: Celebrate Christmas… Cowboy Style. The Diamond W Chuckwagon will be playing at the Old Cowtown Museum for the entire Christmas season. Eat tasty all-you-can-eat Western dinner while the cowboys sing holiday classics.
Winter Wednesdays
Location: Sedgwick County Zoo
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Date: November 23, 2011 – February 29, 2011
Price: $2.50
Description: Bundle up and come out to the zoo this winter for Winter Wednesdays. Every Wednesday, from November through February, the Sedgwick County Zoo is lowering their admission price to $2.50.
