Labor Day weekend is often thought of as summer's last hurrah. It’s also a time to pay tribute to American workers, and all of their many contributions and achievements through the years. The holiday weekend offers a chance to spend a little extra time doing something fun or simply relaxing.

Many Wichita area pools, splash parks and waterparks will remain open through the holiday weekend, giving you and your family one last chance to keep the summer fun going. If you’re looking to venture out, we’ve compiled a list of fun things to do in Wichita over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1-4.

Live Music at the Brickyard in Wichita

Live Entertainment

Wichita’s live music scene is lively and varied, so it’s easy to catch a live show any time of year. Friday and Saturday night, enjoy Live Jazz at The 1906 Bar & Lounge at the Hotel at Old Town. For lots of laughs, head over to Mosley Street Melodrama to see “The Fresh Prince of Bel Plaine” before it ends on Sept. 2. There are also performances of “The Last Five Years” at Roxy’s Downtown through Sept. 2.

BBQ & Beer Invasion: Night Goat BBQ & Surly Brewing is coming to Old Town on Sept. 3 and will feature a night of award-winning barbecue at Brickyard. Vaughn Good, owner/operator of Fox & Pearl in Kansas City, will be serving up his award-winning Night Goat BBQ. Not only is he a James Beard-nominated chef, but he was also recently named Esquire Magazine’s 10 Best New Restaurants in America. Enjoy brews from Surly Brewing and music by Zac Crow & the No Shows and Rudy Love Jr.

A tent has been put out for a campout at Field Station: Dinosaurs

Wichita Attractions

Start celebrating the weekend a little early by catching a Wichita Wind Surge game at Riverfront Stadium. The Surge will take on the San Antonio Missions each day starting Aug. 29 through Sunday, Sept. 3. See fireworks light up the sky after the Sept. 1 game. The 21+ crowd can enjoy happy hour specials on Sept. 2 and plan to get to the stadium early on Sept. 3 for a game of catch before Sunday’s game gets underway. Plus, while you are at the stadium, be sure to check out one of Wichita’s newest – and free – museums, the Wichita Baseball Museum, located near the team store.

Kicking off on Sept. 1 is Cretaceous Campout at Field Station: Dinosaurs. Friday and Saturday nights in September, sleep under the stars like the dinosaurs did and explore the park’s trails by flashlight.

From the one-of-a-kind Original Pizza Hut Museum to the Mid-America All-Indian Museum, Wichita has an array of museums and attractions – many with always-changing exhibition spaces.

In addition to the wide variety of permanent exhibits, two traveling exhibitions are currently on display at Exploration Place, including “Pixel Palace,” through Oct. 22 and “Circus! Science under the Big Top,”, which ends on Sept. 4. Also, catch “Sea Monsters,” “Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope” or "Kansas: An Immersive Dome Experience" in the Dome Theater while at the science center.

“Dinosaurs Around the World,” on display through Sept. 17: This traveling exhibit features a prehistoric jungle world with 10 animatronic dinosaurs, several over 27 feet long throughout Botanica Wichita. These dinosaurs are available for all to see with general admission. 

Learn more about the latest exhibitions in Wichita.

First Friday Wichita Art Gallery Crawl

First Friday

The holiday weekend coincides with Wichita’s First Friday Gallery Crawl, a free celebration of art that happens each month. This is a great way to explore art museums and galleries across Wichita. Among the other events held in conjunction with First Fridays are First Fridays Under the Stars!  at Old Cowtown Museum and First Friday Pop Up Market Series at Revolutsia. A special addition for September’s crawl is Fr3EDM Music, offering an opportunity listen to the DJ stylings of Fr3EDM Music on Sept. 1 at Naftzger Park.

Men and women run past Exploration Place during the Parkrun event

More Events

There is plenty more happening in the Wichita area on Labor Day weekend. Here are a few other options:

To explore all the things to do in Wichita, check out our calendar of events and download our visitor guide for more inspiration.