October offers plenty of things to do, from concerts featuring artists such as Toby Keith and Fitz and the Tantrums to fall festivals like the 40th Annual Asian Festival and 19th Annual Tallgrass Film Festival. Plus, Wichita’s affordable and diverse collection of museums has many excellent exhibits this month as well as a variety of special events.

If it’s scary ghouls you’re out to find, you’ll find plenty of frightening Halloween haunts throughout the month, as well as a many family-friendly fall events for the whole family.

Take a look at this assortment of lively activities and events happening in October in Wichita.

Festivals & Annual Community Events

• Taste of Wichita at various Wichita restaurants – Oct. 1-10
• 2021 Wichita Riverfest - Fall Festival in downtown Wichita – through Oct. 3
• Classic Car Show – Wichita Riverfest in downtown Wichita – Oct. 2
• Capitol Federal Fireworks - Wichita Riverfest in downtown Wichita – Oct. 2
• Woofstock 2021 at Sedgwick County Park – Oct. 2
• ICT Bloktoberfest 2021 at Union Station – Oct. 8
• Women’s Fair – Holiday 2021 at Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center – Oct. 8-10
• 19th Annual Tallgrass Film Festival at various locations – Oct. 20-24
• 40th Annual Wichita Asian Festival at Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center – Oct. 23

Arts & Culture

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• Exploration of Life – Work by Kat Smalley at CityArts – through Oct. 15
• Hard Wrought and Handmade: A Printmaking Exhibit at CityArts – through Oct. 15
• 35 Years of Old School Photography – Phil Anderson at CityArts – through Oct. 15
• Dome Theatre Shows, “Australia’s Great Wild North” and “Turtle Odyssey,” at Exploration Place – daily shows throughout October
• Grand Tour at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House – Oct. 1, 2, 6, 9, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 27 & 29
• Art Chatter – Round Again and Déjà Vu at Wichita Art Museum – Oct. 1
• Clue on Stage at The Forum Theatre Company – Oct. 1-3 and Oct. 7-10
• Fortune Feimster – 2 Sweet 2 Salty Tour at Orpheum Theatre – Oct. 1
• First Friday Gallery Crawl – Oct. 1
• First Friday Late Nights at Old Cowtown Museum – Oct. 1
• Halloween – The Melodrama at Mosley Street Melodrama – Oct. 1-3, 8-10, 15-17, 22-24 and 29-31
• Next to Normal at Crown Uptown Theatre – Oct. 1-3
• Drop-In Sculpture Tour in the Art Garden at Wichita Art Museum – Oct. 2
• Senior Wednesday – Docents’ Faves at Wichita Art Museum – Oct. 6
• Moonlight Tour at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House – Oct. 7
• The Toxic Avenger at Roxy’s Downtown – Oct. 7-10, 14-17, 21-24 & 28-31
• Wichita Symphony Orchestra: Old Cowtown Suite – A World Premier Event at Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center – Oct. 9
• Wichita Symphony Orchestra: Old Cowtown Suite at Heights High School – Oct. 10
• Wichita Symphony Orchestra: Old Cowtown Suite at Eisenhower High School – Oct. 11
• The Dead Can’t Dance at Orpheum Theatre – Oct. 16
• Art Together at Mark Arts – Oct. 16
• Coffee With the Curator at Museum of World Treasures – Oct. 21
• Ponder This – Spoken Word Performance at Wichita Art Museum – Oct. 21
• Late Nights at the Museum at Museum of World Treasures – Oct. 28
• Beyond 1920 - Women Artists from the WAM Collection at Wichita Art Museum – through Nov. 7
• Look, It’s Daybreak, Dear, Time to Sing at Wichita Art Museum – through Dec. 4
• Love in the Time of the Anthropocene at Ulrich Museum at Wichita State University – through Dec. 4
• Drone-tography - The Elevated Eye Exhibit at Exploration Place – through Dec. 30
• Portrait of a Man - Tapping into Essence at The Kansas African American Museum - through Dec. 31
• B.J.O. Nordfeldt - American Internationalist at Wichita Art Museum – through Jan. 6, 2022 (excluding Mondays)
• Nordfeldt Connections in Wichita at Wichita Art Museum – through March 12, 2022
• Lloyd Foltz - Prairie Print Maker at Exploration Place – through April 10, 2022
• Bring the Bosins Home - The Journey Continues at Mid-America All-Indian Museum – through June 4, 2022
• Turn It Up to 90 – 90th Anniversary of the Electric Guitar’s Wichita World Debut at Wichita-Sedgwick Co. Historical Museum – through July 2022

Family-Friendly Events

• Safelite Autoglass Sundown Parade – Wichita Riverfest (reverse parade) in downtown Wichita – Oct. 1  
• Wild Lights at Sedgwick County Zoo –through Dec. 5 (Wednesday-Sunday)
• Astronaut – Do You Have What It Takes at Exploration Place – Oct. 1
• Little Aviators at Kansas Aviation Museum – Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30
• Food Truck Thursdays at Exploration Place – Oct. 7, 14, 21 & 28
• Wild Encounters at the Sedgwick County Zoo – Oct. 1-3, 7-10, 14-17, 21-24 and 28-31
• Family Movie & Game Night at Naftzger Park – Oct. 8
• Storytime in the Park at Naftzger Park – Oct. 5 & 19
• Family Jam Fest at Capitol Federal Amphitheater – Oct. 9
• Night at the Fountains Food Truck Rally at Wichita WaterWalk – Oct. 15
• Pull A Plane for Education at B-29 Doc Hangar & Education Center – Oct. 16
• ICT Block Party at Naftzger Park – Oct. 16
• Free Outdoor Screening – Shrek at Naftzger Park – Oct. 20
• WWE SmackDown at INTRUST Bank Arena – Oct. 22
• Pet Palooza at Wichita Art Museum – Oct. 23
• Food Trucks at the Fountain at Wichita WaterWalk – Oct. 31

 

Concerts & Live Music

• Big Boi – Wichita Riverfest in downtown Wichita – Oct. 1
• The Steel Woods – Wichita Riverfest at WAVE – Oct. 1
• Fitz and the Tantrums – Wichita Riverfest in downtown Wichita – Oct. 2
• San Luisto Norte and Los 2 De La S – Wichita Riverfest at WAVE – Oct. 2
• Heavy Metal Meltdown – Wichita Riverfest at WAVE – Oct. 3
• River Blues – Wichita Riverfest in downtown Wichita – Oct. 3
• Incubus at WAVE – Oct. 7
• Phil Bollig Live at Augustino Brewing Company – Oct. 7
• The Long Run – Eagles Tribute Band at Botanica Wichita – Oct. 7
• Joyous Wolf at WAVE – Oct. 8
• Tommy Newport at WAVE – Oct. 8
• TobyMac – Hits Deep Tour at INTRUST Bank Arena – Oct. 9
• Close to You – The Music of the Carpenters at Orpheum Theatre – Oct. 9
• Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular at WAVE – Oct. 9
• Read Southall Band at The Cotillion – Oct. 9
• Champagne Drip – Champagne Drip Tour 2021 at WAVE – Oct. 14
• Gojira with Special Guests Knocked Loose and Alien Weaponry at The Cotillion – Oct. 14
• Toby Keith – Country Comes to Town Tour at INTRUST Bank Arena – Oct. 15
• Dwight Yoakam at Temple Live Wichita – Oct. 15
• Mammoth WVH at The Cotillion – Oct. 15
• Life and Lovers – An Evening of Jazz and Cocktails at Mosley Street Melodrama – Oct. 17
• Taste of Jazz – B-Side at Wichita Art Museum – Oct. 17
• Stone Temple Pilots 2021 Tour at The Cotillion – Oct. 18
• Reverand Horton Heat at WAVE – Oct. 19
• The Wild Feathers at WAVE – Oct. 19
• San Holo with Kasbo, Chet Porter and Tsu Nami at Temple Live Wichita – Oct. 20
• Charley Crockett 2021 Tour at The Cotillion – Oct. 21
• Skillet with Eva Under Fire and Adelitas Way at Temple Live Wichita – Oct. 21
• Dawn of the Dub – Herobust at The Cotillion – Oct. 23
• Blackberry Smoke – You Hear Georgia Tour at The Cotillion – Oct. 24
• Highly Suspect at The Cotillion – Oct. 29
• Mercy Me – Inhale Exhale Tour with Micah Tyler at Hartman Arena – Oct. 29
• Yung Gravy – Gravy Back in Business Tour at The Cotillion – Oct. 30
• Straight No Chaser – Back in the High Life Tour at Orpheum Theatre – Oct. 31
• Theory of a Deadman with Special Guest 10 Years at The Cotillion – Oct. 31

 

Sports & 5Ks

• Beat the Pros Golf Tournament at Arthur B. Sims Golf Course – Oct. 9
• Prairie Fire Race Series – 2021 Fall Marathon in downtown Wichita – Oct. 10
• 2021 Thunder Golf Tournament at Sand Creek Station Golf Course – Oct. 18

Markets and More

• Vintage Market Days of Wichita – Rustic Charm at Wichita Sports Forum – Oct. 1
• Old Town Farm and Art Market at the Farm & Art Plaza in the Old Town District – Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30
• Kansas Grown Farmers Market at Sedgwick County Extension – Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30
• Art and Ale Pop Up Market – Fall Edition at Rock Island Live – Oct. 3
• 2nd Saturday at various locations – Oct. 9
• The Workroom’s 2nd Saturday Artisan Market – Oct. 9
• 2nd Saturday Sell-a-bration at Generations Antiques and Artisans – Oct. 9
• Outdoor Vintage Market at Paramount East Antique Mall – Oct. 16
• Outdoor Vintage Market at Paramount Antique Mall – Oct. 16
• Shop & Grub at Naftzger Park – Oct. 17
• Community Fair Day at Old Cowtown Museum – Oct. 17
• Outdoor Vintage Market at Paramount Marketplace – Oct. 23
• Local Artisan Fair at Grace Hill Winery – Oct. 23

Adult-Friendly Events

• Apparition – Dracula at Headshots Bar & Grill – through Oct. 31
• Baskerville – A Sherlock Mystery at Friends University – through October 31
• Steve Hofstetter at Temple Live Wichita – Oct. 1
• The Dude Perfect 2021 Tour at INTRUST Bank Arena – Oct. 2
• National Drive Electric Week ICT at Towne East Square – Oct. 2
• Brunch Bingo and Beer at Chicken N Pickle – Oct. 3
• Clash at the Cotillion V – World Class Revolution Pro Wrestling at The Cotillion – Oct. 3
• Chisholm Trail Antique Gun Show at Hartman Arena – Oct. 9
• The Park City Chill 2021 at Hartman Arena – Oct. 15
• Spooky Experimental Festival at Wichita Brewing Company Production Facility – Oct. 16
• Allstar Male Revue at The Cotillion – Oct. 16
• Augustino Brewing 4th Anniversary Party at Augustino Brewing Company – Oct. 16
• Cowtown Hootenanny at Old Cowtown Museum – Oct. 16
• Midwest Super Show 2021 at Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center – Oct. 17
• Wineucation – Food and Wine at Jenny Dawn Cellars – Oct. 19
• Bare Knuckles Fight Night – Rickels vs Lane at Hartman Arena – Oct. 23
• Say What?! Improv Comedy at The Loony Bin – Oct. 30

For more events and experiences, check out the Visit Wichita calendar of events.