Meet the Wichita Wind Surge
The Wichita Wind Surge is a player development team at the second highest level for Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins. The team finished its first two seasons with the best record in the Texas League, winning division titles and playing for league championships. The team lost the best-of-five series both years.
Opponents in the North Division include the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners), Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals), Springfield Cardinals (Cardinals) and Tulsa Drillers (Dodgers). Teams in the league’s South Division are the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Diamondbacks), Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros), Frisco Roughriders (Rangers), Midland Rockhounds (Athletics) and San Antonio Missions (Padres).
Schedule
The Surge open their third season on Friday, April 6 on the road against the Springfield Cardinals and begin their first homestand of the 2023 regular season on Tuesday, April 11, versus the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The team will play 69 regular season games at Riverfront Stadium. Weekday games begin at 7:05 p.m., with Saturday games starting at 6:05 p.m. and Sunday contests at 1:05 p.m. The first three Saturdays in April and May will begin at 2:05 p.m. Gates usually open 60 minutes before first pitch but check windsurge.com to confirm gate times for your specific game.
The Wind Surge will host two weekday matinee games in 2023 – Wednesday, April 26 and Wednesday, July 26 – with first pitch at 12:05 p.m. The Surge will celebrate Independence Day a day early at Riverfront Stadium on July 3 at 6:35 p.m. against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
The regular season concludes with a six-game homestand that wraps up on Sunday, Sept. 17. See the full schedule here.
Promotions and Giveaways
The Wichita Wind Surge home schedule is packed with fireworks, theme nights, happy hours, weekly promotions and giveaways.
Among the season’s giveaways will be a scarf (April 11), replica jersey (April 15), youth hat (April 28), drawstring bag (June 30) and bobblehead (Sept. 15). Theme nights range from Marvel Defenders of the Diamond Night (June 2) to ’90s Night (July 15) and Star Wars Night (Sept. 1).
Weekly Riverfront Stadium promotions (subject to change) include:
- Wind Surge Happy Hour: New in 2023, get $5 domestic drafts Tuesday through Saturday from the time gates open to first pitch. Gates typically open 60 minutes before first pitch.
- Two for Tuesday (presented by Dillons and 105.3 The Buzz): Get two tickets for the price of one every Tuesday home game when you show your Dillons Shopper Card or Dillons App at the Wind Surge Box Office, and enjoy featured $1 hotdogs.
- Half Off Wednesday: Groups of 20 fans or more receive 50% off ticket purchases (excludes youth berm tickets and Wednesday matinee games).
- Thirsty Thursday (presented by Corona): Enjoy $2 12-ounce select beers and $2 16-ounce fountain drinks.
- Fireworks Spectacular: Stick around after every Friday Wind Surge game for a fantastic fireworks show over the Arkansas River.
- Surge Saturday: From giveaways and character appearances to theme nights and fiestas, there is something for everyone on Saturdays at Riverfront Stadium.
- Sunday Family Fun Day: Bring the whole family out for an afternoon matinee baseball game, complete with pre-game catch on the field and post-game Kids Run the Bases presented by Sonic.
See the full promotion schedule here.
Tickets
On sale now are single game tickets, season tickets, membership access plans and group seating. Ticket prices have been lowered for the 2023 season, with single game reserved seats starting at $11 per ticket and berm seating costing $4 for youth and $8 for adults.
Kids Play Area
The Credit Union of American Kids Zone is on the concourse behind centerfield. Fans will also want to watch for appearances by Windy, the winged horse mascot of the Wichita Wind Surge.
Wind Surge Kids Club
Kids 12 and under are invited to join the free Wind Surge Kids Club, presented by Quantum Credit Union, Pizza Ranch and Kona Ice. Members get tickets to select Sunday games during the regular season, a FastPass to be automatically placed at the front of the line during Kids Run the Bases following each Sunday home game, along with other exclusive member perks.
Merchandise
Stock up on Wind Surge gear at the Team Store at the River Plaza entrance along McLean Blvd. The Team Store is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. when the team is playing at home. The Team Store along the first base line on the concourse is open to fans in attendance during all Wind Surge games. You can also shop their official online store.
Meet Riverfront Stadium
Riverfront Stadium is a $75 million state-of-the-art, multi-purpose venue on the west bank of the Arkansas River near downtown Wichita, on the former site of Lawrence-Dumont Stadium (1934 to 2018). While the stadium is most widely known as the home of the Wichita Wind Surge, it was built with many uses in mind.
Officials say there could be as many as 100 additional public events each year beyond the minor league games. There have been college baseball and football games to date. The stadium has unique indoor-outdoor meeting spaces that also attracts private events ranging from corporate gatherings to weddings.
Seating
Riverfront Stadium can seat 6,500 in the seating bowl plus 3,500 more on berms and picnic areas for a baseball game. As many as 18,000 people can attend a concert or other events when the field is used for sitting or standing.
Fan comfort was built into the stadium, from drink rails to uninterrupted views of the field from the concourse. Seats average 21 inches wide, making them some of the widest among minor league ballparks in the country, and roomy rows in the seating bowl mean you don’t have to get up each time someone walks out of the row. Riverfront Stadium was the first stadium built with a design that included a protective net around the entire field for safety during baseball games.
What’s the best seat in Riverfront Stadium? That’s subjective and depends on your preferences, but there’s not a bad view anywhere in the stadium. Among the seating options: reserved field box seats, loge boxes, premium rail seats in right field, the grassy berm in left field, Fidelity Bank Bravely Onward Club seats and nightly suite rentals.
Parking
With more than 9,000 parking spaces near the stadium and along a downtown shuttle route and free Q-Line downtown transportation route, visitors can find ample parking for events. As roads may be congested, it is best to plan ahead when you drive. Identify where you plan to park and map your routes both to your parking location and the stadium. Handicap parking stalls are available on-site. Limited on-street parking is available around the stadium. The Delano and Downtown areas are walkable, with the Maple and Douglas bridges offering pedestrian walkways to parking areas east of the Arkansas River.
Find a map and other resources here. Parking lots and garages may have fees to park, especially during high demand times.
Special Event Space
The stadium hosts gatherings on game days as well as non-game days. Among the premium hospitality spaces available to rent: Fidelity Bank Bravely Onward Club, Dillons Picnic Area, Coors Light Party Porch, Emprise Bank Pavilion, two private suites and a left field bar with garage doors that open.
Food & Drink
Fans can bring in one 16-ounce sealed water bottle and otherwise are not permitted to bring outside food or beverages into Riverfront Stadium.
Concession stands throughout the stadium sell hot dogs, burgers, pizza, ice cream, popcorn and other ballpark favorites. A food court area in the concourse behind home plate also has a stand featuring Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, a national chain started by Wichita entrepreneurs. There is full bar service, specialty cocktails and local craft beer on tap.
The stadium has an in-house food and beverage team offering upscale menu items in the private suites and for special events at Riverfront Stadium.
Cashless Transactions
Riverfront Stadium operates as a cashless facility, including food/beverage, merchandise, tickets and parking. This helps limit direct contact between employees and guests. Fans with cash wanting to exchange for a prepaid card can find a Ready Station cash-to-card kiosk in either Team Store.
Wichita Baseball Museum
The Wichita Baseball Museum at Riverfront Stadium opened in 2022. Housed in the team’s administrative building off the right field concourse and accessible from the River Plaza entrance along McLean Blvd., the museum honors the history of baseball in Wichita, including past minor league teams and National Baseball Congress World Series legends.
Art
You’ll find more than a dozen public artworks by local and regional artists in and around Riverfront Stadium.
There’s a unique baseball scene along the Sycamore Street fence that requires you be at just the right angle to fully see it and a cast concrete frieze from the city’s former stadium has been incorporated into an artwork called “Point Of Convergence” that welcomes visitors on the south exterior wall of the stadium.
Walk around the exterior of the stadium to see the art installed at each entrance: the Maple Street entry is flanked by a vivid baseball history mural by Brickmob as well as a hanging sculpture as you walk into the stadium; Derek Porter’s 30-foot tall shimmering “Faceted Column” has nearly 5,000 faceted mirror surfaces that collect and recast images of the surroundings outside the McLean Boulevard gate; the Delano Street entrance has a pedestal where a new sculpture will be mounted every year.
Inside, notice the decorative art elements throughout the concourse and home plate food court, and don’t miss the murals in the concourse restrooms by Lupoli Collective.
The Neighborhood
Riverfront Stadium is in Wichita’s Historic Delano District, an area that has witnessed a boost of energy in the past decade while retaining its historic charm of being part of the Chisholm Trail cattle drives and early aircraft manufacturing. You’ll find places to play, stay, eat, drink and shop with our handy Guide to the Delano District and Things to do around Riverfront Stadium blog posts.
Whether you’re a die-hard baseball fan or looking for affordable fun for the family, a Wichita Wind Surge game at Riverfront Stadium is just the ticket!
