Friends University will illuminate its historic Davis Clock Tower on Sunday, November 22, 2026. This FREE Wichita Christmas tradition, called the Ceremony of Lights, is a beautiful way to kick off the holiday season with live music, Santa Claus, hot cocoa, cookies, and a Christmas Market.
Whether you attend Friends University or just live in Wichita, you know that the Davis Clock Tower as you zoom by on Kellogg. It’s one of those holiday sights that makes Wichita feel like Christmas!.
FREE Holiday Activities at Friends University Ceremony of Lights
The celebration takes place on the Davis Front Lawn, where the community will gather to watch the historic clock tower light up for Christmas.
Here’s what you can enjoy at the 2026 Ceremony of Lights:
- Lighting of the historic Davis Clock Tower
- Live performances by the Singing Quakers and Brass Band
- A reading of the Christmas story
- A special appearance by Santa Claus
- FREE hot cocoa and cookies
- A festive Christmas Market featuring gifts
The event is FREE and open to the public, so you don’t have to be a Friends University student to attend.
Help Stock the Friends University Student Pantry
This year’s celebration also includes an opportunity to give back!
Friends University is collecting nonperishable food and household supplies for its Student Pantry.
Suggested donations include:
- Peanut butter
- Pasta and pasta sauce
- Ramen noodles and canned soup
- Applesauce cups and crackers
- Capri Sun and electrolyte drinks
- Toilet paper and paper towels
Donations are encouraged, but the event is free to attend.
Photo By: Mickey Shannon
A Little History Behind Wichita’s Davis Clock Tower
The Davis Clock Tower is more than a beautiful Christmas landmark. It’s part of Wichita’s history!
Here are a few interesting facts about the historic Davis Administration Building:
- Construction began in 1886, and the building was completed in 1888.
- It was originally built for Garfield University and was known as University Hall.
- After Garfield University closed, the building stood empty for five years until Quaker businessman James M. Davis purchased it and donated it to the Society of Friends.
- The building was renamed the Davis Administration Building in 1923 in honor of James M. Davis and his wife, Anna.
- It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
- The auditorium features the beautiful Rose Window and 20 additional stained-glass windows.
- The clock tower lighting tradition began in 1998 during the university’s centennial celebration.
The tower is a familiar Wichita landmark, and seeing it illuminated for Christmas has become a holiday tradition for generations of local families.
You can learn more about the building through this Friends University Davis Administration Building video.
Friends University Clock Tower Lighting 2026
Date: Sunday, November 22, 2026
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Friends University, Davis Front Lawn, 2100 W. University Ave., Wichita, KS
Cost: FREE and open to the public
Activities: Clock tower lighting, Santa Claus, live music, Christmas story reading, hot cocoa, cookies, and a Christmas Market.
Donations: Nonperishable food and household supplies for the Friends University Student Pantry.
Official Event Information: Friends University Ceremony of Lights
