This Labor Day weekend in Wichita is a great one, with awesome weather forecast and plenty of fun, frugal (or FREE) things to do. Labor Day 2024 is on Monday, September 2. For many of us it’s a long weekend, so you might be looking for fun and inexpensive things to do for Labor Day.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor website, Labor Day is “a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”
This year has been another full of laborers (whether seen or not) who have contributed to the strength and prosperity of our country. We are excited to give you this list of what is happening in Wichita this Labor Day weekend.
Note if you’re heading out on a Kansas day trip: Fill up the tank before you leave with the cheapest gas prices in Wichita.
In this article:
- Things to do in Wichita Labor Day Weekend (and holiday closures)
- Day-by-Day Labor Day Events
- Kansas Road Trips/Day Trips from Wichita
- Labor Day Weekend Restaurant Freebies and Deals
Note to military: This will be your last weekend until next year to take advantage of FREE museum admission through Blue Star Museums!
2024 Wichita Labor Day weekend things to do:
We have several fun ideas of things you can do with your holiday weekend. Be sure to scroll down to see things happening in Wichita each day of Labor Day weekend!
Inside Activities to do over Labor Day Weekend:
- Visit Exploration Places Traveling Exhibit
- Go Bowling
- Date Night
- Visit a Free Museum
- Go Shopping
- Lets Play!
- Check out the Advanced Learning Library in Downtown
- Indoor Kids Activities
- Check out a FREE storytime
Outdoor Activities to do over Labor Day Weekend:
- Visit Botainca for their Traveling Exhibit
- Last Chance to Go Swimming
- All YMCA pools are closed on Labor Day and are only open on weekends starting in August.
- Wichita Splash stays open until September, so you still have time to play in the water.
- Visit a Sunflower Field – In BLOOM NOW for 2024
- The Kansas Maze Sunflower Festival is happening over Labor Day
- Sunflower Fields in & around Kansas
- Visit Chicken N Pickle
- Get on the Water
- Wichita Wind Surge Game
- Visit Downtown
- Play Golf
- Adult Time
- Play Disc Golf
- Take your Dog on an Adventure
- Play Outside
Day-by-Day Labor Day Weekend Event List:
Friday, August 30, 2024
Little Aviators
- Have a budding aviator on your hands? The Kansas Aviation Museum has a fun program for kids 1-12 on Friday mornings, and they will be opening their learning center on Friday, which has educational, fun aviation-themed activities. Little Aviators is available on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon, and admission is FREE
Final Friday Food Truck Rally – FREE to Attend
Wichita Art Museum Nights. The museum is open late every Friday from 6:30- 8:30 p.m. Visit the permanent collection for free, and they always have some special event on those Friday evenings.
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Stroll through a Farmer’s Market in and around Wichita with locally grown fresh food, plants, honey, handmade items, and more.
Sunflower Festival If you love sunflowers, do not miss the Kansas Maze sunflower festival this weekend.
ICT Comic Con is happening at Century II from August 31 – Sep 1, 2024.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Get into Old Cowtown Museum for FREE on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Cowtown will be open the weekend before Labor Day and closed as usual on Monday. This makes for a fun and free Labor Day weekend event! Thanks to a generous sponsor, Cowtown is always free on Sundays.
Get out and exercise. If you are looking for something active to do for FREE every Saturday, this is for you! I am not a fan of running, especially alone. Park Run event is a great way to meet other active enthusiasts. This weekly event takes place at Exploration Place. If you aren’t a runner like myself, they say everyone is welcome. You can walk, jog, run or even volunteer.
Go during daylight hours and check out the Spring Creek Nature Trail or Geifer Hill Nature Trail, or you can just go swimming in the lake.
ICT Comic Con is happening at Century II from August 31 – Sep 1, 2024.
Fireworks Sunday evening, at roughly 9 pm, Cheney Lake will be doing fireworks! These fireworks will be shot off at Sail Boat Cove and the best place to view them will be Hobie beach boat ramp or cove. There’s a $5 per vehicle charge to enter the state park unless you have your State Parks Passport sticker. – Not Confirmed
Monday, September 2, 2024
Remember that the weekend stretches into Monday for many of us, so there’s more fun to be had then. (Or you can spend the day resting up from all the weekend activities!)
Labor Day Holiday Closures in Wichita
In observance of the upcoming Labor Day holiday, City of Wichita facilities will be closed and/or have special hours:
Closed Saturday: CityArts and Mid-American All-Indian Museum.
Closed Sunday: CityArts, Mid-American All-Indian Museum and Wichita Public Library locations.
Closed Monday: City Hall, neighborhood resource centers, Transit administrative offices, Wichita Public Library locations, Park administrative offices & Recreation centers, CityArts, Mid-American All-Indian Museum, Wichita Art Museum, Cowtown, Great Plains Nature Center, Environmental Health office, WATER Center, Animal Shelter and Brooks Landfill.
There will be no Wichita Transit or Paratransit service on Monday, Sept 4.
Special Hours for Monday:
- Botanica and Wichita Public Golf Courses will be open regular hours.
- Ralph Wulz Riverside Tennis Center will be open 8 a.m.-3 p.m., O.J. Watson Park will be open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. with rides open noon-5 p.m.
Labor Day Weekend Restaurant Deals:
Many restaurants are offering Labor Day weekend discounts and freebies in case you don’t want to cook over the holiday. Some of the deals are only valid on Labor Day; others are good before and after. You do need to double-check that the restaurant location you choose is participating in the deal, and that there’s no blackout on discounts for holiday weekends. Still updating for 2024
- KFC
- It is adding new $5 meal deals over Labor Day.
- Freddy’s
- August 30 – September 2, a reward will be in the Freddy’s app. Spend $15 or more, get $5 off
- Krispy Kreme
- YOu can get a donzen original glazed donughnuts for $2 if you purchase any dozen doughnets at regular price from Thursday, August 20 – Monday September 2.
- Marco Pizza
- Enjoy a large Margherita Magnifico, a new limited-time item, for $10.99 when you use the code MARGMAG. With the code MEGAMEAL, you’ll get a large one-topping pizza, Cheezybread, and Cinnasquares for $19.99.
- Papa Johns
- You can get a medium one-topping pizzas if you are a rewards members who order between Aug. 30 and Sept. 2.
Do remember to ask about any restaurant specials before you order. (Maybe even call ahead!) Not all locations participate in these national promotions.
Labor Day weekend getaways
And you’ll definitely want to check out our Getaways page to get ideas for fun family road trips, day trips from Kansas, etc.
First, make sure you’ve packed the car with these Kansas Road Trip Essentials. Then, head to any of these awesome destinations:
Tallgrass Prairie National Park
Mushroom Rock and Kanopolis State Park
Henry’s Candy Co. in Dexter, KS
Spring Creek Nature Trail at Cheney Lake
Lindsborg, Kansas (best on Saturday since some of the attractions will be closed on Sunday and Monday)
Thanks for visiting our free website for the Wichita Community. We do it because we Love ICT!
