Christmas Eve Eve observed at many Wichita breweries, including Hopping Gnome’s ‘Festivus’
Christmas is just a few days away, and if you’re shopping and wrapping is all finished, you can find some ways to relax around Wichita over the weekend. Several breweries are putting on special Christmas Eve Eve parties on Saturday. The Cotillion will be home to a multi-day metaphysical fair. And you can still get the kids an audience with Santa.
Following are a few best bets for entertainment in Wichita this weekend:
Christmas Eve Eve at the breweries
Saturday, Nortons Brewing Company, 125 N. St. Francis; Hopping Gnome Brewing, 1710 E. Douglas; Tor Brewing, 222 S. Commerce
Nortons Brewing Company in downtown Wichita is putting on its annual Christmas Eve Eve party on Saturday, and it will include beer tappings, visits with Santa from 4 to 7 p.m., fortune telling and a prime rib dinner special. The event lasts from 11 a.m. to midnight. Also on Saturday, Hopping Gnome Brewing Company will put on its annual Festivus party from noon to 11 p.m. It’ll include a tapping of a barrel-aged coffee stout at noon, pictures with Santa from 2 to 4 p.m., dinner with food truck Taters n Toppings from 5 to 8 p.m., and live music with MJ12 starting at 8 p.m. And Tor Brewing will present a holiday edition of its Bach & Brews event, which will feature classical musicians from Wichita State University performing Christmas carols. It lasts from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free to all the parties.
Last chance to see Santa
Various locations, through Saturday and Sunday
Christmas is on Monday, but there’s still time to get the kids on Santa’s lap. He’ll be at Illuminations, the light show at Botanica, through Saturday. The attraction is open from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and people must order tickets in advance at botanica.org/illuminations. Santa will also be accepting visitors at the Watson’s Christmas Express at O.J. Watson Park, 3022 S. McLean. That event also runs through Saturday, and tickets are available at www.wichita.gov/1264/Watsons-Christmas-Express. Little ones can also see Santa at Towne East Square and at Cabela’s through Christmas Eve on Sunday.
Christmas bells are ringing
Noon-1 p.m., Friday, Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main
The annual Christmas Bloomfield Carillon Concert at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum happens on Friday, and it’s free to hear the bells. The carillon is on the fifth floor of the museum, and people can best hear the lunch-hour show in Heritage Square, just outside of the museum. The concert, played by Dean Roush, will last from noon to 1 p.m. Admission is free.
Solstice Spirit Fair
10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, The Cotillion, 11120 W. Kellogg
The Solstice Spirit Fair, a three-day event that started Thursday at The Cotillion, continues through Saturday. It’s a “holistic and metaphysical event” that will include vendors, gift-buying opportunities, healers, spiritual advisers and more. The event is open to all ages and runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $7, and children ages 10 and under get in free with paid adult admission. Get tickets at thecotillion.com
‘Dark Side of the Moon’
Friday, Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday, Exploration Place Dome Theatre, 300 N. McLean
Pink Floyd fans can catch some late-night late-December showings of the Planetarium film “The Dark Side of the Moon,” which features music from the Pink Floyd album in surround sound combined with a synchronized animated show that is the “only large-screen film endorsed by the band itself.” The museum is open extended hours in the coming days and is running some extra screenings. Catch the film at 4 and 7 p.m. on Friday, Tuesday through Thursday and at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets to the 45-minute show are $18, $15 for members and are available at exploration.org/event/dark-side-of-the-moon/
