These 7 Kansas Towns Have The Most Unique Festivals
The longstanding and inviolable tradition of the festival goes back centuries. A great way to gather a crowd, festivals, when done right, celebrate an event or culture, and honor the local community in the process. But festivals are not always just games, regional delicacies, and carnival rides. Sometimes there are more unique traditions involved, too: Kansas is home to many such atypical festivals, and this list highlights the best of the best amongst the smaller towns of the state. From strange to fun-filled and everything in between, here are seven of the most unique festivals in Kansas.
Lindsborg
Rooted in tradition and the celebration of ancestry, Svensk Hyllningsfest is a Swedish festival that honors pioneers who settled in the Smoky Valley in 1868. With its participants wearing traditional garb and performing Swedish folk dances, Svensk Hyllingsfest is a guarantee of seeing the best of this Nordic nation right in the heart of Kansas.
Locals welcome all visitors to the biennial celebration, “whether it is by tasting potato sausage at the Smorgasbord or taking a photo with the giant Dala horse,” and are “delighted to share the opportunity with visitors from around the globe.” So do not miss your chance to see this rare and unique festival: attend this year's event, partake in its sights and traditions, and taste the culinary variety of traditional Swedish food.
Independence
Can you figure out what the town of Independence's Neewollah festival is about? Here is a clue: Neewollah is held at the end of October every year. If that is not enough, the orange-and-black color scheme ought to give it away. Neewollah is indeed Halloween spelled backwards, and in the town of Independence, the Neewollah festival is an annual delight. Offering dozens of food vendors, parades, live music, a chili cook-off, and a carnival, the nine-day-long festival is jam-packed with sweet delights.
Founded in 1919, this longstanding festival began as a Halloween-positive environment for children in lieu of pranks and practical jokes; nowadays, it is the largest annual festival in all of Kansas. If you are in the area, visit Independence and its Neewollah festival in late October.
Atchison
Almost everyone is familiar with Amelia Earhart, her illustrious and trail-blazing career, and unfortunate untimely disappearance. She is celebrated nationwide for her bravery and accomplishments, so where else but the aviatrix's birth town of Atchison to best honor her? The Amelia Earhart Festival features downtown music, food, crafts, a fireworks display dubbed the "Concert in the Sky," and of course, literature and displays dedicated to Earhart herself. Also culminating with an aerobatic performance along the riverfront, this Atchison festival honors and celebrates one of America's most famous women. Thousands of people attend the event every July, and you could be the next.
Baldwin City
The Maple Leaf festival of Baldwin City is, like Independence's Neewollah, an October tradition. Unlike the Halloween theme, however, the Maple Leaf festival leans into autumnal charm, preferring to display itself in the form of quilt shows, music, stage performances, and over 300 craft exhibits. Paired perfectly with the changing color of the leaves around, the likewise colorful two-day festival and dozens of handcrafted quilts showcase the locals' creativity and talent. Petting zoos and a 5K run are also available to those looking for an outdoorsy experience. Every bit as cozy and crisp as the season, this fall festival is a must-see in the state of Kansas.
Winfield
Calling all acoustic music fans: The Walnut Valley Festival is where you can connect to your bluegrass roots, enjoying a plethora of musical acts on a variety of stages. Music is in all directions, concession stands are scattered throughout the grounds, and the Paulette Rush Arts & Crafts Show is amongst it all. An event geared toward music-lovers, the Walnut Valley Festival brings talented artists to the stage and even pits them together in competitions: Finger Style and Flat Pick Guitar Championships, Autoharp Championships, and so many others, all displaying the vast musical talent of locals and visitors alike as they compete for respective titles.
The Winfield Isle of Lights is also more than worth checking out if you happen to be around the town in holiday season. A drive-through light display in Island Park, this seasonal festival also offers horse-drawn carriage rides.
Marysville
Calling itself the “Black Squirrel City” due to its dense population of the animal, the Black Squirrel Festival in Marysville celebrates the ubiquity of the species in a variety of ways: vendors offer black squirrel decor, face painting, and handmade jewelry. Carnival rides and games serve the younger audiences, while even the churches get in on the action, selling popcorn and candy apples to visitors. Even this year's parade is scheduled to unveil seventeen new fiberglass black squirrel statues to the city's public art project, Black Squirrels on Parade.
Not to be outdone, the travelling Pony Express Festival also stops in Marysville. Honoring the historic 1966-mile mail route that ran from Missouri to California, the festival offers attendees a unique insight into the country's early Pony Express Riders, a horse-and-rider relay service operational in the 19th century.
Oakley
Get in touch with your wild side: the Fall Festival in Oakley is unique in its blend of acknowledging the Wild West of old, combined with all the amenities of modern-day festival-going. Held annually on the first Saturday of October, the festival serves up homemade food, drinks, and crafts. There are many pumpkin-based activities to partake in, too: a hill designated as the pumpkin-rolling location, and tables set up with free pumpkins available for decoration. Wagon rides await, as well, allowing visitors to feel like a 19th-century cowboy traversing the rugged plains of the Midwest.
From Independence's Neewollah to Oakley's cowboy-esque Fall Festival to Marysville's Black Squirrel and all the great stops in between, the vast state of Kansas has no shortage of unique festivals to attend. If you are planning a trip or happen to be nearby, you are never far away from a festival grounds, nor too far away from its appearance. If you want a festival experience unlike any other, the many options on Kansas soil have you covered.
