A single-weekend fall festival in Wichita (Oct 17–18, 2026) with free grounds admission, pumpkin sales, and wristband-gated games — not a multi-week patch, so mark the exact dates.
Free admission to festival grounds and wandering. Activity Wristbands required for games/activities (pricing TBD online or at event)
Free to walk in. Your spend here is whatever you choose — pumpkins, food, and any paid activities. That makes it a low-risk stop if you are not sure how long the kids will last.
This is a one-weekend annual fall festival hosted by the Nature Discovery Center in Wichita, not an ongoing pumpkin patch — the entire event runs October 17–18, 2026, and that’s it. If you’re used to patches that stay open for weeks, treat this one differently: there’s no “come back next weekend” option.
Entry to the festival grounds and general wandering costs nothing. Pumpkin purchases and activity wristbands (for the festival games specifically) are the two paid components. Wristband pricing wasn’t published in what we found — check the event page or ask when you arrive if the games matter to your visit.
Beyond pumpkin sales — mini, pie, jack-o-lantern, and oversized pumpkins are all available — the event includes festival games, crafts, family photo ops, a chance to meet animals, and vendor booths. It reads as a genuine community festival built around a pumpkin-sales anchor, rather than a working farm you walk through.
Pumpkin sales specifically run 11am to 4pm on both October 17 and 18. Since this isn’t a multi-week season, there’s no flexibility to reschedule if you miss the window — plan your day around that five-hour block on whichever date you choose.
If you want a single, low-commitment festival day with free entry and the option to add pumpkin shopping and games, this fits well. If you’re looking for a return-multiple-times, walk-the-field pumpkin-patch experience, look toward one of the region’s longer-season farms instead.
October 17–18, 2026 only — this is a one-weekend annual event, not a multi-week operation. Pumpkin sales run 11am–4pm both days.
One to two hours, but timing depends on whether the event uses timed entries or walk-in capacity.
A single-weekend event with free admission typically draws concentrated crowds on both days; expect steadier traffic given the short window rather than a spread-out season.
Not specified in what we found.
Not specified. Contact the Nature Discovery Center to confirm ahead of your visit.
You're looking for a multi-week u-pick season — this is strictly one weekend, October 17–18, 2026, with no other dates.
This is a Wichita-based event; pair it with other Sedgwick County fall activities if you're making a full day of it.
No, entry to the festival grounds is free. Activity wristbands for games are a separate, optional cost (pricing wasn't published as of when we checked) — check the event page or ask on-site.
October 17–18, 2026, only. Pumpkin sales run 11am–4pm both days.
Mini pumpkins, pie pumpkins, jack-o-lantern pumpkins, and oversized pumpkins, per the center's event listing.
Festival games, crafts, family photo ops, a chance to meet animals, and vendor booths.
October 17 – October 18, 2026. Saturday & Sunday only. Hours: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM (pumpkins for sale).
Admission is free. Free admission to festival grounds and wandering. Activity Wristbands required for games/activities (pricing TBD online or at event)
We track 5 patches in Wichita Region, 1 of which are free to walk into. Entry here costs nothing, which puts it in the minority even in a region with several free options.
Its season runs about 2 days against a regional average of 42, so it is a shorter window than most of its neighbours — miss it and the nearest alternatives will still be open.
What sets it apart locally: it has farm animals, which most Wichita Region patches on our list do not.
There is 1 other patch we track in Sedgwick County. All Wichita Region patches →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
naturediscoverycenter.org
Checked August 2026.