Honey Festival · September 20–21, 2033 · Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan — 'The Little Apple' and home of Kansas State University in Riley County — is the eastern gateway to the Flint Hills, the largest remaining intact tallgrass prairie ecosystem on Earth, stretching across east-central Kansas and covering over 4 million acres. This landscape, defined by chert-rich limestone bedrock too shallow for the plow that saved it from the agricultural conversion that eliminated 97% of North America's original tallgrass prairie, is an extraordinary mosaic of native prairie plants that produces a genuinely rare honey: native tallgrass prairie wildflower honey from hundreds of prairie species including wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), prairie blazing star (Liatris spicata), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), prairie clover (Dalea purpurea and candida), and leadplant (Amorpha canescens) — a honey plant diversity simply not replicable in cultivated landscapes. The dominant large-scale honey plant remains sweet clover (Melilotus spp.) along roadsides and hay meadows at prairie margins, while alfalfa covers the irrigated lowlands adjacent to the upland prairie, and sunflowers contribute a late-summer golden honey unique to the Sunflower State. Kansas State University's Department of Entomology has maintained an active beekeeping extension and research program since the early 20th century, and the Manhattan festival at City Park draws on that academic tradition alongside the active Flint Hills beekeeping community. Tallgrass prairie honey tastings by plant source, Native American honey plant ethnobotany, and conservation exhibits on the Konza Prairie Biological Station — just south of Manhattan — anchor the educational programming.
Type: Honey Festival
Date: September 20–21, 2033
Location: City Park, Poyntz Ave, Manhattan, Kansas
Official website: Manhattan Flint Hills Prairie Honey & Heritage Festival 2033
Honey festivals feature tastings, vendor booths, educational talks, and family-friendly activities celebrating local honey production and beekeeping traditions.
Discover 210+ honey varieties before attending, or learn how to read honey labels to make informed purchases. Explore our Kansas Honey Sourcing Guide for local variety recommendations.
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