Fest with the best

Tulsa’s summer festival guide

It’s festival season once again in Tulsa. We’re in for a veritable festi-smorgasbord in the coming months, so plan ahead. If your interests take you into the realms of music, performance, diverse cultures, film, food, or good drink(s)—there are sure to be more than a few soirees that you won’t want to miss. Let this issue of TTV be your guide. We’ll see you in the wristband line.

Oklahoma Renaissance Festival
Saturdays and Sundays, April 29–June 4 + Memorial Day | The Castle of Muskogee | $5.95–$69.95 | okcastle.com
Experience the sights, sounds, and flavors of Renaissance England, complete with a king and queen, knights, vendors, and performers of all kinds.

International Jazz Fest
Fri., May 5, 6 p.m. | Guthrie Green | Free | tulsajazz.com
​Curated by TulsaJazz.com, this free concert will feature performances by The Clark Gibson Studio Orchestra, Branjae Jackson, Cynthia Simmons, Prima Cuerda, Michael Rappe Sextet, and more.

Tulsa Overground Film & Music Festival
Fri., May 5, and Sat., May 6 | Brady Arts District | Films and passes from $10–$70 | tulsaoverground.com
Films, virtual reality, bands, and more. Check out our coverage of Tulsa Overground here.

Germanfest
Fri., May 5–Sun., May 7 | German American Society of Tulsa | Free | germanfest.gastulsa.org
Celebrate German culture with traditional food, song and dance, art, and activities.

Rooster Days
Thurs., May 11–Sun., May 14 | Central Park, Broken Arrow | Free admission, ride passes available for $25–$45 | roosterdays.com
First held in 1931, Oklahoma’s oldest festival features carnival rides and games, an indoor/outdoor marketplace, 15K run, and the annual parade and Miss Rooster Days Pageant.

Dodgebrawl
Sat., May 13, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | BOK Center | Free to attend | bokcenter.com
Dodgeball takes the spotlight at this annual single-day tournament at BOK Center.

MisFEST
Sat., May 13, 2 p.m.–11 p.m. | River West Festival Park | $20–$65 | misfest.com
Created to empower women and support the YWCA and River Parks, MisFEST performers include KALO, Casii Stephan, Branjae, Fiawna Forté, and Vagittarius.

Habit Mural Festival
Sat., May 13–Sun., May 14 | Brady Arts and East Village Districts | Free | habitfestival.com
18 artists from around the country descend upon downtown Tulsa armed with cans of spray paint. Read Alicia Chesser’s article on Habit Fest here.

Bicycle Film Festival
Mon., May 15–Wed., May 17 | Circle Cinema | $5 per night | circlecinema.com
Three themed nights of bicycle films, including BMX Night, Tulsa Tough Night, and Bike Shorts.

Mayfest
Thurs., May 18–Sun., May 21 | Deco District | Free | tulsamayfest.org
​Mayfest boasts works by over 100 artists in indoor and outdoor exhibits and booths, three outdoor stages, dozens of bands, and activities for the whole family. Music headliners include Tulsa-based Prince tribute Vince and the Revolution, Eric Himan, and Wisconsin bluegrass and roots band Horseshoes & Hand Grenades.

World Culture Music Festival
Thurs., May 18–Mon., May 22 | Soundpony and Yeti | Free | worldculturemusicfestival.com
WCMF is five days of up-and-coming independent and underground hip hop artists from Tulsa and the surrounding area. Performers include Steph Simon, Earl Hazard (aka Mr. Burns), Verse, Pade, Surron the 7th, and many more.

Blue Dome Arts Festival
Fri., May 19–Sun., May 21 | Blue Dome District | Free | bluedomearts.org
Blue Dome celebrates the art of Tulsa with over 250 local artists and vendors, local flavors from Harden’s Hamburgers to Lone Wolf Banh Mi and beyond, and two dozen performances from the likes of Animal Names, The Danner Party, and American Shadows.

The Hop Jam
Sun., May 21 | Brady Arts District | Free admission, beer passes + VIP tickets available for $40–$100 | thehopjam.com
The Hanson brothers’ beer and music festival will feature 65 breweries from around the world and performances by Mayer Hawthorne, KONGOS, John Fullbright, Castro, Johnny Polygon, and Hanson themselves.

Summer Stage Tulsa
Thurs., May 25–Sun., June 25 | Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Prices vary per performance | summerstagetulsa.org
Summer Stage is comprised of over two dozen theatrical and musical performances of a wide variety of genres. 

Sakura Festival
Fri., May 26, 7 p.m. | Guthrie Green | Free | facebook.com/tokyointulsa
Rescheduled from April, Tokyo in Tulsa presents this traditional celebration of the blooming of Japanese Cherry Blossoms, featuring movies on the lawn, karaoke, cosplay, and more.

Rocklahoma
Fri., May 26–Sun., May 28 | Pryor | $72–$197 | rocklahoma.com
Rock out in Pryor with Def Leppard, The Offspring, Seether, Ratt, and more.

Route 66 PatriotFest
Sat., May 27, 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m. | Route 66 Village | Free | rt66patriotfest.com
Celebrate the US of A with a variety of events and activities, including a car and motorcycle show, pin-up contest, live music, pet contest, and an old-fashioned cruise down Route 66 from one side of town to the other.

Real Okie Craft Beer Festival
Fri., June 2, 6–9:30 p.m. | Honor Heights Park, Muskogee | $25 | friendsofhonorheightspark.org
As its name suggests, this beer fest includes nothing but Oklahoma brewers.

Tallgrass Music Festival
Fri., June 2 + Sat., June 3 | Skiatook Sports Complex, Skiatook | $10–$20 | tallgrassmusicfestival.com
The 13th go-round of this bluegrass festival will feature performances from The Cleverlys, The Baker Family, Southbound Mule, Wood & Wire, and Cowboy Jones, plus a band scramble.

Asian-American Festival
Sat., June 3, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. | Martin Regional Library | Free | tulsalibrary.org/asianfestival
The Tulsa Library Trust hosts this 15th-annual festival celebrating Asian art, culture, and food.

Tulsa Pride Festival & Parade
Sat., June 3 + Sun., June 4 | Dennis R. Neill Equality Center and Centennial Park | Free | okeq.org
Tulsa is home to Oklahoma’s largest Pride celebration. Pride begins on Saturday with a parade and street festival, featuring live performances and more, and concludes with the Pride in the Park family picnic at Centennial Park on Sunday.

deadCenter Film Festival
Thurs., June 8–Sun., June 11 | Downtown Oklahoma City | $150 for All-Access Pass, individual event tickets also available | deadcenterfilm.org
Oklahoma’s largest film festival features over 100 feature, short, and student films.

OK Mozart Music Festival
Thurs., June 8–Fri., June 16 | Various locations in Bartlesville | Prices vary per performance | okmozart.com
Over a week of performances including headliners Michael Martin Murphy with the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra, Wilson Phillips, and Chris Mann, as well as a street party under the Price Tower, jazz at Sooner Park, the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra performing Disney classics at Woolaroc, and more.

Tulsa Tough
Fri., June 9 –Sun., June 11 | Blue Dome and Brady Arts districts, Cry Baby Hill | Free | tulsatough.com
The biggest party weekend of the summer. Also, bike races.

Tulsa Balloon Festival
Wed., June 14–Sun., June 18 | E 41th St. & S 129th E Ave. | Free | tulsaibf.com
Over 50 hot air balloons will fill the Oklahoma skies during the Tulsa Balloon Festival, which will also feature a large carnival with rides, vendors, music, and more.

G Fest
Thurs., June 15–Sat., June 17 | Love-Hatbox Sports Complex, Muskogee | $39–$349 | gfestmuskogee.com
This second-annual music festival will feature performances from NEEDTOBREATHE, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Candyland, J.J. Grey and Mofro, John Fullbright, Leon: The Tribute, and more.

​Juneteenth
Thurs., June 15–Sun., June 18 | Greenwood District | Free | tulsajuneteenth.org
Celebrate black culture and heritage through four days of art and music. The weekend’s lineup of music across several genres and venue is yet to be announced.

Mvskoke Nation Festival
Fri. June 23 + Sat., June 24 | Claude Cox | Omniplex, Okmulgee | Free | creekfestival.com
This celebration of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation features an Indian art and food market, stomp dance, rodeo, and free concerts. Keep an eye out for this year’s headliners, which remain TBA. Last year saw sets from Blues Traveler and Bret Michaels.

Folds of Honor FreedomFest
Tues., July 4, 5 p.m.–10 p.m. | Veterans Park and River West Festival Park | Free | riverparks.org/freedomfest
It wouldn’t be Independence Day without a fireworks display, and each year, Folds of Honor treats Tulsa to one of the biggest in the country.

Woody Guthrie Folk Festival
Wed., July 12–Sun., July 16 | Pastures of Plenty and various locations in Okemah $40–$75 | woodyfest.com
WoodyFest is held each year on the weekend nearest Woody Guthrie’s birthday, July 14. Only the first wave of lineup announcements is out, and it includes Arlo Guthrie, Folk Uke, Cole Quest and the City Pickers, and many more.

Porter Peach Festival
Thurs., July 13–Sat., July 15 | Downtown Porter and Livesay Orchards | Free | porterpeachfestivals.com
Celebrate and enjoy the delicious Porter Peach with arts & crafts, live music, dessert contests, and, of course, free peaches and ice cream.

Tokyo in Tulsa
Fri., July 14–Sun., July 16 | Cox Business Center | $50–$65 | tokyointulsa.com
Oklahoma’s largest celebration of Japanese pop culture includes guest speakers and panels, gaming, cosplay, music, manga, and more.

Will Rogers & Wiley Post Fly-In
Sat., August 12, 7:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch, Oologah | Free | willrogers.com
Over 125 planes will fly around Oologah Lake for this day of remembrance for legendary Okie movie star Will Rogers. There will also be a classic car and motorcycle show and activities for the whole family.

Wild Brew
Sat., August 12, 5–8 p.m. | Cox Business Center | $45–$150 | wildbrew.org
Sample beers from dozens of breweries from Oklahoma, around the country, and around the world, and food from over 30 local restaurants, all while raising funds for The Sutton Aviary Research Center.

EXCHANGE Choreography Festival
Thurs., August 24–Sat., August 26 | Walter Arts Center, Holland Hall | $40–$90 | thebellhouse.info
Three days of performances and workshops with featured artist Bill Wade of Inlet Dance Theatre.

Blue Whale Comedy Festival
Thurs., Sept. 7–Sun., Sept. 10 | Brady Arts District | Ticket prices TBA | bluewhalecomedyfestival.com
The first round of comedians announced for this year’s Blue Whale includes the voice of Comedy Central (literally): Kyle Kinane, as well as David Gborie, Gina Brillon, Jordan Rock, and Naomi Ekperigin.